Posted on 06/02/2009 4:38:43 AM PDT by radar101
MEXICO CITY -- A Mexican trade association representing more than 4,500 trucking companies is seeking $6 billion in damages from the U.S. government because of Washington's refusal to allow Mexican trucks to carry cargo over U.S. roads.
The group, Canacar, filed a demand for arbitration under the North American Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. State Department in April, but didn't publicize the move until Monday.
"We want reciprocity," said Pedro Ojeda, a lawyer for Canacar. "The U.S. has notoriously not kept its commitments." Mr. Ojeda said the complaint is the largest such demand made under Nafta, as the 1993 pact is known.
Deborah Mesloh, a spokeswoman for U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, said Monday that, "We take our trade obligations very seriously and this is an issue we've been working on for a couple months." A State Department spokesman said the claim is "being studied."
The arbitration demand is the latest fallout from legislation signed earlier this year by President Barack Obama canceling a pilot program that had allowed Mexican trucks to carry cargo on U.S. roads. In March, the Mexican government retaliated by slapping tariffs on $2.4 billion of U.S. goods.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
When American truckers can safely deliver cargoes in Mexico, we should allow Mexican truckers to operate in the US.
Right now, that is not the case.
This is a good example because the enviros weere instrumental on Mexican trucks.
Their solution was that the US Govt should just pay off everybody who lost money because of the change in regulation.
That sounds good on paper but the damages mount each year. In 2000 the award to Mexico was 2 billion, but now is 2.4 billion.
Just as we suspected all along. You don't care about jobs, taxes, or U.S. sovereignty.
That would make the International Brotherhood of Teamsters the biggest pussies on the face of the planet. Not only are they afraid of delivering boxes to Mexico, but they expect boxes from Mexico to be loaded onto their trucks at the border.
But, the US can't hold the Mexican trucks to a higher standard than they do US trucks or Canadian trucks.
Furthermore, the US can bar any Mexican truck does not meet those standards, but the US cannot deny entry of Mexican trucks based on the theory that all, or a lot, or a few Mexican trucks don't meet the standards.
And to that end, the US Congress added the Murray Shelby amendment to the highway bill in 2001, which authorized and appropriated money to the border states to build inspection stations to inspect each and every Mexican truck.
Sunspots are down also, or are they up? Perhaps a protectionist will drop by and correlate them to interest rates, or something.
I wonder if he thinks that all illegals work in exporting/importing industries? I wonder if he thinks....
I see we are back to the argument that companies trample environmental laws.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative does well enough documenting everything. We don’t need to go to your commie-lib website.
“Little to no downside risk.” Remember that one?
Idiot greatest hits.
I’ve heard it’s unsafe for gringo truckers and trucking companies to operate south of the border (it isn’t so safe for tourists outside the resort areas, either...).
And, of course, its illegal for ‘em to be armed for self defense.
Maybe if you pro-globalist had not been so greedy, cruel and harmful to the environment, people would still follow your lead.
At this point, you have few followers.
Oh, I see. I can’t believe the data when it is issued by the government. But when I believe Ralph Nader when he repeats the same data, I can become a protectionist.
I wouldn’t believe a damn thing THIS government says. Where have you been?
Stay focused (I know it’s tough). You were talking about NAFTA “tribunal decisions.” Those are public knowledge, and if you want to learn about them, it’s better to go to the appellee/respondent instead of some lib special interest group trying to spin it.
Public Citizen is the organization that Ralph Nader started years ago, but he is no longer associated with. Left wingers.
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