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.

[Dog Gone]

If these free trade agreements threaten US jobs, then please explain why unemployment is LOWER than when we first signed them.

Thank you in advance.

[Strategerist]

You know what the answer will be - we're all working in McDonald's, blah blah blah blah

[Dog Gone]

I know, but I like to hear it. And then I ask them how that can be, when illegal aliens have all the McDonald's jobs.

[phoenix0468]

Just because some sectors of the economy are creating jobs does not mean that others are losing them to deals like this. Just as lowering taxes can and often will increase revenue due to a healthier economy. It's fairly simple economics actually.

[1rudeboy]

Here is an excellent synopsis of the port security provisions in the Oman FTA.

[Dog Gone]

What American jobs will be lost to Oman? What can they do better there than we can do here?

[Nowhere Man]

Ping

[gotribe]

What's Oman shipping us - hashish? That and oil seems to be the coin of the terrorist states.

[gcruse]

"We have a golden opportunity to derail the NAFTA/CAFTA series of "free trade" agreements "

Well, I always said, when you come to a fork in the road, take it. Just do the opposite of what big labor advocates, and you'll usually come out okay.

[Clintonfatigued]

Another year, another free trade agreement.

This nation has had NAFTA, GATT, and membership in the World Trade Organization. The results do not give supporters of free trade cause to congratulate themselves.

So it's only logical to be suspicious of this one.

[Dog Gone]

Big Labor and the John Birch Society (the source of this thread) are in virtual lockstep. The difference is that the JBS wraps it up in a neat conspiracy theory and pretends to be rightwing.

Pretty cool.

[gcruse]

"The results ..."

The results have been just described by the Fed as a Goldilocks economy, low inflation, low unemployment, 3-4% annual productivity gains that should last for a while.

The only people I know who hate this have Bush Derangement Syndrome, which you surely don't.

[gcruse]

Heh. You're right. The JBS's creed should be, "We may be crazy as hell, but we ain't stupid."

[phoenix0468]

You obviously didn't read the post did you? It will impact the textile industry, which is already in trouble as it is. If your not familiar with what textiles are, basically it's the cloths on your back, and other fabrics that are used for things such as furniture covers, etc. There are a few companies that are doing well in the industry, but an agreement such as this could negatively affect them.

[phoenix0468]

By the way, DG, your profile is a hoot.

[1rudeboy]

If I recall correctly, textile manufacturers are usually in favor of free trade agreements than not. It's the garment industries that usually find themselves on the bubble.

[Dog Gone]

I did read the article, but there is nothing new there that hasn't been raised and discussed here many times before.

None of the arguments are winners, which is why the legislation always passes. Fortunately, slightly more than 50% of the country aren't total dopes.

[phoenix0468]

I thought garment and textiles were pretty much the same thing. If not, my apologies. Yet again, are the garment and textiles industries similar to siamese twins?

[Dog Gone]

I'm still working on that moon thing, despite my mom's advice. ;-)