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  1. #1

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    Bush and Uribe ( Colombia ) talk of Closing Andean FTA



    February 16 ( Thursday ) of year 2006


    President Bush received President Uribe ( Colombia )

    Andean Free Trade Agreement Talks at the White House



    I am a citizen from Colombia, living outside the USA, and I want your opinions. I only ask questions ( for the moment ). I don't want to make comments yet, but I have to give some little information in order to clarify questions :


    1) Is the Andean FTA good for the USA ??

    2) What about Flowers ( Roses and Others ) from California, Colorado ??. Which other states produce Flowers ???

    3) What about Canned Tuna Fish ( Peru, Ecuador, etc .... ) ??

    4) What about Sugar Cane ??? and Palm Oil ??? ..... Derivatives : Ethanol, BioDiesel, etc ... ???

    5) Are American Farmers elated and happy with this Projected Andean FTA ???

    6) What about social unrest in the Andean Countries ( Guerrillas, Coups d'Etat, Upheavals ) and what is the effect of the flood of subsidized American Cereals and other heavily subsidized products ??

    7) Is it a good idea to enter into marriage with dysfunctional families ???
    I mean countries with a lot of guerrillas, terrorism, upheavals, social unrest, agrarian conflicts ???

    8- ) What are the implications for American Foreign Policy ???

    9) Does this Andean FTA imply a heavier military commitment ???

    10 ) America has spent 25,000 million dollars in military equipment for Colombia ( Plan Colombia ) ... What about spending another 25,000 million dollars ???

    11) Kidnappings : Three American Citizens have been kidnapped for three years in Colombia ?? ... What can be done about that ???

    12) Does America gain so much money as to balance the risks and dangers of this pact ???

    13) Are the Andean Countries so significant or important to the US citizen as to influence the American Voter in the US November Elections ??.

    14) Is there any possibility that Mr Bush sends the "Andean FTA Bill" ( legislative project ) to Congress before the November Elections ??.

    15) In the event that Mr Bush manages to send the Bill to Congress ... What would be the outcome ???


    I hope that this questionaire is perceived as a search for Political Truth and for Political Reality and not as an attempt to bother Americans or anybody else.

    I won't be offended by any answer like "You Andeans are irrelevanta and unimportant for us" but please clarify your answers so that we can predict here what will happen in the Political Year of 2006.

    16) And what are the possibilities of U. S. Congress approval of the Andean FTA during years 2006 or 2007 ??.

    17) In the case of U.S. Congress approval of Andean FTA. What would be the impact on Immigration to the USA ??

    18- ) In the case of upheavals, guerrillas and social unrest in Andean Countries. What will be the impact on Immigration to the USA ??


    Thanks for any contribution to Political Thought, to Political Understanding and to Political Forecasting.

    As I said before, feel free to answer. I won't feel offended by sharp or harsh answers. In fact they help me to measure political strong feelings and sentiments.

    Thanks a lot for any help !!

    Vicente Duque

  2. #2

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    An American friend told me this :



    "It's silly to say that any "free" trade agreement is good for countries as a whole. The way they are written, they are good for the elite in the participating countries, and very bad for the average citizens of the same countries."

    Perhaps Americans don't pay attention to the "Andean Free Trade Agreement" discussed yesterday ( February 16 of 2006 ) at the White House between Mr Bush and Uribe ( from Colombia ).

    The fact is that this agreement carries the seeds of trouble, not only for Andeans but for Americans.

    The USA will enter into heavier military commitments in already troubled countries.

    I call this "Marriage into a dysfunctional family" .... So what Americans gain does not make up for billions of dollars in military aid and horrible problems of Foreign Policy, in store for the Future.

    It is even conceivable that the US Congress has to intervene with Costly Solutions in the Future.

    The trouble is that this will cost a lot of jobs : First peasants will be ruined in the Andean Countries. Next the solutions to the Military and Political Problems will go through the US Presidency and Congress and will cost a lot of money.

    The final solution to Andean Troubles and Disarrays will also cost a lot of American Jobs in sectors like Flowers, Fruits, Tuna Fish, Processed Foods, Apparel and Textiles, Sugar, Palm Oil, Ethanol, Biodiesel, Crafs and Handicrafts.

    Why ???? .... Because Americans can not stand still while the Andeans sink because of the death of Agriculture and Animal Farming.


    I have more considerations about the Andean Free Trade Agreement, Agriculture and the Environment here :

    www.envyronment.com



    Vicente Duque

  3. #3
    Senior Member WavTek's Avatar
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    Vicente,

    This is the first I have heard of AFT, although I know Bush has been working on several "free trade agreements" with Central and South American countries. NAFTA has been been terrible for the average American worker, with many "American" companies moving south, to take advantage of cheaper labor costs. With the recent passage of CAFTA, we expect more of the same. The American people are overwhelmingly against both treaties, but our elected Representatives think they know better, what is good for us and have forced these trade agreements on us. These treaties only benefit the trans-national corporations that want to use the poor people of all our countries. I doubt you will find anyone on this forum, that supports either trade agreement.
    REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER!

  4. #4

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    WavTek said :


    These treaties only benefit the trans-national corporations that want to use the poor people of all our countries. I doubt you will find anyone on this forum, that supports either trade agreement.





    I agree completely. And I trust the Wisdom of the U. S. Congress, specially the House or Representatives. I am sure that they will turn down this Bill or Legislative Project ( The Andean Free Trade Agreement ) once it is sent from the White House to Congress.

    Many jobs will be lost in North and South America. In South America it is obvious the harm to the Peasantry and to Poor Survival Agriculture. American Corporate Agriculture will wipe them out.

    In North America the damage will come later as the US has to modify the treaty to quell the social unrest in the Andean Nations.

    Those later modifications will mean a deluge of these products into the United States :

    Canned Tuna Fish
    Canned Sea Products : Shrimp, Crabs, etc ...

    Flowers : Roses, Carnations, Hydrangeas, Chrisantema, etc ...
    Fruits : Mainly Exotic and Gourmet Products for the American Top Wallets, but later many other Andean fruits will invade U.S. Markets.


    Specialty Vegetables and Horticulture.

    Sugar Cane, Palm Oil and derivatives : Ethanol and BioDiesel.


    I don't feel so sure about other dangerous offensive products, but it may be that cotton, apparel and textiles may displace some American Jobs.

    Many of these agribusinesses and products are more sophisticated and competitive than those of CAFTA.

    So the Andean FTA or AFTA is costly for the US too. The First Cost is Military and Political ( We are undisciplined and disarrayed nations )

    The United States has squandered 25 billion dollars in Military Aid to Colombia ( Plan Colombia ) ... Do you want to spend your American Taxpayers Monies in these Andean Nations ??? ... Do you want to spend another 25,000 millions in a Colombian War ???.

    There are three American Citizens kidnapped in Colombia, for three years in captivity !! .... They are human beings and have families. We should not forget them ... What can we do ?? .... Americans and Colombians to guarantee their safety and survival to return unharmed to their families in the States ???.

    The Second Cost for the USA will be economic and commercial. As low labor costs take the toll. Also South America has many wonderful micro climates for specialties and delicatessen that are not available in the USA, or American labor may be too expensive to produce those agro products, garments, crafts, handicrafts, etc ....

    We will be better friends if the US Congress rejects the AFTA. That won't produce resentment and that won't cost American and Latin Jobs.

    Thanks a lot.

    More info in my site about the Andean Environment and Agriculuture :



    www.envyronment.com



    Vicente Duque

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