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 3/10 Fair --- citizen.typepad.com http://feeds.feedburner.com/eyesontrade
Friday, April 18, 2008 --- 96 days ago http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/eyesontrade/~3/270790416/other-voices-on.html
| I had a piece on the record of NAFTA in my hometown paper today, the Courier-Journal, which typically ( and today was no exception ) is a big supporter of NAFTA-style trade deals. If NAFTA is so rotten, why does Congress keep passing similar deals?
The few special interests benefiting from these pacts have armies of
lobbyists, give millions in campaign contributions and are shameless
scaremongers. Their latest line, for instance, is that expanding NAFTA
will counter the influence of Venezuela. In reality, the damage done to
most people in our trade partner countries by NAFTA-like policies has
been a major factor in breeding anger against the U.S. and support for
populism.
Thankfully, the 2006 elections ushered in a freshmen
class full of fair traders. The new political reality was on display in
last year's vote on a NAFTA expansion to Peru. Reps. John Yarmuth and
Ben Chandler joined a majority of Democrats in opposing the deal, which
was also opposed by American and Peruvian unions, church leaders and
environmental groups. Yet Indiana's Baron Hill and Brad Ellsworth were
among the minority of Democrats who caved to corporate pressure and
voted for the NAFTA expansion. This is a bad record to have as Sen.
Barack Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton tour Indiana bashing NAFTA and
distancing themselves from their own mixed records on trade. There are some other great pieces out there circulating now too. Kevin Gallagher has a great pi ... |
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