EU trade official calls for CAFTA approval

World Peace Herald ^ | June 18, 2005 | Jeffrey Sparshott

[hedgetrimmer]

"A lot of people outside of America are banking on this going through. We want to see it happen," Peter Mandelson, the EU's trade commissioner,

They are banking on the fact that Americans will not wake up to the fact that their country is being stolen from them and their wealth plundered by the global socialists "free traders".

[DoughtyOne]

They're banking on U.S. citizens not remembering our forefathers admonision to beware of foreign entanglements.

This is SO wrong!

[Dog Gone]

Good lord, you're obsessed with this issue. And you're on the wrong side of it, to boot.

You and your best buddy, Charlie Rangel, have some sort of ax to grind.

[hedgetrimmer]

PING

[music is math]

Mmh. I'm waiting for the first "tariffs protect jobs" post to this thread. I predict that it will hit at around the same time as someone suggests that all service jobs involve burger flipping.

[hedgetrimmer]

No one has to say anything about tariffs. Free trade is global socialism and authorizes international institutions and transnational corporations to act in place of our duly elected government. Its amazing the number of people on this forum that are quite happy with giving up individual liberty and national sovereignty to the likes of the WTO and the G8.

[bahblahbah]

I was supporting CAFTA. Now I'll have to reconsider now that the EU supports it.

Kind of funny how the EU supports CAFTA and the US supports entry of Turkey into the EU. Almost makes me think there's some new world order conspiracy going on.

[1rudeboy]

free trade in a market = socialism
government intervention in a market = patriotism

[Dog Gone]

Those seem to be the working definitions among a particular mindset at this forum.

[hedgetrimmer]

government intervention in a market = "free trade"

[bill1952]

Strange that EU Socialist types are for CAFTA, while US liberal Socialist types are against...

Hmm.

[Dog Gone]

reducing or eliminating trade barriers = government intervention

[bill1952]

While I'm not into conspiracies, the mere fact that the EUros approve makes me wonder.

[Dog Gone]

A european who understands trade supports it. Nobody has ever said that 100% of europeans are idiots, although I imagine 99% of them have never heard of CAFTA.

[1rudeboy]

to go = to return

[Willie Green]

The Bush Administration's economic policy consists solely of plundering the American Middle Class.
The only thing these "free trade" agreements facilitate is transnational corporate investment in these foreign countries.
American jobs are downsized and outsourced while domestic wages and benefits are undermined by massive immigration. And American taxpayers are left holding the bag for the Anointed One's irresponsible deficit spending.

[hedgetrimmer]

Here is how the test vote went:

Voting Record for U.S. Senate Finance Committee’s “mock” markup on CAFTA-DR on June 14, 2005:

Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M. No

Max Baucus, D-Mont. No

Jim Bunning, R-Ky. Yes

Kent Conrad, D-N.D. No

Mike Crapo, R-Idaho No

Bill Frist, R-Tenn. Yes

Charles Grassley, R-Iowa Yes

Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah Yes

James M. Jeffords, I-Vt. No

John F. Kerry, D- Mass. No

Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. Yes

Blanche L. Lincoln, D-Ark. Yes

Trent Lott, R-Miss. Yes

John D. Rockefeller IV, D-W.Va. No

Rick Santorum, R- Pa. Yes

Charles E. Schumer, N.Y. No

Gordon Smith, R- Ore. Yes

Olympia J. Snowe, R-Maine No

Craig Thomas, R- Wyo. Yes

Ron Wyden, D-Ore. Yes

[bill1952]

These aren't common citizens, this is a EU bureaucrat, and as such it makes me wonder.

Unless of course, someone's point here is that the EU is our friend in trade...

[ex-snook]

"Congress is expected to vote on the deal this or next month. Lawmakers vote yes or no; they cannot amend trade agreements, and a simple majority prevails."

Government to government deals are what is shilled as 'free trade'. The corporate lobbyists and foreign countries can make changes but our elected Reps can't.

[Dog Gone]

They are our friend in trade to the extent that they prefer trade agreements as opposed to trade wars. Free trade agreements prevent disputes from escalating far beyond the initial dispute, and except for those here who have a mindset that any trade at all is bad, that makes sense.