Thread: Telling Latin America to Go Take a Hike

July 11, 2007
Telling Latin America to Go Take a Hike
In the post below on U.S. trade agreements, we characterized congressional backtracking on a bipartisan trade understanding as not just economically damaging, but also causing harm to U.S. foreign policy. It's important to recognize that we do not operate in some Latin American vacuum, with no consequences for instructing our partners to take a hike. Anti-market, anti-American political forces are ascendant even as we alienate our allies. Daniel Ortega, Evo Morales, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez are actively working to harm the United States. And we're telling Colombia to prostrate itself to organized labor's demands? And Peru to stop bothering us?

Jorge Castaneda, Mexico's former foreign minister, paints the picture in Newsweek, addressing both immigration and trade in an op-ed, "There Goes the Neighborhood."

Despite persistent lobbying by President Alvaro Uribe and the striking of a deal with the Democratic Congress over renewed financing for Plan Colombia, the controversial drug-enforcement and counterinsurgency package in place since 1999, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Ways and Means Committee chairman Charles Rangel announced on June 29 that they would block the trade deal due to human rights, trade and strategic concerns. Uribe—Washington's closest ally in Latin America, as he recently called himself—was outraged.

At the same time, the leader of Latin America's other faction was courting new friends. Chávez, angry at his Mercosur colleagues for not backing him in his conflict with Venezuela's independent RCTV network, ditched their Paraguay summit two weeks ago and headed to Russia, Belarus and Iran instead, where he got a warm welcome. In Moscow, Chávez got promises to invest in Venezuelan gas and oilfields from Russian firms like Gazprom.

Must we remind people that Chavez is also bad for business, for foreign investment, for U.S. exporters? Expropriating private property, as he does, does not help U.S. workers, that's for sure. Yet every blow struck against Colombia or Peru for U.S. domestic political reasons strengthens Chavez and his fellow socialist caudillos. As Castaneda concludes:
Where does all this leave Washington? Isolated and weakened. There's now a power vacuum in the hemisphere that Castro and Chávez are more than willing to fill. And more and more Latin Americans are receptive to their gestures. For example, several hundred elderly Mexicans recently traveled to Caracas for free cataract surgery, provided by Cuban-trained Venezuelan eye surgeons or by the Cubans themselves. In these and other ways, Chávez and Castro are taking advantage of Bush's absence to strengthen their influence in the region. As Nicaragua's Ortega put it to Mexican President Felipe Calderón when he heard of the failure of immigration reform, "You see, Mexico should look south; it's useless to seek solutions from the north." Most Latin leaders would still disagree, if south stands for Fidel, Hugo and Evo. But they are finding it harder to counter the argument.

Tagged: Alvaro Uribe , Daniel Ortega , Evo Morales , free trade agreements , Hugo Chavez , Jorge Castaneda

Posted by Carter Wood at July 11, 2007 9:11 AM
http://blog.nam.org/archives/2007/07/te ... atin_a.php

As I read this, I thought of many people who have voiced their concerns to me about the "what-ifs" of potential nuclear attack from outside sources who hate us.

I realized something very important, that I feel many have not considered in their worries about the strife going on around the U.S.A., and how they are against us.........they don't want to destroy this land with bombs, they simply want to posses what America is, and with their hopes to posses it, they would rather try to weaken us instead of destroy us, as in doing so, this country and it's infrastructure as it is, is their goal.

If America is nuked, then the very thing our enemies are so envious over (and we all know this is why they love to hate us, the unified millions within one great and successful country), will no longer be of use to them, they simply want to infiltrate the people and government and dismantle it for themselves. It is going to be a fight from within.

Therefore, our own lax immigration laws and loose borders is what will be our downfall if "We the People" do not demand it get handled as soon as possible. As well, we also should be demanding that ANYONE here temporarily, illegally, or otherwise who shows any flicker of anti-Americanism, they need to be sent back ASAP.

We are going to be the last of the industrialized, civilized nations to remove the welcome mat of extensive social services for nearly anyone who can get in here. I'm tired, in more ways than one, of being a doormat. You know they are all laughing behind our backs.

Originally Posted by AmericanElizabeth

....they don't want to destroy this land with bombs, they simply want to posses what America is, and with their hopes to posses it, they would rather try to weaken us instead of destroy us, as in doing so, this country and it's infrastructure as it is, is their goal.

If America is nuked, then the very thing our enemies are so envious over (and we all know this is why they love to hate us, the unified millions within one great and successful country), will no longer be of use to them, they simply want to infiltrate the people and government and dismantle it for themselves. It is going to be a fight from within.

Absolutely. Every American needs to wake up to this ugly reality, and soon. I don't believe there is any way to substantively refute the argument you make.

Originally Posted by Captainron

We are going to be the last of the industrialized, civilized nations to remove the welcome mat of extensive social services for nearly anyone who can get in here. I'm tired, in more ways than one, of being a doormat. You know they are all laughing behind our backs.

our lack of will to enforce reasonable immigration law makes us the laughing stock of the entire world. every other single nation enforces their immigration laws, but they see our elites refusing to do so and they know it is only a matter of time before we are no longer America.

this brings great joy to our enemies, Mexico being the most primary one.

I guess this is the last nail in the coffin of Pres. Bush's vision of a
Western Hemisphere Union?

It seems one SA country, Brazil I think, is making some trade deals with the EU -

It looks to me like the time America needs to close their borders, clean their house, bring jobs back and get us back up to the strength we were some years ago.

Right now, we are in a very bad way. Think of all the other countries to whom we are beholden and whom we have to fear.

Think China - China could put us in deep trouble in a very short time -

Think SA - our country is full of Mexicans and SA people who, regardless of what they say, are not here to become Americans. Some are here to siphon off money, and some are here for destructive purposes. Suppose we get tough with SA - who do you think they will side with? Our cities, and even small towns could become a battle zone - or at least a very dangerous place to be.

Is anyone in Washington even thinking - or do they want us to go down the drain?

This is how I feel about it...

I believe the elite of the world got together, decided America was too rich and needed to give our jobs to other countries.

We were told if any jobs were lost here, the government would provide funds to retrain the laid off workers.

But, they aren't getting the same pay as the jobs that were given to foreigners.

Even as millions of Americans are losing their jobs now, our government still takes our tax dollars and gives billions and billions to foreign leaders that never help their own.

I believe the elite of the world, want America to go under, many never liked the fact that in such a short time, we were able to become a great country.

Now some economists like, Alan Blinder, are having 2nd thoughts and he predicts we will loose 30 to 40 million jobs in the future and now believes we cannot be a rich country without manufacturing.

The elites screwed up, and I really don't see anything being done about it.

When the U.N., the WTO, all think Americans don't give enough money to foreign countries, or we don't give them more of our jobs...we are damned by them....yet once they have brought our country to her knees, who will offer these 3rd world countries money and jobs???

Who will purchase expensive products our big business owners make?

China will buy the products, by then they will have money....but I won't bet they will give the world their hard earned dollars.

Originally Posted by moosetracks

This is how I feel about it...

I believe the elite of the world got together, decided America was too rich and needed to give our jobs to other countries.

We were told if any jobs were lost here, the government would provide funds to retrain the laid off workers.

But, they aren't getting the same pay as the jobs that were given to foreigners.

Even as millions of Americans are losing their jobs now, our government still takes our tax dollars and gives billions and billions to foreign leaders that never help their own.

I believe the elite of the world, want America to go under, many never liked the fact that in such a short time, we were able to become a great country.

Now some economists like, Alan Blinder, are having 2nd thoughts and he predicts we will loose 30 to 40 million jobs in the future and now believes we cannot be a rich country without manufacturing.

The elites screwed up, and I really don't see anything being done about it.

When the U.N., the WTO, all think Americans don't give enough money to foreign countries, or we don't give them more of our jobs...we are damned by them....yet once they have brought our country to her knees, who will offer these 3rd world countries money and jobs???

Who will purchase expensive products our big business owners make?

China will buy the products, by then they will have money....but I won't bet they will give the world their hard earned dollars.

Exactly. America is only rich because the elites, the gov't, and the populace used to all think as one nation. Those days are gone, and the elites and their gov't for hire have as much loyalty to us as the Third World. It is in both their economic interests to see the American middle-class destroyed.

Those borders used to mean something..Our trade laws used to mean something. They were the door-man of the world's 5 star hotel. Now the corridor has flung open to the refuse of the world. America is being dragged down to Third World conditions. Having the cleanest, safest, richest nation with the highest standards means nothing if it gets in the way of corporate profit.

This is how I feel about it...

I believe the elite of the world got together, decided America was too rich and needed to give our jobs to other countries.

We were told if any jobs were lost here, the government would provide funds to retrain the laid off workers.

But, they aren't getting the same pay as the jobs that were given to foreigners.

Even as millions of Americans are losing their jobs now, our government still takes our tax dollars and gives billions and billions to foreign leaders that never help their own.

I believe the elite of the world, want America to go under, many never liked the fact that in such a short time, we were able to become a great country.

Now some economists like, Alan Blinder, are having 2nd thoughts and he predicts we will loose 30 to 40 million jobs in the future and now believes we cannot be a rich country without manufacturing.

The elites screwed up, and I really don't see anything being done about it.

When the U.N., the WTO, all think Americans don't give enough money to foreign countries, or we don't give them more of our jobs...we are damned by them....yet once they have brought our country to her knees, who will offer these 3rd world countries money and jobs???

Who will purchase expensive products our big business owners make?

China will buy the products, by then they will have money....but I won't bet they will give the world their hard earned dollars.

America is only rich because the elites, the gov't, and the populace used to all think as one nation. Those days are gone, and the elites and their gov't for hire have as much loyalty to us as the Third World. It is in both their economic interests to see the American middle-class destroyed.

Those borders used to mean something..Our trade laws used to mean something. They were the door-man of the world's 5 star hotel. Now the corridor has flung open to the refuse of the world. America is being dragged down to Third World conditions. Having the cleanest, safest, richest nation with the highest standards means nothing if it gets in the way of corporate profit.

Absolutely agree