Written during the “jobless recovery” of 2004, CAFTA and Free Trade sounds a powerful warning to America’s middle class. The book applies a critical lens to the recently signed Central American Free Trade Agreement and reveals broader truths about America’s risky position in the new global economy.
Using easy-to-understand language, Greg Spotts shows how the rules of global commerce were developed to serve America’s biggest companies and are now being used to rapidly shift jobs offshore. Spotts reveals a global economy based on bankrupt ideas and misleading claims, while reminding Americans of the moral and social principles that are the foundation of our economic strength. In the tradition of Thomas Paine’s classic pamphlet Common Sense, Spotts tears down the conventional wisdom and makes a passionate case for fundamental change.
CAFTA and Free Trade is the companion book to Greg Spotts’ critically acclaimed documentary film American Jobs (www.americanjobsfilm.com). From January to June 2004, Greg Spotts traveled to 19 cities and towns across America, interviewing recently laid-off workers in their homes. Upon completing his film, Spotts returned to the road in the fall of 2004, screening American Jobs at universities and union halls around the country.
Greg Spotts serves on the Santa Monica Arts Commission, most recently as chair. He is the director of the film American Jobs, a documentary looking at the loss of blue- and white-collar jobs to global sourcing. Greg has been a guest on Lou Dobbs Tonight and NOW with David Brancaccio. His work has been mentioned on the House floor by Representative Hilda Solis in debate on this important issue.
