The clock is still ticking... time for some action.
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This week I'm traveling in Latin America, visiting three strong American allies -- Mexico, Peru, and El Salvador -- to reaffirm the central importance I place on American relations with the rest of our hemisphere.
Our country's future is closely tied to the success and security of our closest neighbors. Problems like drug trade and poverty produce terrible consequences for all our countries. And prosperity in our hemisphere will produce profound benefits for all our countries. The United States is strongly committed to helping build an entire hemisphere that lives in liberty and trades in freedom.
The NAFTA trade agreement is a model for the world. NAFTA has created jobs and lifted lives, in Mexico and Canada and the United States. During NAFTA's first seven years, 15 million jobs were created in the United States. Our trade with Mexico now averages more than $650 million a day. And that's why our border is one of the busiest in the world, and keeping trade and traffic moving freely is essential to America and American jobs.
Yet, we must also prevent our terrorist enemies from using the openness of our society against us. Even our welcoming country must be able to shut its doors to terrorists and drugs and weapons at our own borders. So America, working closely with Canada and Mexico, has set a goal: We are working for a common border that is open to commerce and legitimate travel, and closed to drug trafficking and terror. We want to speed the movement of legal goods and people across the border, and stop the illegal movement of goods and people. And we will use the most up-to-date technology to achieve this goal.
This week, I saw some of that technology at work on a visit to a border near El Paso, Texas. X ray machines are being used to thoroughly screen cargo more efficiently than ever before. During my visit to Mexico, President Fox and I announced an agreement to move toward a "Smart Border" between our countries. Through close cooperation and advanced technology, we'll make our shared border more open and more secure.
We'll work with the Mexican government to identify individuals who pose threats to North America before they arrive here. We will share technology to inspect traffic on cross-border rail lines and at major ports of entry. We will make sure that people with legitimate business, who travel regularly across the border, can cross easily -- so border authorities can focus on greater risks. And we will share information more quickly and efficiently with our Mexican friends.
America's border with Mexico is a region of tremendous economic vitality, and that must not change. Both our nations benefit from close ties of family and culture and commerce. Our new approach to strengthened border security will preserve that openness, and increase the safety of our country. America will defend ourselves against new threats, at the same time that we build closer relationships with our neighbors.
Thank you all for listening.
The clock is still ticking... time for some action.
mostly low paying service sector jobs..I wonder how many WOULD have been created by an America that was an industrial giant
The nerve of Bush saying this is astounding. Utterly Astounding.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats on Saturday marked President Bush (news - web sites)'s visit to Latin America by criticizing his record on Hispanics in the United States.
"The president's trip this weekend to Latin America is part of an orchestrated strategy to curry favor with Latino voters in the United States," Antonio Villaraigosa, speaker emeritus of the California state assembly, said in delivering the address.
"Our community knows the difference between rhetoric and results," Villaraigosa said. "They know the difference between pandering and producing."
California, the nation's most populace state with a large number of Hispanic voters, will be a key in this November's elections when control of Congress will be up for grabs.
Villaraigosa argued Democrats have a better record than Republicans on such matters as protecting Social Security, providing adequate funding for education and moving to reform immigration.
"President Bush has given vague assurances on the issue of immigration," Villaraigosa said. "But he won't join Democrats in supporting an earned legalization plan that will allow hard-working, tax-paying, law-abiding immigrants to emerge from society's shadows and enter the American mainstream."
He also said while Democrats "believe we need more Latinos in the nation's corporate boardrooms ... Republicans have tried repeatedly to eliminate programs that help provide Hispanic small businesses with access to capital."
15 million minimum wage jobs were created in the United States for the incoming illegals.
Our trade with Mexico now averages more than $650 million a day. This is what it cost Ameerica in cash with the corporations moving out of America.
NAFTA IS FANTASTIC FOR THE WORLD! /sarcasm
By the way, how funny that Ron Howard is now producing a new movie about the Alamo. Isn't the timing interesting? Its always been said that there is a link between the agenda in D.C., and the propaganda machine in Hollywood, however, Ron's movie may be very accurately protrayed..... Of course, that would offend millions of mexicans if we showed their evil amry killing ruthlessly as they did.
So, will Ron Howards new movie about the Alamo be on the politically correct side? Probably so....we can't offend anyone, you know.
You have to wonder how America ever became the dominant economic superpower of the world before NAFTA. It's amazing how our people did it without the help of this bankrupt poverty stricken corrupt 3rd world hellhole. When Bush says America's future is tied to the success of Mexico I get the feeling he is talking about Bush Family, INC.
I remember when American PRESIDENTS used to talk about the "prosperity of the U.S.A." Now it's the "prosperity of hemisphere". I must be getting old.