Former President Carter endorses Cafta (Dont undercut fragile democracies)

[truthpusher]

http://www.investors.com/breakingnews.asp?journalid=28148064&brk=1

Former President Carter endorses Cafta
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By William L. Watts
Last Updated: 6/9/2005 5:43:22 PM
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WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Backers of the controversial Central American Free Trade Agreement on Thursday touted an endorsement by former President Jimmy Carter, who told top lawmakers that the trade pact is crucial to furthering democracy in Latin America.

Carter, in a letter to top Republican and Democratic trade lawmakers said the presidents of the six countries covered by the trade pact - Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic -- have each put their own credibility on the line.

"If the U.S. Congress were to turn its back on Cafta, it would undercut these fragile democracies, compel them to retreat to protectionism, and make it harder for them to cooperate with the U.S," wrote Carter, a Democrat.

Carter addressed the letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, the panel's senior Democrat. On the House side, Carter wrote to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas, R-Calif., and the committee's ranking Democrat, Rep. Charles Rangel of New York.

complete story: http://www.investors.com/breakingnews.asp?journalid=28148064&brk=1

[No Michael Savage]

1. He must be getting senile

No to CAFTA!

[Padme Amidala]

2. Wisdom against corporate abuses was never his strong suit.

Otherwise, he was a good President.

[gizmo1979]

3. We are a struggling democracy!NT

[htuttle]

4. "Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica and Dom. Rep."

What do all those governments have in common? They are all basically US client states nowdays.

Carter may be a 'nice guy', and he's head and shoulders above than the current idiot disgracing the office of the Presidency, but in the end, Carter's still an imperialist.

As with the rest of them, Carter uses the word 'democracy' as a codeword for 'cooperative capitalist country'. "Cooperative" meaning that they allow foreign investors to buy up whatever they want, and remove as much wealth as they want.

[Voltaire99]

12. Exactly right.

Carter's priorities put American capital ahead of all else.

While I respect him for his good works, today's pathetic endorsement is not one.

[xultar]

5. So, let's burn JC (Jimmy Carter) on the cross. I know ya'll wanna.

:grr:

Anyone who doesn't agree must be cast out; purged.

Right?

[jonnyblitz]

10. ummm..when they support damaging legislation i do believe

they deserve criticism. :eyes:

[xultar]

11. I'm not saying he doesn't. Why is it when people don't agree with

Dean we burn them? Why isn't it good-ole criticism when someone disagrees with Dean?

[jmaier]

16. Other than

it has become progressive cant to oppose ALL trade agreements. What are the specifics that make this one untenable?

[pokercat999]

23. Strike 2

[punpirate]

6. Well, Jimmy can't be right all the time....

He was also the president who endorsed airline deregulation, and look how that turned out.

Jimmy's a small businessman who still thinks big business works like small business. Every US interference in Central America has made conditions in the countries of that area worse, not better. All the ill that has happened in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica in the past has been a direct result of US support for US multinationals and right-wing dictatorships in those countries.

One only need look at what's happening in Bolivia and Ecuador right now to figure out whether or not US influence is helping or hurting.

[Itsthetruth]

7. There's More

Carter also pushed for and won the deregulation of the railroads and trucking. That opened the door to union busting and job slashing.

[acmavm]

8. Jimmy Carter is a gentleman and a humanitarian. But when it come to

economics (and playing political hardball obviously) he's not who I would go for advice or hold a strategy meeting with.

NO TO CAFTA.

[SOS]

9. Does anyone ever bother

to ask the people of these countries whether they want CAFTA or not?
Perhaps investors.com could do a survey.

[KoKo]

13. "Furthering Democracy in Latin America? " Bushspeak...but then Carter

is serving with Howard Baker the Dean of Corporation/Globalist Thugger on the "Election's Commission" trying to obfuscate any Voting Reform we activists are trying to put in place.

Carter is NO SAINT... and maybe books will be written on him explaining how "nuanced" he was. But, I loved the man until he became President.

The Carter years set up the Reagan Years...he made so many mistakes which he's spent his life trying to correct and redeem his reputation for. Some of what he's done has been good. But....remember he's a Southern Baptist from Georgia....and he cancelled the Olympics and didn't fight back over the Iranian Hostages when the Media TRASHED HIM day after day after day.

I think Carter did what most of us would have...he compromised and compromised and he's achieved some good for that...but the "Election Commission with Baker" does make one want to examine closer "Compromisable Carter" for our purposes here living with a "Regime going to Fascism." :shrug:

[kellenburger]

14. I love Jimmy Carter but...

I have seen way too many manufacturing jobs lost due to NAFTA.

CAFTA will cost hundreds of thousands of jobs also.

NO NO NO !!!

[IndianaGreen]

15. Carter has always been a two-face hypocrite when it comes to human rights

Carter has never condemned the exploitation of the masses of workers and peasants by the transnationals. His role in the coup in Haiti should also be noted.

[EndElectoral]

17. Carter's a good man...wrong here...CAFTA is a DISASTA

[Sandpiper]

18. Jimmy's a good guy, but even good guys are wrong sometimes

And Jimmy is dead ass wrong about Cafta.

Cafta is about expanding the corporate oligarchy, not about bolstering democracy.

[Algorem]

19. Stay off the Billy beer Jimmy,it went bad a long time ago.

[kodi]

20. let the rich bear the load, leave us working class folks out of this

if carter and the money changers want a stable economy down there, let them fix it with their own damned money. whenever these trade agreements happen its the worker who takes it up the ass, not the capitalist bankers and investors.

the only thing that happens with these trade aggreements is that money flows into the pockets of investors and out of the pockets of the working class.

just like the US guaranties loans to third world nations, how about guarantying the working class jobs security.

we have come to the state where the state offers protection for investments of the rich, but won't lift a finger to ensure us workers are employed.

[Sugarbleus]

21. I Like JC, but this is VERY disappointing... NO TO CAFTA

CAFTA means SHAFTA for us and for those who will be preyed upon in C.A.





*edit to add: This isn't about democracy; it's about creating more CAPITALIST states. Look what run amok capitalism has done to this country!!

[Kelvin Mace]

22. I disagree with Carter on this

but it in no way detracts from my respect for him. He was the last good president we had, a decent and honorable man.