The Second Battle of NAFTA

theamericancause.org ^ | March 03, 2008 | Patrick J. Buchanan

[Intimidator]

Can’t believe no takers on this one.

[org.whodat]

I don’t get the fear that some people have when you mention “renegotiate NAFTA”, it not going to kill anyone, and the whole barrel of cow dung was sold under the ideal that if it wasn’t working well it could be renegotiated.

[PeterFinn]

McCain is repudiating Republican history

He always has.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Buchanan mentions history. He’s clearly no economic historian. The Great Depression was deepened and prolonged by protectionism (world wide). You can’t unilaterally be protectionist — economists call that the “beggar thy neighbour” strategy. The problem is — the neighbours will play the same game.

[wolfcreek]

Sounds like people are getting tired of waiting on the false promises of globalization.

Where are those *better* jobs? Where are those *higher* wages?

Oh, that's right! People were suppose to drop paying their bills, supporting their families and *retrain*.

[Paleo Conservative]

If Canada and Mexico do not renegotiate NAFTA, said Hillary Clinton in the Cleveland debate, she would "opt out" of the trade treaty that was the legislative altarpiece of Bill Clinton's presidency. Barack agreed. NAFTA is renegotiated, or NAFTA is gone.

So Hillary wants to repudiate the one bright spot of Bill's presidency? Why is it the only the non-right to work states where unions have a strangle hold the only places that are economically declining?

[wolfcreek]

Our *neighbors* are playing the game and they’re cheating to win.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Canada's moonbats would welcome the chance to revisit NAFTA. One of the things they hate most about NAFTA is Chapter 6 — the energy chapter. The Energy Chapter creates a contentential market for energy and petrochemicals. It provides a lot of energy security for the U.S. — and was very important to Bush Sr. — and even to W.J. Clinton.

Canadian nationalists, “environmentalists”, and socialists would love to tear up NAFTA — and especially Chapter 6. They — or at least the “environmentalists” would also love to completely shut down the Alberta oil sands — with greater oil reserves than Saudi Arabia's.

You'd better think this through.

[org.whodat]

Boo, Boo!, Boo!. Have you got anything else!

[Paleo Conservative]

Abraham Lincoln used Morrill Tariff revenue to fight the Civil War. The 11 GOP presidents who followed, from 1865 to 1929, all protectionists, made America the greatest industrial power in history, with a standard of living never before seen. Mocking protectionism, McCain is repudiating Republican history and all its achievements up to the era of Dwight Eisenhower and Richard Nixon.

That 1929 date is rather significant isn't it? That was when the Smoot Hawley tarrif spread a the recession world wide and made the Great Depression an economic and political catastrophe for the whole world. Back when oil was $10 a barrel and Texas was having serious economic problems, you didn't hear about politicians in Washington helping out Texans. McCain is right about this. States have to be competitive with the whole world. Companies aren't going to beat down doors to relocate to non-right to work states like Ohio and Michigan if they don't do anything to reform their labor laws.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

See my post # 9. As part of a previous job, I spent countless hours debating with Canadian moonbats, who use the same language as you have (only they're referring to the U.S.A.). Free trade creates wealth, protectionism destroys it.

[Paleo Conservative]

And the events of 1929 is a great example of this. Republicans disavowed protectionism after the Great Depression and WWII.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

Golly gee. You have a deal with two (reasonably) friendly neighbours that gives you secure, guaranteed access to greater oil reserves than Saudi Arabia; at a guaranteed low price — and you're willing to p*ss it all away to protect uncompetitive industries. For what — the privilege of paying more than anyone else in the world for cr*ppy cars? What more do you want.

[ari-freedom]

[wolfcreek]

“Free trade creates wealth, protectionism destroys it.”

I'm all for *Fair trade Free trade is a codeword for wealth redistribution.

[Paleo Conservative]

The UAW screwed up their own industry with stupid work rules. Is it any wonder when janitors and the people who cut the grass and get paid $50+ per hour that GM and Ford have trouble competing against “foreign” competitors who have factories in right to work states like, Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina?

[org.whodat]

You should have just tried bigger boos!, not buying your BS. It's is just more of the world will end as we know it!

[wolfcreek]

Sorry but, oil is traded through a Global market at Global prices. It’s the same everywhere thanks to Globalization.

[ari-freedom]

fair trade is a code word for government control of the economy