The Post has repeatedly expressed its contempt for ordinary workers in both its news and editorial sections. It does say again today in its discussion of "buy America" provisions of the stimulus package. The article notes that these provisions have shut out some Canadian firms from portions of the stimulus. While the article asserts that these provisions have created friction with Canada, as a practical matter the stimulus has almost certainly increased jobs in Canada, even with the buy America provisions. This is due to the fact that the buy America provisions apply to only a small portion of the stimulus. Furthermore, insofar as the stimulus increases demand in the economy more generally, it will also increase demand for imports from Canada. Any bill that gets through Congress requires political compromise. If the options were to exclude any buy America provisions, and therefore not get a stimulus bill through Congress, or to get the stimulus bill through with buy America provisions, then Canadians will undoubtedly see more demand for their products in the latter case. The Post badly misrepresents the issue by not pointing this fact out. It is also striking that the Post has never once mentioned the buy America provision in the Treasury's Public Private Investment Partnership plan. This provision has an absolute prohibition on the participation of any investor not headquartered in the United States. This omission is consistent with the Post's editorial policy which has consistently supported large taxpayer subsidies for the banks.
--Dean Baker