Most of the companies that add their name to the GSP Supporter List don’t provide much additional commentary. That’s too bad. Small business owners and employees, which seem to be the majority of the people contacting us, must deal with the consequences of GSP expiration in a way that Congress either does not – or refuses to – understand. These are real bills accumulating and putting their jobs, or even whole companies, at stake.
As a result, the emails we get talk about GSP renewal in a different way. For these companies, GSP is not part of a “grand bargain” on trade or something to be sequenced in a manner that allows both political parties to claim victory. It is about survival. That’s why we post emails from companies whenever possible.
The following email came in the other day from an auto parts distributor in Ohio. It’s short and sweet, but makes its point well:
Please do add our name to the GSP supporters list…we are absorbing the tariff rate increases but making zero profit. After three years of losing money due to a sour economy, it seems our own leadership insists on making it even more difficult to recover. Stick your hands in someone else’s pocket!
I feel it is not fair on many world wide fronts, and will cause many corporations that have struggled to make it this far in bad times…to go under. While we will not be one of those that falls, as a business owner I have a lot of concern and empathy on this.
This disconnect is clear: “concern and empathy” for others. We could all use a little more of that.
