So, help me here, why is CAFTA bad?

[Craig3410]

I looked over it on Wikipedia, but I can't figure it out.

[Melodybe]

1. here ya go:

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/234211_cafta28.html

[Craig3410]

4. Thanks.

Goody; another "lets screw over Americans" bill passed. Big surprise. :eyes:

[Erika]

18. Excellent article

We were sold out once again.

[Maple]

2. It isn't

but as usual, with many bills, especially trade ones, there are a lot of wild and untrue stories about it.

[Bluebear]

5. Hmm.

That means that states will no longer be able to give preference to home-based businesses, and so mom-and-pop stores in Central America and the United States will suddenly be competing with the Bechtels and the Halliburtons of the world.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/234211_cafta28.html

Big surprise.

[Maple]

8. It's called globalization

and that article was written by an anthropologist.

[Bluebear]

9. Yeah well happy globalization. Enjoy.

[Maple]

10. Thank you I will

and eventually you will too.

[punpirate]

12. With those posts of yours...

... and the history of NAFTA (in real, measurable terms), it's time for you to explain the advantages present to all by this treaty's approval.

Cheers.

[Maple]

15. NAFTA isn't harming your economy

It's helping it in fact.

What's harming your economy is imperial overstretch, extreme nationalism, and an overdose of fundie religion.

Also fear.

Eventually all countries in the world will trade freely. These agreements are just little steps along the way.

But each of them will allow you to adjust slowly to a globalizing world.

[Elwood P Dowd]

24. NAFTA is not a free trade agreement

It's obvious you don't know the difference between a scam and David Ricardo's free trade policies.

Mexico's standard of living has actually declined since NAFTA. Why do you think 10 million poor and unemployed Mexicans have illegally crossed our border since NAFTA passed? Millions of Mexican small farmers have lost everything. There is no incentive for any improvement since Mexico's only investment attraction is poor and desperate workers - like Central America - basically slaves. When wages go up, the companies just pack up and leave for cheaper wage workers in Central America and Asia.
We're in a race to the bottom. The standard of living is falling globally except for those in the top one-third. As one globalist said, "The war on poverty is over, and the poor people lost".

[punpirate]

25. Not a single fact presented...

... ball's in your court. Dribble it.

[Erika]

14. Just like we have from NAFTA? n/a

The elitists are the only ones who gained. Are you one of those?

[Elwood P Dowd]

17. You don't know a damn thing about CAFTA

so why don't you just get the hell out of here? You are constantly spouting BS about free trade when deals like CAFTA are not even free trade. They are outsourcing and investment scams to make money for a few corporate CEOs. David Ricardo is rolling over in his grave every time fruitloops like you post such crap. Go away. The Americans that will lose their job over this and the Central Americans that will lose their inexpensive AIDS medicines and any hope for a future say "Kiss Off Maple".

Why do the mods keep letting this person post?

[Maple]

21. Actually I do

Economics and trade are what I work in every day.

I'm sorry you're upset about it, but covering your ears and yelling la-la-la won't help.

However, I'll let you work off your anger about it in private if you think that will make a difference.

Bye.

[Elwood P Dowd]

26. No you don't.

You have explained absolutely nothing about the Chapter 11 ramifications, the CODEX references, the Big Pharma assault on generic AIDS medications that will be eliminated, or the fact that the entire consumer market of these six countries combined is less than that of Columbus, Ohio. You've made no mention of the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on lobbying by millionaire CEOs just itching to rape Central America. You've said absolutely nothing about environmental destruction.

CAFTA is not a free trade deal. Anyone that says so is an idiot.

[wli]

3. it's obscenely bad

CODEX pharmaceutical rules, general wage arbitrage, and so on.

[deadparrot]

6. My main complaint?

Human rights down the drain...

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/07/27/usint11493.htm

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/03/09/usint8099.htm

[Selatius]

7. Where is Hugo Chavez when you need him?

Oh wait, that was over FTAA. Since they couldn't get into Chavez' back yard, they may as well go into an area away from Chavez in Venezuela and Lula in Brazil.

[lvx35]

11. here's a bit from Wikipedia that caught my eye....

In practice, "test data exclusivity" would ensure that U.S. companies would hold an effective market monopoly on various medicines, such as those used to treat AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis. Critics charge that this provision would prevent many poor people from receiving life-saving medications.

There is some badness in the wikipedia article, if you dig.

[Erika]

13. It's called one world government

where U.S. citizens lose out and are under the rule of other organizations. Give credit to Bush.

He was never happy in being a U.S. president. He wanted to be the world corporate king, and he's well on his way.

U.S. citizens are just the "little people" whose standard of living is going to nosedive again.

[Maple]

16. Yes and no

Eventually all countries will be under a world 'government.'

However, Bush won't be running it.

[Erika]

19. If he isn't, his corporate globalist buds will

and it's the same thing. The workers, the environment, and national sovereignty all went down the tubes. All at the pushing of Bush.

[Maple]

22. It won't be Americans

at all. There are 190 other countries in the world.

Everyone will get to have a say.

[BeHereNow]

23. Maple, can I have some of what you're smoking?

I could use a good hallucination right about now.
BHN

[ugarte]

20. The small Central American economies will be virtually bought up

by the United States, even more so than is the case already, since the public sector in all these companies will be drastically shrunk. Basically, these small countries will have sold their sovereignty. Natural resources, public utilities...gone to the highest bidder. I wonder who that might be?