Ever tried to get a good steak south of Texas? It's pretty hard.
Ever tried to buy turkey in Costa Rica? It's not even there.
CAFTA will change all that.
Many of our exports have no local competition. Yet they're hit with high tariffs. Things like washing machines and refrigerators. Computers. CAFTA will lower the prices for their citizens by removing those tariffs and making them more affordable for their citizens. As a result, we'll be able to sell more of them.
It also allows US companies to compete in areas which are currently government-controlled monopolies in those countries. Companies like Cingular and Verizon will be able to compete for the growing cell phone market for the first time. Private insurance companies will be permitted to write policies.
CAFTA opens up their markets to American exports and competition. The CAFTA nations will benefit, and so will we.
Bunk. The only thing Cafta will change is it will make it even more likely that domestic industry will have to shut down while all the protections against it are removed. It's what the King of Britain did to the colonies. By removing the protection of tariffs, the King could dump imports onto the market of colonial America and corner the market on those products - bringing in vast profit. The end result of that was the declaration of independance. And now our politicians have seen fit to play King. Some people just draw the wrong lessons from history. The people are long suffering; but, they aren't stupid - hence our founders. As far as I'm concerned, if you're a free trader, you're a redcoat.