CAFTA Passes the House

[Annie]

Narrowly, but done:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050728/ap_on_go_co/cafta

House Gives Bush Narrow Victory on CAFTA

By MARY DALRYMPLE, Associated Press Writer 31 minutes ago

WASHINGTON -
President Bush insisted that the small trade agreement with six Latin American nations would pay big dividends for security, stability and freedom in the Western Hemisphere. After persistent lobbying by the White House, Congress finally agreed.


It took personal visits from the president and vice president, along with strenuous arm-twisting from Republican leaders, before the House passed the Central American Free Trade Agreement early Thursday by a two-vote margin, 217-215.

The Senate approved CAFTA last month 54-45, and it now goes to the president for his signature....

 

[elephant]

Narrowly, but done:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050728/ap_on_go_co/cafta

Tomorrow's possible headlines:

"BIG-K slashes prices! (El BIG-K reduce precios!)"

"Bienvenido a Los Estados Unidos, oh y Canada tambien"

"Wal-mart workers lead coup d etat at White House - Waltons claim to be 'Presidents of the World!'"

 

[no1tovote4]

Crap.... Just crap. Another "agreement" that puts American Courts below another "international" authority.

Where is the list of who voted for this garbage, I want to know if Tancredo voted for this.

 

[archangel]

I suppose we can kiss off another million or so jobs to outsourcing...and all this so corps can reap more profits...for now...until we no longer have jobs to buy their outsourced products!

 

[ScreamingEagle]

Crap.... Just crap. Another "agreement" that puts American Courts below another "international" authority.

Where is the list of who voted for this garbage, I want to know if Tancredo voted for this.

This should answer your question:

Tancredo Blasts CAFTA's Back Door Immigration Provisions - Foreigners to Side-Step Immigration Laws

"This agreement opens America's borders to a lot more than sugar and bananas," said Tancredo, "This agreement, as drafted, will effectively give people from El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and the Dominican Republic a de facto right to work in the United States."

"This agreement will allow foreign companies to challenge our immigration policies in international CAFTA tribunals and argue that the laws impede their ability to access the U.S. service sector," said Tancredo. "That would force Congress to change our immigration laws, or subject our businesses to trade sanctions."

"If this agreement is approved, the 'exclusive' power of Congress to regulate immigration policy will be subjugated to the whim of international tribunals - the same way that Congress ceded its once supreme Constitutional authority to 'regulate commerce with foreign nations' to the WTO."

http://www.phxnews.com/fullstory.php?article=23047

 

[Hobbit]

I keep seeing so many people talking about how wonderful free trade is, because it increases competition and helps the consumer. However, this isn't free trade. It's free trade for foriegn nations. Corporations here are forced to compete on unfair terms. With high minimum wage (in some states), health care requirements, required retirement benefits, required overtime pay, frivilous lawsuits, and numerous other government imposed restrictions on anything located in the U.S., the bare minimum cost of hiring one laborer in America is at least twice the average cost in another country. It's like chaining a weight to everyone in a marathon, then letting unchained racers enter halfway through. If the U.S. wants free trade, then let's do free trade. If they want highly regulated buisiness, then let's make sure foreign companies are competing on equal footing.