[hedgetrimmer]

Venezuela is not going to sign any sort of free trade deal so long as Chavez is in power. I'm not familiar with Ecuador's politics, but what does that have to do with trade? Columbia is a staunch American ally, despite its problems. What do Peru's insurgent problems have to do with trade, anyway?

As a "free trader" you should know. Its called open borders. Do you think a free country should have an open border with a communist country? The WTO does. In fact as a condition of GAT and the WTO "member states"(not countries because national sovereignty gets in the way of "free trade") must allow for the "free movement of persons". Look it up, its called Mode 4. Third world countries love this because they can send their "excess workforce" to "rich countries" and get back billions of dollars in remittances in return. Check out Mode 4 and the Doha round coming up. Africa has a few million excess workers they'd like to send here.

But they'll have to compete with the CAFTA countries, because we already have a "free trade" deal with them. The government isn't done buttering up Africa with AIDS money to negotiate a "free trade" deal with them, but its in the works and coming soon.

Before you say, great more "Free trade", do you think Vermont and Michigan need anymore Somalians? Somalia is a terrorist nation you know.

[Modernman]

As a "free trader" you should know. Its called open borders. Do you think a free country should have an open border with a communist country?

We don't share a border with Venezuela.

In fact as a condition of GAT and the WTO "member states"(not countries because national sovereignty gets in the way of "free trade") must allow for the "free movement of persons".

I'm fine with allowing flexible movement of workers around the world. What is wrong with that? That is not the same as open borders.

Before you say, great more "Free trade", do you think Vermont and Michigan need anymore Somalians?

The Somalis were brought here through refugee programs or through regular immigration. They were not brought here due to trade deals.

Of course, you still haven't addressed our questions: If free trade is killing out economy, why do we have 4% growth, 5% unemployment, a rising standard of living, the highest rate of home ownership ever, rising industrial output etc. etc?

Can you point to any economic indicator that supports your claim that things are getting worse?