Free Republic

Every time the President talks about trade negotiations, it makes the news. On July 18, he mentioned – for the umpteenth time – that he might prefer to break NAFTA up into two agreements, and the press went ballistic again. We have hundreds of major issues in United States politics – taxes, unemployment, crime, foreign policy – and people can talk comfortably about them because they are always on the collective mind. But trade is different; it’s only an issue once every generation or so. So this is an issue with tons of misconceptions, not only in the electorate, but...

In a strange twist of fate, one of the key figures who helped bring about this transfer of jobs out of Alabama is now campaigning for the Senate seat formerly occupied by Jeff Sessions. Even stranger still, his campaign ads promise that he will “Kill Unfair Trade Deals.” Lobbying for the Central American free trade pact was a very lucrative job for Luther Strange. But for thousands of Alabamians it was far more devastating than that 1902 fire that nearly destroyed Alex City. A senior adviser to the campaign of Judge Roy Moore, the conservative frontrunner for the U.S. Senate...

The powerful Globalist players at the Council on Foreign Relations, the Bilderberg Group, and the Trilateral Commission are certainly watching the presidential campaign of Donald Trump. Trump has already made statements about immigration they find troubling. They may or may not be taking Trump’s presidential run seriously. They may or may not view him as an inconsequential blowhard, a shoot-from-the-hip cowboy who forgets today what he said yesterday—but today the New York Times has made reference to Trump in a way that will make these Globalist heavy hitters pause and blink while drinking their morning coffee (Here in “As Stock...

When the proceeds of growth are not widely shared, the consensus in favor of pro-growth measures cracks. A decade and a half ago, I filled my days writing speeches urging Congress to grant President George W. Bush fast-track trade authority. If memory serves, I wrote more speeches on that one subject than on any other. Obviously, I didn’t earn my pay: Despite Republican majorities in both Houses, Congress balked. This past year, President Obama has worked as hard for fast-track authority as President Bush ever did. It now seems that his efforts will prove as unavailing. This time, if anything,...

Maybe some of you FREEPERS who bash Cruz for supporting TPA and who hold Jeff Sessions up as being a new hero for Americans.... Can you tell me WHY he supported CAFTA? Doesn't CAFTA give back door access to illegal immigration? Doesn't this hurt the American worker? Inquiring minds want to know.

Mexico beats China in American assembly for export factories American businesses are setting up shop in Mexico instead of China. China, which was the number one location for manufacture of goods bound for the U.S., has fallen into third place. Mexico is now number one, followed by India. Several factors have converged to make Mexico an attractive place for manufacture. Daniel Silva of the Mission Economic Development Authority said: "Compared to China, Mexico offers better access to North American markets with a shorter, faster and cheaper transportation route to move products and supplies by truck, rather than over thousands of...

MANAGUA -- To offset the recent wave of factory closings and work suspensions at U.S. textile and manufacturing plants in Central America, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega is asking the U.S. government for an economic bailout plan for Central America. Speaking at Wednesday's extraordinary presidential meeting of the Central American Integration System, Ortega went against the current of other leaders in attendance by criticizing the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Agreement-Dominican Republic (CAFTA-DR) as being fickle and unjust. Despite the promises of CAFTA-DR, Ortega said, ``What's happening now is that they are closing U.S. investment linked to the trade agreement in Central...

Manufacturing slows to lowest level since 1948, the ISM Survey showed By (AXcess News) Houston - The Institute of Supply Management (ISM) December Survey revealed that the manufacturing sector continued to show no sign of growth for the fifth consecutive month while the overall U.S. economy shrank for the third month in a row. ISM chairman of the Committee Survey Norbert J. Ore said manufacturers across the entire spectrum of companies saw a "significant decline" in activity during the month of December. "The decline covers the full breadth of manufacturing industries, as none of the industries in the sector report...

President George W. Bush cleared the way on Tuesday for Costa Rica to formally join a regional free trade agreement between the United States, the Dominican Republic and four other Central American countries. Bush issued a proclamation that brings the pact into force between the United States and Costa Rica on January 1. "This step marks an important milestone in our relationship with Costa Rica, building on our strong economic and political partnership," U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said. Costa Rica began negotiations with the United States on the agreement in January 2003, along with Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua...

THE YEAR 2008 may enter history as the time when the Democratic Party lost its way on trade. Already, the party's presidential candidates have engaged in an unseemly contest to adopt the most protectionist posture, suggesting that, if elected, they might pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Yesterday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared her intention to change the procedural rules governing the proposed trade promotion agreement with Colombia. President Bush submitted the pact to Congress on Tuesday for a vote within the next 90 legislative days, as required by the "fast-track" authority under which the U.S. negotiated...

HOUSTON -- It did not take long Tuesday for the Texas Department of Transportation to find out what the Houstonians at a public hearing thought about the proposed 600-mile Trans-Texas Corridor, KPRC Local 2 reported. "George Washington, Sam Houston would vomit on you people," one attendee said. Chris Zora, who opposes the plan, attended the hearing at the Arabia Shrine Center in Southwest Houston. "I'd like to see a show of hands here of anybody that approves of this corridor," Zora said. "Is there anyone in this room who approves of this corridor? Raise your hands if you approve of...

Daniel Griswold directs the Cato Institute's Center for Trade Policy Studies and authored the new study, "Trading Up: How Expanding Trade Has Delivered Better Jobs and Higher Living Standards for American Workers," available at freetrade.org. President Bush urged Congress yesterday to pass four pending trade agreements, telling a White House audience that open markets boost economic growth, raise standards of living by creating higher-paying jobs and deliver more choice and better prices for consumers. Despite claims to the contrary by populist opponents of trade expansion, the president has the facts and decades of experience on his side. Critics of trade...

Summary: At a Democratic debate in Philadelphia, Sen. Hillary Clinton ducked some questions and gave misleading answers to others. She falsely implied that the reason White House documents about her communications with her husband haven't been released is due to bureaucratic delays, and she avoided saying whether she would ask Bill Clinton to clear their release from the National Archives. She avoided a yes-or-no answer to whether she supports giving New York driver's licenses to illegal immigrants and at one point denied saying the idea made sense, when in fact she said less than two weeks earlier that it "makes...

With Audio...Take a Listen.... With G. Gordon Liddy, Mike discussed the ramifications of NAFTA, and the increasing loss of American sovereignty due to that agreement as well as other agreements such as CAFTA. The NAFTA ordered Mexican truck demonstration program, according to Mike, is ill conceived and does not consider the broader implications of safety, security, and sovereignty. He also discussed an earlier article he had written about NAFTA Superhighways and the call to move toward a North American Union. Several listeners called in to discuss NAFTA and the key issues as well.......

By a razor-thin margin last week, Costa Ricans approved their country's entry into the Central American Free Trade Agreement, which they've been told will bring all kinds of benefits to their economy. But nearly half of voters in that U.S.-friendly country viewed CAFTA as a bad idea. We've long supported free trade and hope that, with Costa Rica's approval, the pact will make commerce easier among the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. But the growing skepticism about free trade across the Americas, including in the U.S., suggests the results have fallen short of expectations....

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you for the warm welcome. It's great to be in Miami. I've been looking for my little brother. (Laughter.) He must have finally found work. (Laughter.) Just kidding, Jeb. I thank the Center for Hemispheric Policy and the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring this event. And I appreciate you all coming. I appreciate the support that you give for enterprise here in South Florida. President George W. Bush stands on stage at the Radisson Miami Hotel Friday, Oct. 12, 2007, in Miami, where he delivered remarks on trade policy. Speaking on free trade in the...

Bush: Protectionism will cost U.S. jobs By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 10 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Alarmed by slipping support for free trade even among Republicans, President Bush is arguing that protectionism will cut Americans out of chances for more — and better — jobs. Bush has launched a blitz on behalf of pending free trade pacts with four nations. He continued the push Saturday in his weekly radio address. "More exports support better and higher-paying jobs," the president said. "And to keep our economy expanding, we need to keep expanding trade." His radio address followed a...

Trying to jump-start his stalled trade agenda, President Bush pleaded with lawmakers on Friday to pass free trade pacts with four nations, and warned against protectionism taking root in America. In Miami, a city known as the "gateway to the Americas," Bush urged Congress to approve free trade agreements with Peru, Panama and Colombia in Latin America plus another with South Korea. The deals face uphill battles given five consecutive years of record U.S. trade deficits that critics say played a major role in the loss of more than 3 million manufacturing jobs since Bush took office in 2001. Bush...

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) — Costa Ricans prepared on Monday to join a controversial free trade agreement with Central American neighbors, the Dominican Republic and the U.S. after a thin majority apparently backed the pact in a national referendum. But even Sunday's vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement did not end a yearlong battle over the agreement. Opponents said they will wait for a mandatory recount, set to begin Tuesday, before recognizing the referendum's results. The ballot-by-ballot recount is required by Costa Rican law, and can last no longer than two weeks. With 97 percent of precincts...

The President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias, has said the country has given its backing to a free trade agreement with the United States. With most of the votes counted, Mr Arias said the treaty had been narrowly approved in a referendum. The treaty gives Costa Rica greater access to the US market. Opponents of the deal fear increased competition could ruin the country's successful economy and put the welfare system at risk. "The people of Costa Rica have said yes to the free trade agreement, and that for me is a sacred wish," Mr Arias said in a televised...