[Willie Green]

Of course, if you think they SHOULD be able to screw it up first,

Article I, Section 8. The Congress shall have power to...
To regulate commerce with foreign nations,...

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"We are infinitely better off without treaties of commerce with any nation."

--Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1815.

[justshe]

**Article I, Section 8.
The Congress shall have power to...
To regulate commerce with foreign nations,...**

The bill allows Bush to negotiate trade agreements
that Congress would have 90 days to approve or reject

And how does THIS negate the constitution?

Doesn't APPROVE or REJECT "regulate" commerce?

Doesn't NEGOTIATE indicate just that?

[RobFromGa]

1815 was a long time ago. It took the Pilgrims 2-3 months to sail from England to America in 1619-20, and the airplane has changed a few things...

The world has gotten smaller, and our ability to "employ" workers in foreign lands and raise their standard of living (and ours too, through lower prices) is a fact of life. We must not shut our borders.

[hc87]

"We are infinitely better off without treaties of commerce with any nation."

--Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1815.

Ah, Thomas Jefferson, the great economic thinker. The same guy behind the Embargo of 1807, which forbade American commerce with England and France. Brilliant idea! He managed to plunge the country into an economic panic and devastate the New England and Mid-Atlantic economies. Yes, a debt-ridden, 19th Century plantation owner is just the guy who has the economic advice we need to run a 21st Century commercial and military superpower.

By the way, I've been having trouble with the operating system on my PC. Do you think you can locate some of Jefferson's advice on troubleshooting Windows XP problems? I'm sure his advice on that subject would be just as valuable today as his words on trade.

[Red Jones]

thanks Willie Green for clearing that up. Our constitution directed congress to supervise trade policy. Only in recent times has the president had that authority. So, now trade treaties are negotiated behind closed doors by a very small number of people and it seems in secret.