[hedgetrimmer]

Q: A question to yourself and to President Bush and President Fox, as well. You've been talking about cooperation, what you, Prime Minister, referred to as the new generation of success or the next generation of success. Keeping in mind in front of us the European Union, how much is this partnership a first step toward continental integration? If so, how far would you like to go and can you give us some sort of a road map, and perhaps give us a distinction between partnership and integration?

--Text of news conference with Bush, Fox and Martin in Waco Texas at the trilatera conference, March 24, 2005

[hedgetrimmer]

Paul Martin--We're talking about big progress.

President Bush--We started to advance this idea in Quebec City, as a matter of fact, in 2000 with the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas. To me that's the most practical extension of the recognition of the realities that we're all going to be facing as the 21st century evolves.

So the division you asked about in your question as to what kind of union might there be, I see one based upon free trade that would then entail commitment to markets and democracy, transparency, rule of law.
To this extent, we have entered into an agreement with the Central American nations called CAFTA.


(Keeping in mind in front of us the European Union, how much is this partnership a first step toward continental integration? )

[Just mythoughts]

Where do you think this is allllll leading to.

Has not globalism been the goal???

[EagleUSA]

This is a scary situation. One of the theories (because the Bush admin. does not feel it has to explain itself to its citizens) is the concept of continental integration is a big part of the reason Bush will not do anything about the illegal immigration issue. If it is, we are in a world of hurt -- and we have little to say about it at the moment....right or wrong???

Is Washington "secretly" forcing something upon the American people they, in majority, most likely do not want???

Opinions???

[antisocial]

"All three countries also will have to confront issues of sovereignty and basic nationalism in deciding how much further integration to pursue. Virtually by definition, multilateral cooperation leads to the loss of sovereign decision-making power. In exchange for expected benefits, NAFTA has required the US, Mexico, and Canada all to substitute mutually-agreed upon rules and joint dispute resolution procedures for what had previously been national decisions. Deeper North American integration will introduce more common rules and regulations, more joint decision-making, and perhaps even new trilateral institutions. These changes will provoke opposition among groups in all three countries who will use traditional conceptions of "sovereignty" as their defense."

If that doesen't everybody's blood pressure up to actionable levels, I doubt if anything can!