Poll: CAFTA

[Ernie]

I think part of what is really hurting the USA is cheap credit.

Oh for cheap credit, because we have a farm our mortgage interest rate is 9.4% >:(

As long as our dollar stays where it is, this is a great place to invest.

Term deposit at the bank = 8.00%

[Pedalbiker]

As someone who works in the sugar industry in Bay City and directly affected I say no! 

I'm normally not for government interference in business but all of these trade agreements are one sided and it isn't even close to being a fair deal for any of the small industries of the USA.

At this point it even sounds as though its a poor deal for the corn growers of the midwest.  There will be millions of gallons of ethenanol imported which will in turn hurt owner/growers involved in trying to increase domestic production.

Pat

[MemphisLogger]

My congressman is one of the "key" votes to kill this thing. I've been on the phone with him for 2 hours over the last week and I think I may be getting through. It's hard though as he's banked by Fred Smith.

At best maybe I've got him talked into voting against this particular negotiation but in the long run, he'll eventually go for it.

Maybe we can stall it long enough to send some actual representation up there  :-\

[OneWithWood]

Maybe we can stall it long enough to send some actual representation up there  :-\

Now there's a novel idea - the house actually containing representatives  :

Term limits anyone?

[crtreedude]

I would like something more than term-limits, I would like the house of representatives to actually represent the people. Forget the lawyers and politicians - make it a draft just like jury duty.

Let's see a show of hands. How many people would be willing to give two years to work in the House for the pay these guys get and as a result have their retirement? Do you think we could get volunteers?

Surely the average Joe isn't going to do any worse. Keep the Senate as a check and balance (as it was intended) but make the House of Representitives something different than a junior version of the Senate.

Isn't it interesting that a selected jury can be considered good enough to sentence someone to death - but not good enough for the House....

[OneWithWood]

I would be the first in line.  8)

[crtreedude]

And I might actually come back to the USA to "serve" in that capacity!

[Patty]

Back to this CAFTA debate. CR there is a good article in today's Wallstreet Journal written by MARY ANASTASIA O'GRADY, titled "Costa Rica's Tough Unions Make It a CAFTA  Holdout". I am curious about your take on the article if you get a chance to read it. Those of us on the outside, so to speak< don't know the truth of these things sometimes.

[crtreedude]

Costa Rica thinks that CAFTA will be good for the USA and NOT for Costa Rica. They don't want to approve it - and I doubt it will be, but I could be wrong.

Isn't it interesting though - people in Unions in the USA don't want CAFTA and people in the Unions in Costa Rica don't want CAFTA. One of them is wrong.

I think the Unions don't want any change to the status quo.

Yes, Costa Rica has very strong Unions - they shut down the country sometimes. It gets pretty interesting at times.

Okay - be ready for sarcastic comment. People in the USA being afraid of CAFTA is sort of like the Terminator being afraid of a fair fight with Pee Wee Herman. Don't you think that the economic powerhouse of the world has a touch of an advantage over little Latin American countries? Believe me the Latin American countries think so!  Anytime my Tico friends need a good laugh, I tell them the USA is afraid of them as a trading partner. Honest, they can't believe it!

The USA might get hurt in farmers who produce sugar (might, with fuel going up, probably not) but Costa Rica may lose all Hi-Tech businesses to the USA and their entire telecom industry.

just my dos colones

[crtreedude]

Hi Patty,

Just read the article - yes, it is true in my opinion. However Arias will almost certainly win the next election and he has the prestige to force this through. After all, he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in calming down Central America.

Costa Rica is between a rock and a hard place - slowly but surely they are being owned by the World Bank. The reason they are protecting the rainforest is that they don't really have a choice - it was imposed by the World Bank as a condition of loans. Also, they have two ex-presidents sitting in jail right now for corruption - again I suspect this was due to outside influence.

All very interesting stuff.

[Tom]

I don't think the fear that Americans harbor for trade agreements with other countries is so dependent on the other countries abusing us as it is that we abuse ourselves.   In most "equal trade", welfare or "aid" situations, I think that the overwhelming "need' for some Americans to prove their fairness leads to our stepping on our own toes.  There are just too many Americans who feel guilt over our having something that someone else doesn't  have that we "give away the farm".

[crtreedude]

That I would agree with for sure - often people feel they need to help people who don't need it. This is a bad thing. It makes dependents of those being helped just so people can feel "superior".

I think it is very important for the USA to realize that currently they are on top of the heap and the world is a very competitive place. Use agreements as a way of making the USA stronger, not weaker.

Is this fair to other countries? Well, I assume other countries are trying to do the same. If a country can't manage to compete, they should allow themselves to be absorbed by a better country. In my opinion, a lot of countries in Central America should have their governments replaced and perhaps just becomes states of the USA. 

Sure would make my taxes easier....  :D

[crtreedude]

Just ran across an interesting number, all the economies of the Central American countries involved in this deal sum up to  1/160 of the economy of the USA.

Awful lot of noise over nothing. It might help these countries, but it really means nothing to the USA. I suspect you have some very large companies lobbying for this.

[DouginUtah]

I don't know if Venezuela is a part of CAFTA or not, but I thought it was important to US due to the oil resources. Setting up Central America the way it was done in NAFTA, i.e., Canada is not allowed to cut off oil and gas exports to the US.  ;D

-Doug

[Ron Wenrich]

I think I heard where CAFTA was to open the way for SAFTA.  That would give a free trade zone for the Americas and would rival or surpass that of the EU.

[crtreedude]

CAFTA was approved by the Congress and Senate - it just waits signiture by President Bush. Of course the other countries will have to approve it too - and it will have a hard fight here.

However, the front runner for the 2006 election has the clout to get it to pass.

[tnlogger]

your right there fred. i read that CR will take their time before they sign it. 

[crtreedude]

yes, it is going to be interesting. If CR doesn't agree, then they lose competitive edge with their neighbors, if they do, they will lose jobs in some sectors - the Unions are threatening to shutdown the country if it even goes to the congress here.

Of course it really doesn't matter, the public workers here are not very good, we probably won't even notice they aren't working....  :D

[Tom]

The precedent has already been set.   If the public workers get too demanding just give the jobs to immigrants (you do have immigrants don't you, like Harold. ;D) or send the jobs to another country.  'Course shipping might get to be a problem. :D :D :D :D :D

[crtreedude]

I can see it now, Harold working in immigration.... 

[Tom]

No.........      Not working in immigration, .........I mean picking the tomatoes. :D :D :D

[crtreedude]

Sugar cane and pineapples here.... That is what the immigrants do.

[Tom]

I'll bet Harold swings a mean mechete. :D

[Fla._Deadheader]

 : : : : :

   Rodney

[crtreedude]

We just wanted to know if you would notice....  ;D

Harold would modify his sawmill to cut the sugarcane for him....  :D