Help Preserve Jobs and National Security & Independence:Defeat the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement

The New American ^

[Coleus]

UPDATE, July 19, 2006. The House is expected to vote on the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement (FTA) very soon.   The Senate has already approved this trade pact by 60-34 in June. This could be another CAFTA-type cliff hanger in the House, so please contact your representative immediately via phone, fax, or email, in strong opposition to the U.S.-Oman FTA. Phone is preferable due to the shortness of time and the bigger impact. 

Help Preserve Jobs and National Security & Independence: Defeat the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement

What's it all mean?

We have a golden opportunity to derail the NAFTA/CAFTA series of "free trade" agreements that are producing massive job losses for Americans and eroding national security and independence.

The U.S.-Oman FTA (Free Trade Agreement) was approved by the Senate with a vote of 60-34. The vote on this agreement is expected to be much closer in the House.

In light of the winning margin of just two votes on last year's CAFTA bill, and election-year jitters over controversial votes, the U.S.-Oman deal could be defeated in the House.

NOTE: A vote by the full House is expected in July, so you have to contact your representative now! (Please!)

Reasons for Opposing the U.S.-Oman FTA:

• The U.S.-Oman FTA threatens American jobs. For example, AMTAC (American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition) states that the agreement includes a ridiculously large tariff preference level (TPL) of 50 million square meters of textiles annually for 10 years, which will mean that Chinese yarns and fabrics will be shipped to Oman, cut and sewn into garments and then exported duty-free to the U.S.
• The U.S.-Oman FTA threatens national security. As reported on the Lou Dobbs Tonight show of June 28, "Under the Oman free trade agreement, foreign port operators would have a right, an absolute trade agreement right, to establish operations, to acquire, to operate, to run port facilities within the U.S." Under the "Cross Border Trade in Services" chapter of the U.S.-Oman FTA, a Dubai Ports World-type enterprise could acquire a company in Oman, and then operate U.S. ports through that company.
• The U.S.-Oman FTA threatens our national independence. Just as a European-wide free trade agreement has led to the loss of sovereignty of European nations to the European Union, and just as NAFTA (North American Free Trade Area) is now being converted into a sovereignty-destroying North American Union through the creation last year of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of North America, the U.S.-Oman FTA is designed to help bring about a Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA), which would be another sovereignty-destroying, supranational organization to which the U.S. would belong.

Recommended Action Plan:

1. Contact your representative in-person, or by phone, fax, or email before the House reconvenes July 10 and demand a NO vote on the U.S.-Oman FTA based on the reasons above.
   
2. Click here to see whether your rep voted yes on the CAFTA bill last year, which should be a good indicator of whether he is likely to vote yes on the U.S.-Oman FTA this year.

   Dear Representative, 

   Please vote NO on the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement!
   
   My reasons are:
   
   •The U.S.-Oman FTA threatens American jobs. For example, the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC) states that the agreement includes a ridiculously large tariff preference level (TPL) of 50 million square meters of textiles annually for 10 years, which will mean that Chinese yarns and fabrics will be shipped to Oman, cut and sewn into garments and then exported to the U.S. duty free. 
   
   •The U.S.-Oman FTA threatens national security. As reported on the Lou Dobbs Tonight show of June 28, “Under the Oman free trade agreement, foreign port operators would have a right, an absolute trade agreement right, to establish operations, to acquire, to operate, to run port facilities within the U.S.” Under the “Cross Border Trade in Services” chapter of the U.S.-Oman FTA, a Dubai Ports World-type enterprise could acquire a company in Oman, and then operate U.S. ports through that company.
   
   •The U.S.-Oman FTA threatens our national independence. Just as a European-wide free trade agreement has led to the loss of sovereignty of European nations to the supranational European Union, and just as the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) is now being converted into a sovereignty-destroying North American Union through the creation last year of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) of North America, the U.S.-Oman FTA is explicitly designed to help bring about a Middle East Free Trade Area (MEFTA), which would be another sovereignty-destroying, supranational organization to which the U.S. would belong.

[Toddsterpatriot]

In a free country, nobody's is born to compete economically with with slaves

Which is why the North lost the Civil War. They couldn't compete with slaves.

[expat_panama]

Interesting.

Off the top of your head, do these or similar provisions apply to the Oman Pact?

[1rudeboy]

This is all I could find:

The FTA provides fully reciprocal market access for U.S. textile and apparel producers. The U.S. and Oman will eliminate tariffs on the same schedule on a product-by-product basis. For the majority of products, tariffs will be eliminated either immediately or in 5 years. The Agreement requires textile and apparel products to contain either U.S. or Omani yarn and fabric in order to qualify for duty-free treatment. However, in order to allow U.S. and Omani producers to develop and expand business contacts, the Agreement also provides, on a temporary basis, duty-free treatment for limited quantities of textile and apparel products that do not meet this requirement.
Summary of the U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement (.pdf file)

[1rudeboy]

Are your parents American?

[expat_panama]

why the North lost the Civil War. They couldn't compete with slaves.

LOL!

This is exactly it.  In this world we can and we do compete with slaves and we out perform them every time.  The fact that we don't even notice it shows how easy it is.  Slavery doesn't work, and most free Americans know it; even if the big government liberals don't.

[expat_panama]

Are your parents American?

I know so little about them that I'm not even sure my if parents even had any children...

[1rudeboy]

My mom voted for Perot.
I just had to get it off my chest.

[hedgetrimmer]

Thats a good question. I'm surprised that expat_panama hasn't accused you of getting personal, to be fair.

[hedgetrimmer]

How is it a 'tax cut'?

[1rudeboy]

Are your parents American?

[hedgetrimmer]

Here is your opportunity.

[Toddsterpatriot]

Are your parents American?

I'll ask them. The only problem is, I'm bad with foreign languages.

[1rudeboy]

You think you have it tough? It'll take 2.4 years for my parents to get the radio signal, and another 2.4 years to get a response, provided they get the message in the first place.

[expat_panama]

How is it a 'tax cut'?

From the legislation, here's a partial list of the current taxes on imports from Oman that are eliminated or reduced.  This is going to save us not only the money that we pay directly to the feds, but it will also spare us the price hikes that Democrat owned corporations have been able to charge when they benefit from these taxes. 

We're cutting taxes and slashing corporate welfare at the same time.  Freedom and smaller government -- you can't beat it!

[hedgetrimmer]

Tariffs are constitutional. They can be avoided by not buying Omani goods.

On the other hand, if you kill off all our domestic industry, not only do you force people to support a country they may not want to, but you also raise our domestic taxes and fees for BIG GOVERNMENT reeducation masses for the poor souls who have to take the HIT on their incomes and their livelihoods, so that American wealth can be redistributed to foreign "trading partners" and transnational corporations.

You are NOT cutting taxes with "free trade",and its laughable for you to saythe size of our government is getting smaller. Ithas NOT in any way shape or form gotten smaller, through executive "free trader" order, its huge and also more in control of foreign interests.

[Toddsterpatriot]

On the other hand, if you kill off all our domestic industry

We've killed off so much American industry that our GDP shrank all the way down to $13 trillion.

We don't make anything here anymore.

not only do you force people to support a country they may not want to,

That can be avoided by not buying Omani goods.

but you also raise our domestic taxes and fees for BIG GOVERNMENT

Cutting taxes on imports raises taxes? Female logic?

You are NOT cutting taxes with "free trade",

Reduced tariffs are reduced taxes for Americans who buy those goods.

If these concepts are over your head, maybe you have a friend who can explain them to you?

[Toddsterpatriot]

You need a hyperwave radio. Of course you can't afford it with the tariffs on Martian goods. Hedgetrimmer wouldn't want those tariffs reduced.

[expat_panama]

Tariffs are constitutional.

Big deal.  Income taxes are constitutional too but we still want to cut them  --although we'd best talk about cutting income taxes on a different thread.  We want to cut taxes on imports so let's get H.R.5684 approved by the House and signed into law.

Let's not get silly with stuff like saying import taxes are only charged to someone who buys imports.  All taxes are like that.  Income taxes are only paid by that small segment of Americans who have incomes.   We can all avoid death taxes by not dieing until we're broke.  There's nothing different here.

The bottom line imho is that Todd wrapped everything up pretty thoroughly in his post 136.

[hedgetrimmer]

By eliminating tariffs you are placing a much bigger burden on the people who pay income tax. It shifts the burden from corporations to individuals. For a country that was predicated on individual rights, thats just plain wrong.

Elmination of tariffs encourages offshoring, outsourcing, wage deflation in this country. Corporations benefit but individual citizens are harmed. It is the antithesis of the American way.

[Toddsterpatriot]

By eliminating tariffs you are placing a much bigger burden on the people who pay income tax.

A much bigger burden? How much bigger? According to the following source, we only collected $19.86 billion in tariffs in 2003.

VALUE OF US IMPORTS FOR CONSUMPTION, DUTIES COLLECTED, AND RATIO OF DUTIES TO VALUES 1891-2003

It shifts the burden from corporations to individuals.

I don't know how to break this to you, but corporations pay income taxes too.

Corporations benefit but individual citizens are harmed.

Except for individuals who consume imports.

It is the antithesis of the American way.

If you say so, comrade.