Gary Johnson on Free Trade Former Republican NM Governor

Eliminate needless barriers to free trade

We should Reduce Federal Involvement in the Economy:
• Reject auto and banking bailouts, state bailouts, corporate welfare, cap-and-trade, card check, and the mountain of regulation that protects special interests rather than benefiting consumers or the economy.
• Restrict Federal Reserve policy to maintaining price stability, not bailing out financial firms or propping up the housing sector.
• Eliminate government support of Fannie and Freddie.
• Reduce or eliminate federal involvement in education; let states expand successful reforms such as vouchers and charter schools.
• Legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana, rather than wasting money on an expensive and futile prohibition.
• Eliminate needless barriers to free trade and make it easier for would-be legal immigrants to apply for work visas.

NAFTA benefits New Mexico; jobs lost are those we don't want

A: NAFTA has benefited New Mexico. With each passing day, it's a bigger boom for New Mexico as a border state.

Q: Do you disagree that NAFTA has caused the "sucking sound" Ross Perot warned of--the sound of US jobs being sucked into Mexico?

A: My opinion is that the jobs we're talking about are those we generally don't want. What jobs are we saving?

Q: Manufacturing jobs.

A: There is shifting, and some companies have relocated to Mexico. But we've benefited far more than we have lost. Also, it's still settling. Intel has a new semiconductor manufacturing plant in Albuquerque, one of the most sophisticated plants on the planet. It is in the US because the workers are qualified and efficient here. If we're not competitive, we had better get competitive. We're moving toward a global economy whether we like it or not.