Posted on 11/17/2008 9:34:40 AM PST by IbJensen
OUR OPINION: Obama, Democrats should support deal with close ally
Now that leaders of the European Union have expressed interest in moving ahead with free trade talks with Colombia, lawmakers in Congress should rethink their own refusal to finalize the pending trade agreement with the strongest U.S. ally in South America. When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues voted to put the deal on ice back in April, Rep. Rahm Emanuel suggested that a vote was still possible before the end of the year. Well, Mr. Emanuel, how about it?
The Illinois congressman is now President-elect Obama's designated chief of staff in the new White House. He should advise Speaker Pelosi to take this politically divisive issue off the president-elect's agenda by clearing it for an up-or-down floor vote in the lame-duck session of Congress. That would free the future president from having to deal with one more difficult issue when he takes office in January -- and it presents both countries with a win-win situation.
The advantage for the United States is that it levels the playing field. U.S. products sold in Colombia currently pay tariffs of up to 35 percent, while practically all of Colombia's goods enter this country duty-free, thanks to existing trade law.
The pact also carries economic benefits for Colombia. Just as important, it provides a palpable measure of political support for President Alvaro Uribe, who has staked his presidency on his alliance with the United States. He has been Colombia's most effective president when it comes to fighting both the scourge of drugs and an anti-American guerrilla movement that has been around for decades.
The main objection to the trade pact comes from U.S. labor unions. They contend that Colombia remains a dangerous place for union organizers. True, but it is unfair to blame Mr. Uribe. Progress during his tenure is undeniable. In the latest sign of his willingness to attack the problem, he ordered the biggest-ever purge of Colombia's military a few weeks ago in response to reports of human-rights abuses.
As a senator, Mr. Obama voted in favor of a free-trade deal with Peru last year after it was amended to deal with environmental and other objections. He has never said he opposes the Colombia FTA, per se. If human-rights issues are the problem that he and other Democrats have with Colombia, there is a solution -- the kind of human-rights and democracy clauses included in existing E.U. trade agreements with Latin American countries, including Chile and Mexico.
No doubt, the E.U. will insist on such clauses in its upcoming trade talks with Colombia. It would say a lot about protectionist sentiment in the U.S. Congress if the European Union, which upholds high human-rights standards, could find a way to make a deal with Colombia while the United States fails to do the same.
The word last week was that Nancy offered to give Bush his trade deal with Columbia in exchange for a Republican vote to bail out Detroit.
If so, I hope the Republicans refuse THAT offer. I’m sick of those leftist rats.
Can you imagine the audacity? The Herald should be in favor of American products suffering a 35% price penalty over the Euro's.
No more unfair trade agreements. It’s time to work for the benefit of Americans not use trade as a reward for those ‘good countries’ and to punish the ‘bad’ countries.
I'm glad you agree the UAW must die.
I would love for the UAW to go away if it would save GM-no problem. In it’s current form it is no threat anyway.
Also, I am still against the Columbia trade pact.
Nearly two decades of the falsely named “free trade” and the entire domestic US economy is nearly completely eviscerated.
Can’t you find something GOOD for America, to promote instead of Eurosocialist “free trade”?
Yeah, it’d be a shame if US exports to Colombia were more competitive.
So you think there is no market for inferior American products? GM cars are the number one export in China. If they go out of business expect to see the trade deficit rise even higher. Also, South America-until the credit crunch was a great market. I just don’t trust Pres. Bush. These treaties are usually lousy and full of giveaways for ‘good’ countries that hurt American companies. I support American business. It’s still a free country until all that socialism as a result of job losses kicks in-not to mention the soup kitchen and breadlines, so feel free to support global companies and foreign countries. It’s your God given right don’t you know.
I think there are many markets for American products, not just the inferior GM products.
There'd be a larger market if we signed this agreement which would reduce foreign tariffs on US goods.
Even if it went away, it might be too late to save GM. Reducing the $73 per hour total cost per employee might help.
If “free trade” was so good, and the export market for GM in China so strong, they wouldn’t need the domestic market to stay afloat.
The whole “free trade” system is a lie, to redistribute the wealth of the American domestic economy to other countries. Why the “free traders” are still plugging this failed global socialist system is a mystery to me.
The Democrats twist this around. They would reward the evil America-hating nations and punish the pro-American ones.
False. General Motors, for all practical purposes, does not export cars to China. The cars GM sells in China, generally, are manufactured in China or somewhere else in SE Asia.
That being said, as of a few years ago, Acura was manufacturing autos in the U.S. for export to China—but who knows what’s occurring at the moment.
I built cars that were exported to China. Sorry-you are completely wrong. Please post facts not opinions.
Name the car, then.
Free trade is not good in general because it is unfair to American companies. Most countries protect their industries. We don’t. We use trade as a reward in foreign policy and never consider the American worker. Why shouldn’t GM and American car maker be given preference over foreign car makers-the money and jobs stay here. Of course they should. One in ten jobs are linked to the Auto industry-that’s lots of jobs. I hate free trade as practiced in the US. Every time< I drive through Buffalo (steel) Gary (steel) Michigan (entire state) and of course Warren Ohio, Niles Ohio and Youngstown Ohio, I feel incredible anger that our government would betray us this way. This is why the Repubs lost Ohio by the way and Indiana too in the election.I merely mention China as an example of a market that likes American cars.
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