Where is the Democratic Party outrage against the Mexican trucking "invasion"?

[SHRED]

I haven't heard a peep out of the candidates.
Where is news conferences?

Seems like Bush opening our highways to Mexican trucking firms would be a major issue in the protection of American jobs, safety, and the environment.
Seems to me that the Democrats could really make some hay with this and raise some Hell!

----

[redqueen]

1. Is this a joke?

There's precious few from either party willing to stand up to the corporatocracy.

[SHRED]

3. good point

[jsamuel]

2. Edwards Statement On Bush's Open Highways Initiative

Edwards Statement On Bush's Open Highways Initiative
Sep 3, 2007 6:23 PM
Chapel Hill, North Carolina – Senator John Edwards today criticized the Bush administration's open-highways initiative that would allow Mexican trucks to travel freely within the United States. The initiative is expected to go into effect this week, unless it is blocked on Wednesday by the Department of Transportation's Inspector General.

Edwards released the following statement:

"Our trade policies should put workers and families first. Opening America's highways to Mexico's long-haul diesel trucks puts American jobs and safety at risk. The Department of Transportation has the power to block the program. I urge them to use it.

"Multinational corporations and their Washington lobbyists greased the way to extend NAFTA onto American highways and streets, without regard for the impact on the environment or on the safety of America’s workers and families. Last month, an audit found that the database used to monitor Mexican drivers with license convictions - known as the '52nd State System' - has failed to record thousands of convictions. Mexican diesel trucks will not be required to meet the stricter emissions standards of states like California."

Under the NAFTA-related open-highways initiative, two Mexican trucking companies are initially expected to participate, with 22 more Mexican trucking companies rolling on American roads within a month. Congress passed a law in May requiring that the Bush administration certify that safety and other reporting systems have been implemented before the borders are opened under the new initiative.

http://www.johnedwards.com/news/press-releases/20070903-open-highways/

Yeah, don't be surprised that this isn't getting any press coverage.

[SHRED]

4. good!!

[redqueen]

7. NAFTA supersedes DoT, doesn't it?

I thought all that NAFTA crap pretty much made our governments helpless to stop anything going on under its charter or whatever you call it.

[redqueen]

15. Hello?! California? MTBE?

*sigh*

[rurallib]

20. Thanks. Just going to post that.

Edwards seems to be out in front on every issue.

[redqueen]

28. Did you look up the story about California and MTBE?

I'd like to know exactly why John thinks this will go any differently.

[acmavm]

5. Edwards jumped on this right away. The rest don't want to offend their

corporate benefactors.

[MadHound]

25. Actually Kucinich has been addressing this as well

Trouble is he doesn't get much air time.

Kucinich has been against NAFTA and its subsequent consequences for years now.

[acmavm]

26. Poor Dennis. I'm afraid I don't give him the credit he's due because he

has as much chance of being elected as the proverbial snowball has of surviving in Hell.

[MadHound]

27. Don't count him out yet

More and more people are waking up to the fact that "whacky ol'" Dennis has been right all along on all of the issues, and that gee, he's got a backbone too, and would probably would make a good president. His numbers are building, and while I don't think he'll win, he is in a position to suprise us all. I hope he does.

[daninthemoon]

6. I heard they all came back to work today. Anybody know what they

did about anything all day? Still getting back in the swing? If they follow suit like they did with homeland security, they may have made it law that those truckers don't need any kind of license, and the trucks are exempted from any kind of search. Just sayin.

[EFerrari]

8. Any outrage that begins with "Mexican" isn't something I can support. n/t

[SHRED]

9. take off your blinders please

thanks

[EFerrari]

13. Take off yours. And ditch the scrapegoat so you can actually

effect change.

[SHRED]

16. Oh you thought I was scapegoating Mexicans?

Sorry for the confusion.

[EFerrari]

18. So many scapegoats, so little time!

lol



You know the ringwing nutcases are going to make this about those al qaida MEXICANS and not about our criminal government policy. That's how these headlines are built, imho.

[billyoc]

21. Yeah, you'd be better off calling it "the invasion of the IED bait

scab motherfuckers", so as not to exclude anybody. That wouldn't be very progressive, would it?

[EFerrari]

23. True, because blaming other workers is sooo progressive,

right, billy?

[billyoc]

24. Yes, keeping out scabs is the only way any union EVER made any progress. n/t

[Catchawave]

22. Then would "coyotes" outrage you ?

[sandyj999]

10. It Is Strangely Silent

I wouldn't have heard about it except for reading it here. My husband is a trucker and there seems to be no chatter about it. Is it possible that "they" are being successful in keeping it quiet? Well except for John Edwards.

[SHRED]

11. Ed Schultz spent most of his show today on it

[jsamuel]

12. He didn't mention Edwards?

[SHRED]

14. I didn't hear it

He has had him on the show.

Eddie is not quite up-to-speed sometimes.

[angrycarpenter]

17. There is not one american trucker in favor of this

These truckers from Mexico will be under attack as soon as they pull into any truck stop. I can almost guarantee that bloody conflict will erupt over this. American truckers listen to a LOT of conservative radio and mexican truckers go armed because of the very real threat of highjacking in mexico. Another policy decision that really makes no sense.

[EV_Ares]

19. U would tend to think there would be some outrage and this would

be coming up in some political speeches.

[Romulox]

29. How can you support NAFTA and not allow Mexican truckers?

All the major candidates support NAFTA, WTO, MFN for China, etc. To oppose Mexican truckers may be politically convenient, but it doesn't square with the party's position on trade.

In particular, virtually every item on these trucks was made in China. Claiming that truck driver's jobs are worth saving, but not manufacturing workers, is just the government picking the winners and losers in the global economy.

Sounds like crony capitalism to me, not "free trade".

[redqueen]

30. You can't. If you're for NAFTA, you can't stop the trucking fiasco.

*sigh*