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Three Republicans--Robin Hays of North Carolina, Steve LaTourette of Ohio, Mike Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania--had simultaneously voted for the treaty and it had won.

This is bad news for the American economy.

President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, are desperately trying to undermine the democratically elected and mostly pro-American governments of Central America. They would like to see the Marxist Sandinistas regain power in Nicaragua, for instance, and Chávez is pumping money from his country's oil wealth into that project, among others. (He also provides cut-rate oil wealth to Castro's Cuba.) Both Bush and the democratic leaders in Central America believe CAFTA will bolster their economies and strengthen them against leftist radicals of the Castro/Chávez ilk. Thus, in his address to House Republicans, the president devoted much of his speech to this issue.

I hate that all the time we are helping other countries at our own expense by sacrificing our wealth, our economy.

To qualify for a trade agreement with the United States, countries must adopt the practices of democratic capitalism, which means a treaty might achieve what it took a war to accomplish in Iraq.

Exactly. We are sacrificing our own economy to give other countries freedom and capitalism. But what about America? I generally hate democrats, but they are the ones who seem to be concerned about our own interests in this case. They are the ones who oppose selling out America's businesses.

Exactly. We are sacrificing our own economy to give other countries freedom and capitalism. But what about America? I generally hate democrats, but they are the ones who seem to be concerned about our own interests in this case. They are the ones who oppose selling out America's businesses

Please give me 3 examples from History where Economic Isolationism has done anything but wreck the domestic economies of the countries practicing it. Here is a link for you to educate yourself. http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Protectionism.html Always find it interesting how so many "conservatives" who supposedly hate the over bearing Federal Govt. are so quick to demand the Govt. step in to protect failing, inefficient businesses. No thank you. I will take the best goods at the best price over economic serfdom out of misplaced nationalism any time.

"To qualify for a trade agreement with the United States, countries must adopt the practices of democratic capitalism, which means a treaty might achieve what it took a war to accomplish in Iraq."

"Exactly. We are sacrificing our own economy to give other countries freedom and capitalism. But what about America? "

What a rediculous comment!!!

Are better off with other countries being despotic regimes and communist states, or other countries being democratic capitalist nations?

Clearly the latter.

Let's not be so uncaring of the rest of the world we actually do in our own interests. This is good for the USA, because it will lead to prosperity for us and those countries.

"I generally hate democrats, but they are the ones who seem to be concerned about our own interests in this case. They are the ones who oppose selling out America's businesses."

Another dumb comment. What great central American enterprises are going to take over US businesses? If anything, it will be the other way around.
The Democrats are slaves to fear, unions and Government intervention. This trade deal is about hope, free markets, economic efficiency and reduced regulation. Opposing CAFTA means supporting higher consumer prices, lower export opportunities, and less economic freedom.

This deal means the end of Socialism in central America. So of course the Leftists will hate it. They hate capitalism.
The question is why people who claim to support free enterprise would oppose applying the concept in the north American trade zone.