WSJ: Cafta Recriminations - Nancy Pelosi is contemplating revenge against the 15 Democrats.

Wall Street Journal ^ | August 1, 2005 | Editorial (full text)

[Sam the Sham]

The everyday common sense was on the pro-CAFTA side.

Someone who wants to inundate this country with the violence, lawlessness, corruption, and poverty of Mexico just so he can have cheap labor is the last person in the world to look to for "common sense".

[Dane]

Someone who wants to inundate this country with the violence, lawlessness, corruption, and poverty of Mexico just so he can have cheap labor is the last person in the world to look to for "common sense".

Whew sammy shammy, I'll give you one thing, you are very good with posting on FR the hillary/tancredo talking points.

[stocksthatgoup]

Come on over to the Republican side!

....Given that they may face retribution for doing the right thing, we thought we'd list and salute the other 13 Democrats who supported Cafta: Vic Snyder of Arkansas, Melissa Bean of Illinois, Dennis Moore of Kansas City, William Jefferson of the port of New Orleans, Ike Skelton of Missouri, Jim Cooper and John Tanner of Tennessee, Ruben Hinojosa, Solomon Ortiz and Henry Cuellar of Texas, Jim Matheson of Utah, James Moran of Virginia and Norm Dicks of Washington.

[stocksthatgoup]

Free trade works every time. I love CAFTA

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

"Only 35% of the American people support free trade agreements. In this fight, all the passionate intensity was on the anti-CAFTA side. In this fight the lobbyists won and the American public lost."

As a Canadian, I hear a lot from the "anti-globalization" crowd about how vulnerable we are to the U.S. economic steamroller. They don't mention how our own industries benefit from trade -- nor how consumers everywhere benefit from lower prices.

The U.S. has nothing to fear, and much to gain from truly free trade. The U.S. economy is among the most resilient, dynamic, diversified, and innovative in the world. The U.S. creates goods and services the world needs. The U.S. needs global markets to capture economies of scale, and to concentrate on what it does best. The U.S. is becoming the head office, and design centre of world industry. This will make Americans rich, rich, rich. Lower paid jobs will be "exported" to less competitive countries; but, because of the flexibility of the U.S. economy, these adjustments will be made in small, manageable steps.

Countries with planned, calcified, rigid, and brittle economies -- such as those of several in "Old Europe" are the ones that will have to change or fall behind.

Free trade is not a "zero-sum game". All parties to a truly free-trade pact stand to gain as they maximize their comparative advantages.

(Note, I previously posted the above response on another thread, which covered several other issues besides trade.)

[Southack]

"The San Francisco Democrat called a caucus gripe session in the wake of last Wednesday's vote, and an article in the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call suggested that Democrats who voted yes may lose their favorite committee assignments."

Ah yes...the "tolerance" of the Left on display again.

[Rodney King]

Only 35% of the American people support free trade agreements. In this fight, all the passionate intensity was on the anti-CAFTA side. In this fight the lobbyists won and the American public lost.

I'm conflicted on this issue. However, when the side that is against the majority of the country wins, the question always is: Did the country lose as the politicians voted for the special interests, or did the country win as the politicians bucked the people and risked their careers by doing what is right?

I don't know the answer.

[Southack]

"I'm writing off the GOP permanently over CAFTA."

Bye. See ya. You won't be missed.

Say "hello" to Chavev, Lula, and Castro while you're at it...because those dictators all wanted CAFTA to fail in order to keep those 6 Latin nations in CAFTA further apart from the U.S. in all aspects of trade, economics, and politics.

[pollyannaish]

That is one of the most unbelievable things I have ever read. Wow!

[Sam the Sham]

The benefits of free trade accrue to those who are mobile. The costs are borne by those who are immobile. Like that half of the labor force composed of regular Joe's who are no brighter than the regular Joe's of China or India or Mexico. They have to compete with guys who do precisely the same job they do and they will lose every time on price.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

I agree that some people will be hurt by the changes resulting from free trade. However, free trade creates greater wealth, so things should be better overall. The U.S. economy and culture is more resilient than most -- greater mobility being part of that -- so the necessary adjustments tend to be made relatively quickly.

Regular Joe's in the U.S. will continue to make more than their Chinese, Indian, or Mexican counterparts; so long as the U.S. economy remains more productive. The U.S. economy is much more productive for many reasons including: better infrastructure; good school system; free enterprise; political freedom; freedom of mobility; entrepreneurial spirit of the population; a culture that promotes creativity; relative lack of political and business corruption; a relatively just system of laws; well developed rules for business, including contract law, patents, and copyright; a wealth of natural resources; thousands of miles of coastline; and so on.

[hedgetrimmer]

Actually you're wrong.

There was a meeting at Panama City last week.

"Leaders at the fourth Summit of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS) managed to sign a final document calling for greater integration and solidarity among Caribbean nations, papering over rifts between regional rivalries represented by Mexico and an anti-US coalition led by Venezuela and Cuba, which tug the mainly island nation in a north-south divide. "

They are going to take every penny our government is taking from the American people, that we send to them for "trade capacity building". They will build their infrastructure, and then they will cut from the US and run.

All this hokum about stopping Lula with CAFTA is just hokum. CAFTA is about establishing a corporatist government in the Western Hemisphere that will be easily undermined by the communist and leftist governments in Central and South America once they have taken enough money from the American people.

They see how China is building into a military and economic superpower on the backs of the US taxpayer-- we subsidized much of China's infrastructure for trade in addition to giving them MFN status they don't deserver. Lula, Chaves and Castro are going to take their cues from China's playbook, just you wait and see.

And the American people are going to pay the bill, in our security, our sovereignty and our culture of freedom.

[1rudeboy]

CAFTA is about establishing a corporatist government in the Western Hemisphere that will be easily undermined by the communist and leftist governments in Central and South America once they have taken enough money from the American people.

Funny, that's precisely what Lula and Chavez are saying.

[hedgetrimmer]

I agree that some people will be hurt by the changes resulting from free trade

In a culture predicated on individual liberty, the "Free trade" system is a complete abomination. You have no right as an individual to demand that others pay the price for "free trade". The whole idea of the "free trade" system is antithetical to human freedom.

[hedgetrimmer]

I wouldn't know.

But I do know that the American people oppose fascism, and most Americans who didn't attend a leftist university on a pell grant, would agree with me.

[1rudeboy]

Who attended a Leftist university on a Pell Grant?

[1rudeboy]

Are you referring to that Poli Sci dude from North Carolina of the other day?

[1rudeboy]

I thought you agreed with him. What's up?

[1rudeboy]

Are you a fascist?

[bray]

May I applaude you for leaving the GOP for something other than borders?? Well done.

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