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  1. #1
    Senior Member JohnDoe2's Avatar
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    Texas has benefited from NAFTA

    Texas has benefited from NAFTA

    Express-News Editorial Board

    Updated 4:55 pm, Wednesday, December 7, 2016



    Photo: Bob Owen /San Antonio Express-News

    This file photo shows truck traffic at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo. The trucks in line are waiting to cross into the U.S. Just in 2015, Texas exported $92.5 billion in goods to Mexico, according to the International Trade Administration. Blowing up NAFTA means blowing up this trade.


    Free trade was turned into a boogeyman this election season, which means it’s incumbent on Texas’ elected officials to speak up for its benefits.

    The first place to start is bipartisan and vocal support for legislation that would allow cities (technically nonfederal entities) along the U.S.-Mexico border to pay for customs agents and facilities that will speed up processing of goods. This means paying the salaries or overtime for additional customs workers or building cooling facilities so produce doesn’t go bad while it waits at the border.


    U.S. Sen. John Cornyn and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar have backed this legislation. Ideally, the federal government would pay for these services and infrastructure, but this is the next best option.

    The city of El Paso, under a pilot program of this legislation, has seen a 10-to-1 return on its investment to speed up commercial traffic.


    This effort comes at a critical time. President-elect Donald Trump made trade, NAFTA, in particular, a scapegoat for the loss of manufacturing jobs in this country.


    It was an argument that played well in the Rust Belt but could dramatically disrupt Texas’ economy. The Lone Star State’s export economy is tops in the nation by a wide margin.


    Just in 2015, Texas exported $92.5 billion in goods to Mexico, according to the International Trade Administration. Blowing up NAFTA means blowing up this trade. That means blowing up the 382,000 jobs here that the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars has said are linked to trade with Mexico.

    Trump and his advisers have yet to say just what they will change about NAFTA, but if he moves in a protectionist direction, hitting Mexican imports with extreme tariffs and threatening American companies for making economic decisions, Texas will pay the price.


    Will Texas’ elected officials advocate for free trade? Our hope is Cornyn, Cuellar, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, U.S. Rep. Will Hurd and others speak will loudly about trade in Texas.


    Our trade relationship with Mexico is far more complex than the simple narrative of losing jobs to the south. The reality is that NAFTA likely has saved manufacturing jobs in the U.S.


    Why? Because a lot of what is manufactured in North America travels back and forth across borders (another reason to keep goods moving with the Cornyn-Cuellar legislation). An engine might be assembled in Mexico, but a key component might be made in Texas. Without that dynamic, the U.S. probably would have lost more manufacturing jobs to China, according to Gordon Hanson, an economist specializing in NAFTA with the University of California, San Diego.


    The biggest threat to manufacturing jobs isn’t Mexico or NAFTA, it’s automation, which will continue to develop.


    After nearly 23 years, there are changes that could make NAFTA stronger. It’s in need of new chapters on e-commerce, for example. It deserves annual review. Perhaps some small special tariffs could reduce our trade imbalance with Mexico, which hit nearly $61 billion in 2015. Often overlooked, one of NAFTA’s failings is it hasn’t meaningfully improved living standards in Mexico.

    Addressing this would likely curb illegal immigration.


    Addressing these issues, or at least some of them, is much different from tearing up the agreement or shifting into a trade war. That would be bad for America and terrible for Texas. That’s why our elected officials need to speak up about the benefits of trade. The place to start is with this legislation that will empower border communities.

    http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/...A-10781100.php

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  2. #2
    Senior Member Judy's Avatar
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    If the US wasn't losing manufacturing plants, jobs and incomes to Mexico, Texas you would be selling that $98 billion and more in the United States without long lines at a border crossing.
    A Nation Without Borders Is Not A Nation - Ronald Reagan
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    Believe me, John Cronyn has been pro illegal immmigration for many, many years. That, to me means he is anti-Texas and anti-US.

    Did it seem the article was saying, either it's made in Mexico or China? Why not the US? Remember, we used to make things here.

    You know, these people speak as if we are a helpless lot of people incapable to doing anything for ourselves - when did that happen???
    When did we start buying that garbage?

    Send all the illegals home, including the 'dreamers' and 'anchor babies, put our people to work. We can reduce the tax burden on individuals, but be getting more taxes to the government. If the price of goods rose, Americans could afford it.

    Just think if we got all 30 millions illegals out, reduced all the expenses involved, had all workers in this country paying their taxes (Unlike the illegals), just think what we could do.

  4. #4
    Senior Member Judy's Avatar
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    Yes it did, and of course if we protect our trade, Texas and everything other state will have enormous additional sales in their states that far exceed any concocted benefits from NAFTA. NAFTA didn't grow our economy, it did the opposite, same with all this "free trade" with China. Protect our trade, balance the trade deficits and hundreds of billions of dollars of sales will be generated inside the US that far exceed those export sales to Mexico and China. There will still be exports to Mexico and China for products they need that they don't produce, there will still be imports to the US for products they have that we need. There will still be volumes of international trade between the US and all countries, it just won't be at these imbalanced levels producing huge trade deficits that means the US has lost and they won BIG LEAGUE. Time for US to take charge of our own destiny, protect our trade and WIN BIG LEAGUE.
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  5. #5
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    We simply must bring common sense to this situation.

    Why should our government negotiate trade deals that hurts this country?

    Why should our government give monies to countries to move offshore and give them monies to 'remain competitive' as Pres. Bush said.

    Why should our government subsidize any business that then exports - like agribusiness. If they are producing enough to be able to export, then they should be on their own. I am not against companies exporting, don't get me wrong. I'm against our paying to help them do it.

    Another thing I would like to see negotiated as the quality of the imports. All imports should be subject to the same safety regulations as we would put on our own goods.

    Also, I would like the American people to realize that 'cheap' goods are quite often just that 'cheap - as in poor quality' goods. That's really where a lot of the profit for the goods coming in - poor quality. When you buy poor quality goods, you have to continue to replace them, and in the end pay more than you would for good quality. That is, if anyone were still producing quality.

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