Congress throws another Made in USA industry under the bus

To make something out of plastic, from auto parts to toys, you need a mold. Mold-building takes skilled craftsmen, expensive equipment and it's a crucial component of America's manufacturing base. So guess what got the shaft in those trade deals Congress just passed? The mold building industry. The trade journal Plastics Today reports U.S. mold exports to South Korea totaled $179,187 in 2010, while imports of molds from South Korea totaled $42,281,116. Imports will only accelerate under the terms of the deals Washington just approved. Steve Rotman is owner and President of Ameritech Die & Mold Inc and serves on the Board of Directors of the American Mold Builders Association. He knows exactly what's going on and isn't afraid to call it as he sees it. "Sorry, but from my vantage point Free Trade agreements have been the scourge of the U.S. economy," Rotman told Plastics Today. "I am sick about the Free Trade mentality. What it will end up doing is costing us and our heirs their freedom. When we as a society don't feel that it is our right to protect our livelihoods - the economy - and call it protectionism, well, call me a protectionist all day long. There are a whole lot of unscrupulous countries that will just take away our manufacturing, and laugh all the way to the bank. And our politicians will blame it on someone else." Steve, the American Jobs Alliance is with you all the way. We need people like you in Washington and our country would be in a lot better shape.