Protectionist Rhetoric Hurts American Workers

Fire of Liberty

As I think about the nationalistic/protectionistic spirit that seems to be running through certain segments of Congress and in the Jacksonian leanings amongst the US populous, I can't help myself in pointing out that the "foreign" investors that these folks rally against are actually bringing jobs and money to our shores. While I can name a cornucopia of foreign owned firms that provide well paying jobs to a large subsection of the American people, I thought I'd set my focus on Toyota. If you go here over at Toyota's website, you'll discover that the maker of the ever popular Camry and Prius provides some 33,113 well paid jobs and brings in some $14.1 billion dollars of investment to the US not to mention some $26 billion that's spent on parts, materials, goods and services throughout North America (Didn't have individual breakdown amongst Mexico, Canada and the US) thus providing even more jobs and money for more US citizens. What's even more interesting is that Toyota just announced today that they're planning to expand their production of Camrys by another 100,000 by 2007 and thus adding some 1,000 more jobs to the US economy. Now some Congressmen and Senators will continue to push their nationalistic/protectionistic agenda to please the public or domestic manufactures (In Toyota's case Ford, GM and Dodge) if they will but I'm betting the Toyota workers throughout the US and the folks of Indiana who will get these future jobs are thankful for these "foreigners." I'd also like to add that since 1991 Toyota has also provided some $310 million in philathropic donations to the US thus providing yet another reason to be grateful for a foreign nation who helps our people out in more ways than one.

Let's just hope that these politicians get off their current protectionist high horse and realize that without foreign investment and industries in the US, Americans would be out of a job.