Let's Say No to 'Fast Track' and Get on a 'Pro-American' Track

Christian Post ^ | May 12, 2015|8:59 amris | By Phyllis Schlafly , CP Op-Ed Contributor

[Cringing Negativism Network]

Congress, led by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), is preparing to betray American workers, and the grassroots should rise up and say, "No, you don't." The secretive underhanded deal is called Fast Track, and that's an appropriate title because, indeed, it puts Americans on a fast track to lower wages and fewer available jobs.

Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/lets-say-no-to-fast-track-and-get-on-a-pro-american-track-139015/#ylD1c6oBpMiKKJ67.99

[1rudeboy]

Which of those countries are we expected to flood us with illegal immigrants?

[Theoria]

Oh...good question. I suspect Peru. But as a whole. All of those countries have greater rules preventing illegal immigration than US.

[1rudeboy]

Leading to the next question, if all of those countries have greater rules preventing illegal immigration, then the problem is our rules preventing illegal immigration, and not rules regarding the trade in goods?

[skeeter]

Phyllis has been hitting em out of the park for nearly 60 years.

[Theoria]

Or we have weak illegal immigration rules, and failed rules on trade. Simple reciprocity of traded items would be wonderful.

[1rudeboy]

I understand your desire to conflate the two issues, because it’s all your argument had left. What do you mean by “reciprocity?” Is that, “you tax me 0%, and I tax you 0%?” Those are called free trade agreements.

[Theoria]

'Is that, “you tax me 0%, and I tax you 0%?” Those are called free trade agreements.'

Nah, if only it was like that. That would be awesome. But, not all goods we export are duty free to Canada or Mexico. They like to slap a vat tax on such[NAFTA didn't free up all items]. We don't play that as much as they.

Trade is cool. Free trade, not so much.

[1rudeboy]

Ok, it's getting late, and I've been drinking. But a VAT on American imports? Surely you mean some other tax.

[Theoria]

Mexico levies a vat on imports at a standard rate of 16% calculated on the sum of the CIF[Cost, Insurance, and Freight] value, duty, and DTA[deferred tax asset]. Some products can be imported free of VAT though. Fun!

[jjotto]

You can’t make this stuff up.

It’s actually called an ‘import VAT’. It’s just a tariff.

[Theoria]

Dummy. dta = domestic tariff area

[1rudeboy]

Unless it's from a NAFTA country. That's how it works. We tax their stuff too, via sales taxes, etc.

[Theoria]

Sure, ‘local’ sales tax. We don’t have a uniform vat for imports, but we do have taxes on their imports, but by in large not as much as they do. NAFTA didn’t lower import tariffs for all items.

[1rudeboy]

Ok, so your problem is the local tax regime. I get it. But I don’t see a VAT in the U.S. anytime soon.