Edwards Asks Four Simple Questions 
On Trade

ATLANTA, GA: (Feb. 19) - Speaking at Clark Atlanta University two days after his strong finish in the Wisconsin primary, Senator John Edwards (D-NC) today outlined the four questions he will ask as president to make sure our trade agreements work for the American economy and the American people. 

   “When we talk about trade, we are talking about values,” Edwards said. “There is no question that our current trade policies are good for the profits of multinational corporations. They are good for some people in the financial sector in Atlanta--not all, but some. 

   “But that is not good enough. It is not good enough to serve the interests of shareholders and executives but sacrifice the needs of ordinary people who work for a living. It is not good enough to say that we’ll drive up stock prices if it means driving down wages. If we really believe in honoring work and working people, we must change our trade policies.”

   Edwards said America needs to choose a different path when it comes to trade agreements – a path that honors America’s values of hard work, responsibility, integrity and fairness. “When I am your president, every time I look at a trade deal, these are the simple questions I will ask.”

   1. Will this deal create jobs in America, or will it destroy jobs? 

   2. Does the trade deal have strong labor standards in the text of the agreement, to make sure companies cannot profit by using child labor or paying people pennies a day to work in disgusting conditions? 

   3. Does the deal have strong environmental standards, or does it instead allow companies to challenge our own environmental laws and drag them down? 

   4. Are these provisions enforceable, or are they merely advisory? 

   “When it comes to bad trade agreements, I know what they do to people,” Edwards said. “I have seen it with my own eyes what happens when the mill shuts down. It’s devastating when those jobs are gone. We can’t stop them all from leaving and we can’t bring them all back. But we can pass trade deals that keep American jobs in America.”

   Edwards has a strong record of standing up to trade agreements that are bad for our workers and bad for our values. In addition to opposing NAFTA, Edwards voted against Fast Track and trade agreements with the Caribbean, Africa, Chile and Singapore. “Those trade deals were wrong. They cost us too many jobs and lowered our standards. We have got to put trade policies in line with our values. We can do this and make our economy strong.”