NAFTA history is an excellent economics lesson.
Reagan initially proposed it as a clean bill, simple capitalism, remove government taxes and regulations.
It never passed under Reagan. Under Bush, NAFTA became a Christmas tree with lobbyists of all stripes inserting more taxes and regulations that previously existed. Environmental regulations, labor regulations, and things totally unrelated to trade.
Clinton inherited the monstrosity. More lobbyists piled on. The string of Democrat Senators from WA, MT, ND, MN put in all kinds of anti-Canada energy and mining features.
When it passed, Free Trade was only in the name and no-where in the actual bill.
The result is that people became confused as to what free-trade really is.
Clinton’s Goldman-Sachs Secretary Rubin made NAFTA a joke. Rubin, with the help of IMF etal,destroyed the Mexican peso. Destruction of the Mexican financial system forced the Maquiladoras to flee Mexico for Asia.
Mexicans previously employed in a booming economy centered around the maquiladoras became unemployed.
Immigration to the US boomed (not due to Amnesty 8 years earlier) but due to jobs in the US and not in Mexico.
Because the Mexican economy collapsed, libertarian leaning Fox of PAN, the Republican party of Mexico won the presidency for the first time since the 1917 revolution. Fox was followed by the social Conservative PAN/Republican president Calderon. So Mexico had 12 years of Republican President. But now it is back to PRI/Chicago Democrat style rule.
How many people with pro and anti positions on all kinds of issues have any idea of the historical reality through which we live?