Posted on 04/05/2005 7:03:57 PM PDT by Coleus
What a shocker. The John Birch Society opposes another free trade agreement.
Hey, at least it's not JBS ranting about flouride in our drinking water.
You have missed the point entirely. These are not simply "trade agreements" but steps toward totalitarian socialism. The JBS is trying to defend your freedom, but if you don't mind being a slave of the new world order, then just keep it up, Dog Gone, and you will have it.
It is so heavily in favor of the US that I'm surprised the other countries signed it.
CAFTA agreements mean that US tax dollars will now be sent to FOREIGN SUGAR PRODUCERS as "alternative compensation".
How is that in favor of the US? Maybe it favors some corrupt multinational buddies of the legislature and executive office, but it ain't in favor of the taxpayer who's losing his job then has to pay his competition not to levy sanctions.
Yawn
“The U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement will provide a substantial competitive advantage to U.S. agriculture… When the trade agreement is fully implemented, tariffs on U.S. agriculture products imported by CAFTA nations will decrease from between 15 and 43 percent to zero percent. The Farm Bureau estimates CAFTA will result in nearly $900 million in increased U.S. agricultural exports.”
-American Farm Bureau Federation“This is a great deal for the U.S. cattle industry. We asked the U.S. government to fight for trade initiatives that reduce barriers to access for U.S. beef, and that’s exactly what we are getting with this new agreement.”
-National Cattlemen’s Beef Association“The Central America nations wanted to exclude pork from the CAFTA but Ambassador Zoellick and Ambassador Johnson, supported completely by President Bush and Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, did not let us down… [W]e are very excited about the CAFTA agreement because it will provide significant new opportunity to our producers.”
-National Pork Producers Council“…[This] agreement that will not only bring more stability to U.S. poultry exports but provides a positive framework for growth in exports in the years ahead.”
-National Chicken Council“On the whole, this agreement is a win for the U.S. rice industry. While Central America has been one of our biggest customers, we now have guaranteed market access for rough and milled rice, which is something we did not have before.”
-USA Rice Federation“The [Central America] region has become in the last few years a very good market for U.S. poultry, and the agreement means that this trend will continue.”
-USA Poultry and Egg Export Council“The U.S./Central American Free Trade Agreement is a victory for the principles of free and open trade, and it should turn out to be a very positive deal for the turkey industry, for all agriculture in the United States and for all the nations involved in the agreement.”
-National Turkey Federation“U.S. dairy product suppliers will see substantially greater success in these markets for cheese, ice cream, whey proteins, and milk powder.”
-U.S. Dairy Export Council“The agreement is a good deal for corn growers and the grains industry overall.”
-National Corn Growers Association“The agreement will offer immediate duty free access for more than 1 million metric tons of U.S. corn, with tariffs dropping to zero in all four countries within 15 years. The market potential for U.S. feed grains is extremely high and demand will grow due to this historic agreement.”
-U.S. Grains Council“The Bush administration has reached a monumental milestone for fair trade opportunities for U.S. apples with our neighbors in Central America.”
-U.S. Apple Association“We are pleased to have the grape tariff elimination included in the agreement and urge Congress to ratify the agreement…This tariff elimination is just the latest example of how the industry works together for the benefit of every fresh grape grower in the state.”
-California Table Grape Commission“This agreement, if approved by Congress, would allow for additional market access for U.S. potato products to these markets… The reduction of tariffs on fries was a high priority for the potato industry.”
-National Potato Council“On behalf of U.S. soybean producers, I congratulate the Bush Administration for a job well done. This agreement will solidify our position as the preferred supplier of soybeans and soybean products to these Central American nations. For that we are grateful.”
-American Soybean Association“It’s going to make it much easier to compete… [T]ariffs range from 14 percent to 28 percent [on apples]… That equates to an additional $2.25 to $4.50 per carton that importers have to pay on our product that they don’t have to pay on the Chilean product…. [S]o we believe that if Congress ratifies this free trade agreement, which is the next step, that this will get us back on competitive footing.”
-Northwest Horticultural Council“Overall, CAFTA will benefit the food, beverage and consumer products industry. However, if the United States is to maintain its commitment to free trade, it should not create special exceptions that will insulate select commodities such as sugar from free trade.”
-Grocery Manufacturers Association“The markets in Central America are of growing importance to our members. CAFTA will level the playing field for everyone doing business there and for those Central American companies wanting to do more business in the United States.”
-Pet Food Institute
"Staying in one place for one's entire life reeks of a lack of upward mobility............. and stability for children, life long friendships and schools you choose.
Upward mobility = kids with no roots
another "stop the world, i wanna get off" article.
dem-commie or pubbie global trade is coming.
I don't remember reading anything in CAFTA about sending tax dollars to any country. I do remember how it requires the Central American companies to stop their government monopolies over such things as telecommunications and insurance and allow American companies to compete for business down there.
When the draft text of CAFTA was first made available on January 28, 2004, these states discovered they were bound by the 2,400-page agreement and were specifically listed in Chapter 9. A third have since rescinded their support of CAFTA.
The governors are hearing from their state legislators who are beginning to understand how these foreign-trade agreements usurp the states' constitutional and legislative powers. These agreements take away state legislative authority over regulating utilities, controlling land use, and the granting of taxpayer-funded contracts.
Last fall, a WTO tribunal outlawed Utah's ban on gambling, opening the door to millions of dollars in penalties against all states with anti-gambling regulations. Antigua and Barbuda had charged that Utah's ban on gambling violated America's obligation not to discriminate against foreigners providing "recreational services."
CAFTA includes hundreds of pages of grants of vague authority to foreign tribunals. It wouldn't take a very activist foreign judge to read his own interpretation into language that requires us to use the "least trade-restrictive" regulations and to change our laws so they are "no more burdensome than necessary."
Meanwhile, states are feeling the heat from their constituents who discovered that some state agencies were paying out taxpayers' money to corporations that outsource their labor, particularly programmers, engineers and call-center workers. Anti-outsourcing bills have been introduced in 35 states.
It is clear that CAFTA would prevent any state that has "signed on" from giving preference to in-state contractors or prohibiting tax dollars from going to contractors who outsource jobs. Any Central American country could file a complaint, and the state would have to rely on its defense by the U.S. Government that has already agreed to CAFTA's rules.
The pro-CAFTA lobby's promise of big trade with the CAFTA countries is a pipe dream. How can anyone expect customers for U.S. products from countries where half the people live below the poverty line and the hourly wages are often below 50 cents per hour?
El Salvador's principal exports to the United States are its vicious MS-13 and other street gangs. Hundreds of these young criminals have brought an unprecedented level of murder, violence, mutilation, and brutality to cities all over our country.
The real purpose of CAFTA is to allow multinational corporations to exploit the abundance of cheap labor and the scarcity of taxes and safety regulations in CAFTA countries. CAFTA will increase our $58 billion job-killing U.S. trade deficit and further weaken our already suffering dollar.
--CAFTA Is A Bad Deal For The United States
How can anyone be against that?
The other feature is that it opens their economies up to competition from American companies. That's good for us and it's good for them.
Central America and the Dominican Republic make up the 2nd-largest U.S. export market in Latin America, behind only Mexico. The U.S. exports more than $15 billion annually to the region, making it America’s 10th-largest export market worldwide*; CAFTA-DR is a larger U.S. export market than Russia, India and Indonesia combined.
*Assumes EU is one market
Source: Overview: The Case for CAFTA
First, one must believe that "we don' build or sell nuthin', nowheres, no how." Second, factor-in a good dose of confusion about terms such as "hemispheric integration." Finally, add a spice of paranoia and a fear of statistics.
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