Congress passes 3 free trade agreements

[walerosco]

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress approved free trade agreements Wednesday with South Korea, Colombia and Panama, ending a four-year drought in the forming of new trade partnerships and giving the White House and Capitol Hill the opportunity to show they can work together to stimulate the economy and put people back to work.

In rapid succession, the House and Senate voted on the three trade pacts, which the administration says could boost exports by $13 billion and support tens of thousands of American jobs. None of the votes were close, despite opposition from labor groups and other critics of free trade agreements who say they result in job losses and ignore labor rights problems in the partner countries.

"We don't do much around here that's bipartisan these days," said Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, who was U.S. Trade Representative during the George W. Bush administration. "This is an example of where we can come together as Republicans and Democrats realizing that with 14 million Americans out of work, we need to do things to move our economy forward."

snip

Republicans criticized Obama for taking several years to send the agreements, all signed in the President George W. Bush administration, to Congress for final approval.

http://news.yahoo.com/congress-passes-3-free-trade-agreements-003629553.html

[sakabatou]

1. And there goes more jobs...

[madrchsod]

2. well isn`t that special..........

[rurallib]

3. to quote Perot "That giant sucking sound you hear is jobs leaving the country"

or something like that.

[ixion]

4. more jobs gone

thanks a pantload, Congress. :grr:

[arcane1]

5. Well I guess this is a bone, at least:

"The House also passed and sent to Obama for his signature a bill to extend aid to workers displaced by foreign competition."

[annabanana]

6. And Ben Nelson is first out of the gate bragging about it...

From my email:

Ben Nelson's E-Update
October 12, 2011

Trade Agreements Benefit Nebraskans
Today, the Senate is helping create jobs in Nebraska. I just voted for, and the Senate has now passed, three trade agreements with Korea, Colombia and Panama. These free trade agreements will create 1,100 new jobs in Nebraska just in agriculture alone, and will pump more than $123 million a year into our state's economy.

Trade is vital for our state, as more than $5.7 billion in Nebraska-produced goods was sold overseas in 2010, supporting nearly 20,000 jobs. With 95 percent of the global consumers outside the U.S., it's critical we break down barriers and remain competitive, and the new trade agreements will help us do so.

Uh. . Ben. . could you link me to some of those numbers, please?

[Angry Dragon]

7. more shit

[Citizen Worker]

8. When will Labor quit sucking the d--k of the democrats?