“Buy America” Discussion Guide

Listen to the following podcast (episode #93): Interview with Scott Marshall about the "buy America" clause in the economic stimulus:

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/4881 (press play on the mini-player and turn up your computer's volume)

If you do not see that, try copying and pasting the following url into your browser: http://www.gabcast.com/casts/7616/episodes/1234752874.mp3

The “buy America” clause in the Obama stimulus package has been all over the news lately. Political Affairs has prepared a 15 minute audio with Scott Marshall, head of the CPUSA Labor Commission.

Discussion Questions:

1. How does the “buy America” clause in the stimulus package differ from the “buy America” concept promoted in the past?

2. How does the “buy America” clause in the stimulus package affect U. S. trade?

3. Is the ‘buy America” clause in the stimulus package anti proletarian internationalism?

Recommended Readings:

Think Tank report, trade and industrial policy, by CPUSA Labor Commission
http://cpusa.org/article/articleview/952/1/153/

Section 1. The Communist Manifesto
http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~wldciv/world_civ_reader/world_civ_reader_2/marx.html

Springtime of Hope, by Sam Webb (especially sections on financialization and neoliberalism)
http://cpusa.org/article/articleview/994/1/27/

Buy America Provisions, by Alliance for American Manufacturing
http://www.americanmanufacturing.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/buyamericalawsreportr.pdf

To survive, Americans must assert themselves as economic patriots, by Leo Gerard, USW
http://blog.usw.org/2009/01/29/to-survive-americans-must-assert-themselves-as-economic-patriots/

Please share this discussion with your friends. We'd love to read all comments.