Posted on 09/01/2007 11:04:13 AM PDT by Reagan Man
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration can proceed with a plan to open the U.S. border to long haul Mexican trucks as early as next week after an appeals court rejected a bid by labor, consumer and environmental interests to block the initiative.
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The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco late on Friday denied an emergency petition sought by the Teamsters union, the Sierra Club and consumer group Public Citizen to halt the start of a one-year pilot program that was approved by Congress after years of legal and political wrangling.
The Transportation Department welcomed the decision and said in a statement that allowing more direct shipments from Mexico will benefit U.S. consumers.
The 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement approved broader access for ground shipments from both countries but the Clinton administration never complied with the trucking provision. A special tribunal ordered the Bush administration to do so in 2001.
"This is the wrong decision for working men and women," Jim Hoffa, president of the Teamsters, said in a statement after the court ruling. "We believe this program clearly breaks the law." The Teamsters represents truckers that would be affected by the change.
The emergency stay was sought on grounds the administration's pilot program had not satisfied the U.S. Congress' requirements on safety and other issues. But the appeals court ruled otherwise.
SAFETY ASPECTS
The administration plans to start the program on September 6. Transportation Department officials hope to receive final clearance early next week from the department's inspector general's office, which is reviewing its safety aspects, and finalize details with Mexican authorities.
The Mexican government must grant reciprocal access to U.S. trucks under NAFTA. That provision is not expected to be a problem, regulators said.
Mexican trucks operating in the United States have for years been restricted to U.S. points near certain large border crossings where their goods are transferred to trucks owned by U.S. firms.
Under the pilot program, Mexican long haul trucking companies that have met safety, licensing, and other U.S. requirements will be allowed to operate their rigs throughout the country. Proponents say this will reduce costs and speed up shipments.
Trucking regulators said in a court filing the goal is to gradually accommodate 100 Mexican trucking companies by the end of the pilot program, or roughly 540 large trucks.
But opponents said those figures do not reflect the number of companies that could seek access to U.S. roads if the pilot is successful, which they said raises safety concerns.
"This (pilot) program is basically a show trial. They haven't provided notice up front about who will participate. You just don't know what the program will look like," said Bonnie Robin-Vergeer, attorney for Public Citizen.
Public Citizen and the Teamsters still plan to proceed with a lawsuit they filed in federal court, challenging the Mexican truck program on broader grounds. That case will not likely be decided until next year.
Trucks from Canada have no operating restrictions in the United States.
It isn’t that we don’t like Mexicans, we don’t like Mexico refusing to modernize, clean up corruption, educate its people, refusal to offer decent jobs and health care. The list is endless. They’re dumping the poorest quarter, no...third of the country over the border into the US and receiving millions in remittances. It’s ethnic cleansing and it’s bad. Whole villages in Mexico stand empty, and the oligarchy just gets richer.
Mexico’s culture, language, and mores are not that of the US. These illegal aliens may or may not plan to assimilate, most want to make enough money to go back home and buy a villa in Mexico. They intend to rip off the US since they think they’re ‘entitled’. Now where did I hear that word before? We have an entire new class of ‘victims’ for the dems to pander to.
Frankly, this new Super North American Union is not a good thing because cultures are not equivalent/the same and politicians can be counted on to offer anything to buy their votes, and illegals will vote before you know it. The Ninth Circuit will see to that.
“Just wait until these Mexican drivers in there unsafe trucks start running over entire families......”
The way the judges are treating illegals right now, they won’t even have to bother stopping in the presence of law enforcement for such a trivial offense, unless, of course, it’s a democratic senator and his/her family.
Bottom line.
Like NAFTA, the warnings were clear...Only the high end few would prosper from these destructive trade deals, while once again beating the American working class over the head.
You know what's funny? The Fedgov tells us all these trucks will be safe, inspected etc. Well these unsafe Mexican trucks have already been coming in for years now, they've been carrying tons of drugs, and human cargo, and who knows what else. And they are trying to convince us this will be different?
How stupid is this?
Rove,
I can agree with some of your post but believe that some is disingenuous. There is little doubt that Mexico has benefited much more from NAFTA than the US - especially the middle class in the US. Globalization I don’t mind, but liberal policies that give the advantage to other countries is self-destructive. Trade should be fair to both parties, not a form of corporate and political charity.
Rove,
I can agree with some of your post but believe that some is disingenuous. There is little doubt that Mexico has benefited much more from NAFTA than the US - especially the middle class in the US. Globalization I don’t mind, but liberal policies that give the advantage to other countries is self-destructive. Trade should be fair to both parties, not a form of corporate and political charity. We cannot purchase the good will of foreign nations.
Foot in the door...
Also I don’t think the US is going to make these truckers travel back home with an empty truck, so some business will go to them on the return.
This may be a dumb question but will the Chinese possibly be shipping to Mexico to get more goods to us?
You ought to see the super structure cargo ship coming into the Port of Long Beach. Loaded down deep below the water line. Most go back empty, or with scrap metal etc.
That’s probably true, when you consider the balance of trade between us, essentially China isn’t buying squat from us. I guess they’ve already purchased all the old aircraft manufacturing plants and the like that they want.
I have not seen them yet. I will keep my eye out on 494.
This is one key area where the ATA is at odds with the independent owner-operators who consitute about 80%-90% of the truckers on the road today.
Large trucking COMPANIES are big supporters of Mexican trucks on U.S. roads. Truck DRIVERS are not.
A complete analysis (as opposed to a bunch of political slogans) would probably tell a very different story.
For example . . . Most people probably don't realize that Canada and Mexico have surpassed Saudi Arabia as the largest foreign suppliers of oil to the U.S. in the last decade. This is something that would have been absolutely impossible before the North American Free Trade Agreement was passed (particularly with regard to Canada).
I'd like to see someone address this point the next time some dimwitted politician engages in an anti-NAFTA rant.
I’m glad that I got out of the transportation business a while back.
Truckers pay road taxes, where are thier road taxes? What about safty issues with thier rigs? We have illegals driving drunk and killing Americans on American roads now we have illegals driving big rigs on our roads. How many more opportunities are we going to give them to kill American citizens.
MegaDittos!
So you are in essence saying Major American Trucking Companies are anxious to hand over their business to Mexicans for cheaper labor. Not what this is about. This is about Mexican National Trucking Companies competing with American National Trucking Companies in The United States of America. American National Trucking Companies do not benefit by any means having to compete with Mexican National Truckers.
Now if this were a situation where the American National Truckers were to have to hire Mexicans to operate their fleet of trucks due some flagrant violation of the Constitution, then perhaps they would be happy to pay slave wages.
The figures you are quoting are out of context for the entire of the American Trucking Industry. If one were to include local O/O’s that operate short haul perhaps you could achieve the figure of 80%-90% you are stating in your response.
The situation is that Mexican National trucks are being allowed to run the United States in its entirety and are now in competition with the American National Major Truckload Carriers. If you think the American National Major Truckload Carriers welcome this competition, you are out of your head.
Perhaps you are confusing the issue of the shortage of people that desire to drive long haul trucks, being away from home extended periods of time, and the hiring of legal Mexican Immigrants whom will take those jobs more readily. This is a truth, but it hasn’t a thing to do with the Mexican National Trucking Companies now allowed to compete for freight with our own American National Trucking entities.
Don’t forget it won’t be long and the Ports in our Nation will be empty of ships due that now Mexican trucks are allowed to invade our Sovereignty, the International Shipping Community will shift to Mexico to take advantage of the cheaper Port rates, cheaper Longshore, and trucking that is uninhibited by U.S. Environmental and Safety requirements.
If you don't like Americans, just say so we will understand.
Well for starters they could take back a load of illegals, you know instead of the taxpayer paying for an airline ticket.
“Understand this, the American Truckers are fighting tooth and nail for the freight existing as it is. With the addition of Mexican Truckers to the scene you will see many go under. This deal is a one way street you and I will pay for dearly in lives lost and jobs lost.”
Man, are YOU right on the money!!
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