[Egon]

Now lets talk about the US taxpayer. He is about to be stepped on by the extraction of money from their paychecks for "trade capacity building" in the CAFTA countries.

Agreed. I'm anti-CAFTA.

Where does the federal government get the authority to give money to an international body, called a "free trade" council to distribute taxpayer withholding money to central America?

Nowhere. I'm anti-CAFTA.

Where does it say that the federal government must provide for the general welfare of foreign countries, as in providing money so that they can "participate in the global trading system", in the words of the WTO?

I agree completely. Where did you get the idea that I was pro-CAFTA?

My point is this: pure "free trade" doesn't work. CAFTA is not free trade. CAFTA, in my humble opinion, is an economic affirmative action program. There are situations that call for government tariffs to keep the playing field level, but it has nothing to do with this particular treaty.

I'm finding myself wondering what the heck we're actually disagreeing on. ;-)

[hedgetrimmer]

CAFTA, in my humble opinion, is an economic affirmative action program.

An apt description.