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.
Boy do they make some fine mechanical equipment. I spent 7 months on a major installation of equipment made there and the only bright spot for the USA was they cannot program software to save their lives.
Each piece of equipment had software that worked like nobody at the factory spoke to each other. Even though this equipment was intended to be installed as one long production line, the sharing of data from one piece to the next was almost nonexistent.
Their own US based people were not allowed to make changes but had to wait while updates were made via FedEx packages.
It got very tiresome near the end of the project when someone with more holes than cheese would say, "that can't happen" even though we were standing there watching it screw up.
Reagan (mostly a free-trader) imposes tariffs on foreign motorcycles. He's a hero.
Bush (mostly a free-trader) imposes tariffs on foreign steel. He's a goat.
Note, too, how -- to a man; without exception; every last one of 'em -- the anti-free trade "conservatives" hereabouts all seem remarkably comfortable and conversant with the exact same talking points and half-truths so abundant and on ready display here.
"Conservatives" who slam Bush and Reagan... while proudly championing the positions of Michael Moore and Nancy Pelosi.
Uh. Huh.
This is a stretch. When President Bush took office there were 6 to 8 million illegals in the USA. Now there are some 10 to 20 million illegals. Depending on the numbers you believe, that is between a 20% and 100% expansion. From the article you posted:
The Operation Gatekeeper philosophy has thrived and spread along San Diego County's 66-mile border with Mexico and into adjacent Imperial County. It also has taken root along urban sections of the border in Texas and Arizona.
and
In fact, some immigration experts say, though crossings are down in Imperial Beach and other urban areas, the number of people who enter the United States illegally each year has not declined.
First, there is no steel fence from the Pacific to Arizona as your link implies. And secondly, the number of illegals crossing the border has not been reduced so it is difficult to claim that anything is better.
Your post implies that Bush has improved something on the borders since 9/11 but actually Operation Gatekeeper was a Clinton initiative. President Bush has done little to expand border security on his watch. Manpower has gone up by perhaps 10% and is nowhere close to adequate. Despite being seriously undermanned, the Bush Administration in its recent budget only requested 200 of the 2000 new Border Patrol Agents authorized by Congress last year. And under the Bush Administration interior enforcement actions against employers of illegals has dwindled from about 1000 per year under his father and 500 per year under Clinton to about 15 per year.
Since you are asking us to give credit where credit is due, I would say that President Bush is due damn little credit with respect to securing our borders.
The real lie is in the word "real". Theoretically that means that the figures have been adjusted to account for inflation. The problem is that the Consumer Price Index is totally unbelievable and is vastly manipulated. Their market basket of goods has little to do with the things that people actuially buy. Clothing has gotten cheaper and so have some of the retail goods we buy at WalMart. But price increases on almost everything else are vastly outstripping the "official" pace of inflation. Housing, food, energy, drugs, medical care, and most household bills are up far beyond the CPI.
Lets hope some jobs were created during those 11+ years because the population of the US has grown more than 21 million since NAFTA's inception.
Currently at 296,747,774
In 1990 it was around 248,709,873
That is with just guessing the illegal population which most consider undercounted.
BTW... when jobs are created, but created without previous perks like 401k plans, affordable insurance, vacation time ect... I don't consider it creation of jobs worth comparing. Thus to compete in a global economy, jobs have been stripped of value in many ways.
But don't mind me, keep on ranting...
Tired of deadbeats declaring bankruptcy multiple times.
You'd better put some ice on that!!
I see your lips moving, but nothing is coming out!!
You have any proof the new jobs have no benefits or perks?
You are offending.
I heard of Foxnews just this week that 3 million manufactoring jobs have been lost since 2001. I don't have a chart but its on the news all the time. Do you not pay attention? Here in NC I hear about job layoffs weekly. Here in the Triad of NC we've lost 1000 furniture jobs since the beginning of the year. 11 of NC's 13 House members voted against CAFTA, including 5 of 7 Republicans. What state are you from? I know its not a manufactoring state.
Disaster....millions of new jobs, unemployment 1% lower that when NAFTA was signed, lower interest rates, REal GDP up 50%, Exports have doubled, and consumer spending has almost doubled.
I was only agreeing with him. :-)
You aren't a Conservative if you think that having a dictator is better.
Nope, I correct.
As I am HTML impaired, I never do links, so you're just out of luck. ;^)
And if you dig deeper, you'd learn that the U.S. has been losing manufacturing jobs for much longer than that. Ask yourself, how many auto workers did it take to manufacture a Pacer? Now ask yourself, how many does it take to manufacture a Camry? (Built in the U.S. with pride).
I know what they say on the news, but I'd like to see a breakdown. Year by year.
What state are you from? I know its not a manufactoring state.
I'm from Chicago.
Yes, I know we've were losing manufactoring jobs before 2001. The major decline began in the early 1990s, after NAFTA was passed in 1993. It says something when 11 of 13 of the conservative state of NC's House members, including 5 of 7 Republicans vote against CAFTA. I think my Congressman, Howard Coble, said it best.
Washington, Jul 27 - Saying it would be a bad deal for 6th District textile workers that he represents, U.S. Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC) said he will vote against the Dominican Republic - Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) when it reaches the House floor. Congressman Coble – the co-chairman of the Congressional Textile Caucus – said DR-CAFTA does not offer enough protection to the beleaguered U.S. textile industry which has lost tens of thousands of jobs during the past few years.
“I have met face-to-face with President Bush, Speaker Hastert, Commerce Secretary Guitierrez, Trade Representative Portman, and numerous advocates on behalf of CAFTA,” Rep. Coble noted. “I told all of them the same story. When I talk with textile workers in my district and look into the faces of those pleading with me to vote against CAFTA and protect their jobs, I see the face of my mama who worked in the textile industry when I was young. Many of these workers are women, and they fear that CAFTA will force their jobs out of North Carolina. Because of my mama, I know the importance of textile jobs to North Carolina’s economy and a way of life that is all-too-fast disappearing. I fear that CAFTA will accelerate the demise of these domestic textile jobs.”
And it just not textiles either. Its furniture and other manufactoring as well. Its a shame that nobody cares about the blue collar manufactoring worker anymore, those that built the country into what it is today. But hey, its ok, you'll get the next shirt you buy for one dollar cheaper while our textile workers lose their jobs,then lose their savings if they have any, and then they won't be able to pay their bills and evenuallty they will lose their house and will have to move into a homeless shelter with their families. But hey, it all good. You'll save a buck or two.
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