Posted on 07/29/2005 10:51:52 AM PDT by hedgetrimmer
While Central American exporters celebrate the passage of CAFTA, local reaction remains cautious and disappointed.
Hoyt Bailey, former executive vice president of Dover Textiles and president of the Dover Foundation, said he was not surprised the Central America Free Trade Agreement made it through the House of Representatives.
“The big surprise to me was making China a most favored nation,” Bailey said. “CAFTA is miniscule compared to making China a viable trading partner.
[CAFTA] is just another way of taking American jobs away from real, working-class people. It’s very discouraging to see our manufacturing strength go to other countries.”
One can see the effects of policies like CAFTA by looking down the streets of Shelby, Bailey said.
“More stores are closed than open,” he said. “We’re in a mess, and we’ll wake up one day when it’s too late.”
Dan Ramsey, plant manager at Kings Mountain Hosiery Mill Inc., said they would wait and see how it turned out.
“They always make promises that never materialize,” he said, adding that the people who voted for this voted for special interests rather than their constituents.
“It’s going to take more business out of this country and more jobs,” he said. “If it turns out like I think it will, the business we are in will eventually leave this country completely.”
Eleven of North Carolina’s 13 representatives voted against CAFTA, including Rep. Patrick McHenry, whose 10th Congressional District includes Cleveland County. During his campaign to win the seat, McHenry pledged that he would not support the trade agreement. Fellow Republican Sue Myrick, R-9th District, who endorsed McHenry during his campaign, voted for CAFTA.
McHenry said there was intense pressure to vote in favor of the agreement.
“You hear a lot from party leaders and from senior Bush administration leaders about voting for CAFTA. I explained to them very consistently and to everyone who came to lobby that it would be bad for the people of Western North Carolina,” McHenry said. “I am not going to do anything to hurt the people who elected me. I am here to represent the 10th District values.”
McHenry added that the close vote sends a message that the United States does not need any more trade agreements.
“We need to enforce the laws. We need to hold China’s feet to the fire, and they need to honor their trade agreements and not to continue their aggressive stance against the United States,” McHenry added.
Re-doing the CAFTA PING list. If you want on or off, let me know.
Walter E. is efficiently and effectively ripping the moonbat protectionists apart..
It's GREAT to listen to facts.
That has got to be one of the more ignorant quotes coming out of NC recently.
We don't need no stinkin' trade agreements! Even if they will be a major boost to our exports, all trade agreements are bad.
Bizarro world.....
Tell us some of the facts, not all of us can listen to the radio during our work days.
But this is going to finish off American textiles for good.
As Walter E said..
Good!
The Stagecoach driver and Buggy whip makers jobs left the country a century ago.
Are we better off since then?
Too many people in NC actually believe the textile industry is coming back. I'll bet many of the NC citizens who express opposition to CAFTA are ex-textile workers who have been sitting on their asses ever since they lost their job, while refusing to learn a new trade. They actually think someone OWES them a textile job. Never mind that 10 years ago many of them were being paid three times what their job was actually worth.
If you enjoy making shirts the rest of your life, why don't you move to Malaysia while the rest of the country moves forward?
We're going to be a service economy with an very high standard of living (even higher today, believe it or not).
Get over it.
"We're going to be a service economy with an very high standard of living (even higher today, believe it or not). "
Yup, you can really afford that new $500,000 home with wages from McDonalds or Walmart. A service based economy will NEVER survive.
Wit..
Do you want to know what your future looks like?
Expected new positions through 2012
Registered nurses: 623,000
Postsecondary teachers: 603,000
Management: 376,000
Nursing aides: 343,000
Elementary school teachers: 223,000
Accountants: 205,000
Computer systems analysts: 184,000
Secondary school teachers: 180,000
Computer software engineers: 179,000
Information systems managers: 103,000
I'm sorry that you want to manufacture t-shirts and blue jeans for the rest of your life, or sew shoes together.
Get over it.
Registered nurses: 623,000 (Government Supported)
Postsecondary teachers: 603,000 (Government Supported)
Management: 376,000
Nursing aides: 343,000 (Government supported)
Elementary school teachers: 223,000 (Government Supported)
Accountants: 205,000 (IRS lackeys)
Computer systems analysts: 184,000 (Outsourced to India)
Secondary school teachers: 180,000 (Outsource to India)
Computer software engineers: 179,000 (Outsourced to India)
Information systems managers: 103,000 (Outsourced to India)
Your agruement failed miserably. Try again later.
I truly feel sorry for the political-dim-witted.
I guess you should just kill yourself now huh?
You name calling only represents the true you. I won't shed a tear for you when your job is out-sourced. Try again later.
We've been losing manufacturing jobs for over 50 years yet the standard of living keeps improving at a unbelievable pace.
This myth that once the last one is gone, we're all dead is so absurd and obscene, you can't even argue with it. There's nothing to support it except, "Argh Argh Argh, you can't run an economy on service, argh argh argh."
We continue to do it.. Our unemployment levels are among the lowest in the world, and our growth is amongst the strongest.
The doom and gloomers have been repeating the same garbage for 40-50 years and they've been wrong for 40-50 years.
It's just unbelievable that anybody would take their position.
"I won't shed a tear for you when your job is out-sourced."
LOL, Neither will I. I'll find another job. There's newspapers and websites with hundreds of thousands of them. I'll learn new trades and skills to adapt.
You seem to be the one that will be shedding the tears about your own fate when your dream of being a life-long sweater sewer collapses.
"You seem to be the one that will be shedding the tears about your own fate when your dream of being a life-long sweater sewer collapses"
Actually, I'm very secure in my profession being the owner of two successful businesses...one business (9 employess) is a healthcare recruiting business...the other (5 employees) being an oil brokerage business. My employees are very secure in their vocations and enjoy their work. Seems like you have no real passion for your vocation.
It does appear I have something that you have either never had or simply lost... that's people skills.
Sad, very, very sad.
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