Posted on 07/27/2005 9:14:44 PM PDT by RWR8189
WASHINGTON - The House narrowly approved the Central American Free Trade Agreement early Thursday, a personal triumph for President Bush, who campaigned aggressively for the accord he said would foster prosperity and democracy in the hemisphere.
The 217-215 vote just after midnight adds six Latin American countries to the growing lists of nations with free trade agreements with the United States and averts what could have been a major political embarrassment for the Bush administration.
It was an uphill effort to win a majority, with Bush traveling to Capitol Hill earlier in the day to appeal to wavering Republicans to support a deal he said was critical to U.S. national security.
Lobbying continued right up to the vote, with Vice President Dick Cheney, U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman (news, bio, voting record) and Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez tracking undecided lawmakers.
The United States signed the accord, known as CAFTA, a year ago with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, and the Senate approved it last month. It now goes to the president for his signature.
To capture a majority, supporters had to overcome what some have called free trade fatigue, a growing sentiment that free trade deals such as the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada have contributed to a loss of well-paying American jobs and the soaring trade deficit.
Democrats, who were overwhelmingly against CAFTA, also argued that its labor rights provisions were weak and would result in exploitation of workers in Central America.
But supporters pointed out that CAFTA would over time eliminate tariffs and other trade barriers that impede U.S. sales to the region, correcting the current situation in which 80 percent of Central American goods enter the United States duty-free but Americans must pay heavy tariffs.
The agreement would also strengthen intellectual property protections and make it easier for Americans to invest in the region.
"This is a test of American leadership in a changing world," said Rep. Kevin Brady (news, bio, voting record), R-Texas, a leading proponent of the agreement. "We cannot claim to be fighting for American jobs and yet turn our backs on 44 million new customers in Central America.
A snitch in time saves nine.
Beware the Red Queen.
For she and/or her minions
Will ride down on you.
Are you saying that the sum of government statistics doesn't match up to any one person or group of friends in your community? Isn’t that like remarking that the average of 300 million numbers doesn’t say diddly about say... number 132,967,456 or any of the 200 adjacent numbers? Would you expect it to?
No.
Isn’t that like remarking that the average of 300 million numbers doesn’t say diddly about say... number 132,967,456 or any of the 200 adjacent numbers? Would you expect it to?
No; no.
Then I don't get it.
Your last post proved that. ;)
Guess I'm just an illiterate moron. Good Night.
Come off it, the ;) showed I wasn't being insulting, just kidding.
Subject to meddling international bureaucrats, foreign tribunals, and Codex regulation of health supplements, of course...
Tell that to Fort Payne Alabama... This has just killed the town (formally known as the Sock Capital of the World)...
You have no idea what you are talking about.
Quote: there was no outlet for Russian goods in the U.S. then,
No comparison with Russsa as what is happening with china today. We did not send factories to Russia in droves and allow them to export the finished item back to the US.
Everyone knows that china is a threat. Why do you support US companies moving over there?
NAFTA has most certainly NOT stopped illegal immigration from Mexico. What makes you think, then, that CRAPFTA will actually stop illegal immigration from Central America? Secure borders are what's needed to stop this happy-crappy, but that's something Boosh is against, isn't it?
As far as I know, there is Codex language in CRAPFTA which would at least allow for consideration, whether by us or a CRAPFTA bureaucracy, of restricting health supplements to prescriptions only in this country. Hilarious? Only if you're a meddling international bureaucrat.
There's your problem.
Yes that would be much better than what we have now.
Can you please explain to me how it is being misinterpreted? (And by misinterpreted, I assume you mean that it is erroneous to read it and infer that Marx supported Free Trade).
21 million new jobs and higher real wages. Save us from more good stuff like that. LOL!!!
Tell that to Fort Payne Alabama... This has just killed the town (formally known as the Sock Capital of the World)...
You have no idea what you are talking about
I agree LowOiL. I'm from Lexington, NC and this is going to kill whats left of NC's textile and furniture industry. And what's left of American manufactoring really. Not to mention another erosion of American soveriengity.
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