Posted on 04/16/2008 10:44:08 AM PDT by Ooh-Ah
THE YEAR 2008 may enter history as the time when the Democratic Party lost its way on trade. Already, the party's presidential candidates have engaged in an unseemly contest to adopt the most protectionist posture, suggesting that, if elected, they might pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Yesterday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared her intention to change the procedural rules governing the proposed trade promotion agreement with Colombia. President Bush submitted the pact to Congress on Tuesday for a vote within the next 90 legislative days, as required by the "fast-track" authority under which the U.S. negotiated the deal with Colombia. Ms. Pelosi says she'll ask the House to undo that rule.
The likely result is no vote on the agreement this year. Ms. Pelosi denies that her intent is to kill the bill, insisting yesterday that Congress simply needs more time to consider it "in light of the economic uncertainty in our country." She claimed that she feared that, "if brought to the floor immediately, [the pact] would lose. And what message would that send?" But Ms. Pelosi's decision-making process also included a fair component of pure Washington pique: She accused Mr. Bush of "usurp[ing] the discretion of the speaker of the House" to schedule legislation. ... Economically, it should be a no-brainer -- especially at a time of rising U.S. joblessness. At the moment, Colombian exports to the United States already enjoy preferences. The trade agreement would make those permanent, but it would also give U.S. firms free access to Colombia for the first time, thus creating U.S. jobs. Politically, too, the agreement is in the American interest, as a reward to a friendly, democratic government that has made tremendous strides on human rights, despite harassment from Venezuela's Hugo Chávez.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Democrats and their union protectionists killing the prosperity of free trade...
That’s right - alienate all our friends Pelosi but bow to our enemies ... just the way the Demo-rats work ....
Why in hell would be be giving trading "preferences" to a country when we do not have free access to their markets?
Our foreign trade policy is insane.
One might argue that she certainly makes the thought of an eventual civil war in our country, much more palatable.
“She accused Mr. Bush of “usurp[ing] the discretion of the speaker of the House” to schedule legislation. ..”
Diva ...vain, botoxinated, stupid woman. It’s always about her.
Sickening indeed. I hope the President can get someone to assist with his speech writing and go on T.V. to the American people. I hope he can declare an energy crisis and force the Dems hands to either sign a new bill which subsidizes investment into creating all the options including all U.S. drilling everywhere, nuke plants, hydrogen, solar, wind, coal liquification, the works. This would create millions of jobs, create a viable competing product against oil and the U.S. can issue the foreign policy that protects OUR interests vs. the middle east.
Bite me. I have lost THREE jobs since 2001 to the "prosperity" of so-called 'free trade'.
Free trade means we let other nations into our markets while they continue to keep us out of theirs. It also means that we export our jobs to other countries. I've lost two jobs to India and one to Costa Rica.
Pelosi is like the broken clock that's right twice a day and she's right on this. Free trade is NOT helping American workers...unless you count the greeters at Wal Mart.
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