[Ed_in_NJ]

And can anyone tell me exactly WHO is benefitting HOW from NAFTA, etc.?

[meenie]

The Drug cartels are doing pretty well. With relaxed trade barriers and less customs inspection, smuggling is easier. The politician has a cash cow in the form of contributions from management of multinational corporations who want to keep the game going as long as possible.

Other than these two examples, the beneficiaries are few. The consumer has the benefit of cheaper goods which are purchased with fewer wage dollars so he is involved in the race to the bottom. The real losers are the people and sovereignty of our nation being delivered to the altar of world government and tyranny.

[MonroeDNA]

"And can anyone tell me exactly WHO is benefitting HOW from NAFTA, etc.? "

Sure. I am. I pay less for socks and shoes (and many, many other imported goods), so I have more money left over. I am a small business owner. With the money I have saved from cheaper goods, I just hired another guy to help out. So he is benefitting, too.

Now the people who used to make socks and shoes here in the US are unemployed. I feel bad for them, but they need to re-educate themselves (like I did), and find a new trade.

And you benefit, too. Cheaper socks and shoes for you, too. Or would you rather pay more, and let the local socks and shoes workers keep their jobs?

IMHO, the people here who think I should pay more for socks and shoes by barring imports, so that I subsidize the local workers making socks and shoes, are closet socialists.

Let the market decide.

[Beck_isright]

"And can anyone tell me exactly WHO is benefitting HOW from NAFTA, etc.?"

Al-Queda and any other terrorist group. They can smuggle whatever they want into our country now because it's impossible to inspect every trailer or rail car entering into the US from Canada and Mexico.

[maui_hawaii]

Actually NAFTA is one of the more healthy trade agreements. The one with Singapore (if finalized) will be even better. Trade relations with China though stink.

Mexico is one of our biggest trading partners, and that is not a one way "we buy their stuff" deal. For every $1 worth of goods we buy from Mexico (either through outsourcing etc) we actually sell just over 75 cents to Mexico. That means 75 cents to the dollar of real exports.

On top of that exporting to Mexico is not about overall 'revenue numbers'. The profitablility of selling in Mexico is by far greater than China (but maybe not as good as in the US).

With Mexico we have a much more balanced approach to trade with no one factor being exploited as in the case with China.

I can go into details if you want.

[Duramaximus]

"And can anyone tell me exactly WHO is benefitting HOW from NAFTA, etc.?"

I suspect the same people who realize financial gains from allowing an unimpeded flow of illegal aliens across our border with Mexico.