Florida Governor Jeb Bush said recently that 34 nations in the western hemisphere supported plans to have the Free Trade Area of the Americas headquartered in Miami.(AFP/File/Luke Frazza)
Posted on 11/05/2004 8:35:25 PM PST by hedgetrimmer
MIAMI (AFP) - Florida has trademarked the phrase "The Gateway to the Americas" as part of its campaign to have Miami become the headquarters of a planned Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA.)
The state, together with an group promoting the bid to host the future secretariat, have also registered "The Gateway of the Americas" as a trademark.
"Our state is in fact both the gateway of and to the Americas, long recognized by multinational companies as the center for global commerce," said Jorge Arrizurieta, who heads Florida FTAA, which is seeking to have the body's secretariat located in Miami.
Florida Governor Jeb Bush said recently that 34 nations in the western hemisphere supported plans to have the FTAA headquartered in Miami.
Several others are vying to become to host the FTAA, including Atlanta and Panama City.
FTAA members had hoped to finalize the free trade agreement early next year, but negotiations have bogged down on a series of issues, and particularly over agricultural subsidies, with Brazil among those leading demands for their elimination.
Several Caribbean countries also have shown increasing reluctance to sign the pact anytime soon, particularly since the February ouster of Haiti's then president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, which the United States had encouraged.
The free trade area, which would stretch from Alaska to Argentina, would be the world's largest, with a population of some 800 million and a 13-trillion-dollar gross domestic product.
PING
To the Editor,
Much has been said in recent weeks about job losses in the United States. Our Congressman Bob Ney has said that he will work to stop the losses. He can start by getting his fellow Republicans in the House and Senate to rescind NAFTA. He also should lead the fight against the "Free Trade Agreement for America."
Now a history and current event lesson for the Congressman.
Numerous provisions in the so-called "free trade" agreements are chipping away at our nation's sovereignty. The "NAFTA" pact of 1993 (Bill Clinton Signed this into law) for instance, contained a little-known provision mandating that, by the year 2000, our nation's southern border must be opened wide to all trucks entering from Mexico. A formal complaint was lodged and a federal appeals court ordered that a study be conducted. The result was that Washington ordered the opening of all roads to Mexico's trucks. In effect, the ruling and the attitude of Washington held that the provisions of "NAFTA" superseded a decision of our nation's courts.
The flood of trucks now expected to cross the border means that there is no way U.S. inspectors can possibly check the cargos in all of these vehicles. We are left with the questions about what those cargoes might contain. Illegal immigrants? Weapons? Terrorists? Drugs? U. S. border officials no longer have the capability of guaranteeing that vehicles entering our nation are free of dangerous contraband.
Congress will soon be asked to approve US. entry in the 34 nation "Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)." There is no doubt, however, that such "free trade" agreements have cost Americans millions of jobs. Recently, the "Christian Science Monitor" reported the staggering fact the so-called "free trade" is the major reason why the number of manufacturing jobs in our nation has shrunk from 19.3 million in 1980 to 14.6 million over the past 25 years.
A strong and independent nation is one that manufactures what it needs. A nation that gets its goods from elsewhere becomes dependent on other countries. The world power that loses its manufacturing capacity is no longer a world power. Creation of "FTAA" will simply worsen this already serious problem. Congress and the President must say "No" to the "FTAA." To completely correct the job loss problem, the Congress and President must rescind "NAFTA" also.
Orville Starkey
West Lafayette
http://www.coshoctontribune.com/news/stories/20041105/opinion/1541965.html
I want to copyright "Get your butt out of my country"
I hadn't heard that either, that is interesting
I'll copyright "Padlock on the Gateway to America"
I guess New York City should change the name of that pesky place known as "Gateway Park". (Hmmm, actually, it's federal property, I think.) You know, because of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and all that stuff.
Here in Illinois our slogan is "Gateway To Iowa"
Bttt! I'm always amazed that these articles get very little attention, yet the illegal threads can become quite large. I mean, if people think they have a problem, now, just wait.
Pay no attention....continue shopping...nothing to see here.
Did you guys here about Jeb's punk ass son down in Mexico talking smack about the US border patrol because they use paint ball guns to shoot illegals? Yeah and "conservatives" support this family???? They will march us into Aztlan.
"Family values doesn't stop at the border"
-W.
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