Thread: Bush Meeting House GOP Before CAFTA Vote

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld ... 5940.story

2:46 AM PDT, July 27, 2005

Bush Meeting House GOP Before CAFTA Vote
By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON -- President Bush is rallying Republicans on Capitol Hill behind a free trade agreement with Central America before the measure comes up for what is expected to be a very close vote.

Bush, who has invested considerable time and effort to winning passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement, is speaking to a closed meeting of House Republicans on Wednesday morning, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said.

McClellan said Bush will also address other issues likely to come up this week in Congress, including major energy and highway legislation.

Closing party ranks on CAFTA could be crucial if the trade deal that the administration signed a year ago with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic is to survive.

Democrats are overwhelmingly against the agreement. The Democratic leadership, in a notice Tuesday, reminded lawmakers that "this will be an extremely close vote, and attendance is critical."

The Senate approved the pact last month, but the House, with strong Democratic opposition and a large group of opposing or undeclared Republicans, is a harder sell.

The agreement would eliminate tariffs and other trade barriers on U.S. exports to the six nations and increase protections for investment and intellectual property. Democrats say CAFTA, like past free trade deals, will lead to a loss of U.S. jobs while doing little to prevent the exploitation of Central American workers.

Republican opposition stems from the jobs issue as well as concerns that the agreement will hurt the U.S. textile and sugar industries.

Bush in recent months has held a summit with the leaders of all six CAFTA nations, met individually with dozens of lawmakers and given speeches to Hispanic and other groups promoting the deal, which he argues will also benefit U.S. national security by shoring up Central America's fragile democracies.

His administration has also had some success in swaying undecided Republicans with side deals offering protections for sugar and textile manufacturers.

Groups on both sides of the issue held news and telephone conferences Tuesday to press their case.

"Trade creates jobs and lifts people out of poverty," House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said at a news conference with Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and representatives from pro-CAFTA Hispanic groups. "And there's nothing like a stable society to fight terrorism and strengthen democracy, freedom and rule of law."

Rep. Hilda Solis, D-Calif., said CAFTA was "a bad deal for Central Americans and also for Latinos in this community."

"I can tell you that the exploitation of workers will continue in Central America," Solis said.

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[quote]"Trade creates jobs and lifts people out of poverty," House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said at a news conference with Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and representatives from pro-CAFTA Hispanic groups. "And there's nothing like a stable society to fight terrorism and strengthen democracy, freedom and rule of law." [/quote

Oh this is rich....CAFTA will transfer power from our democracy to an offshire World Trade Organization which DESTROYS democracy. "Stable society"....what is THAT? Oh yeah....highly controlled Drones serving the Crones ruled by the Global Governance Agenda of the United Nations. Fight terrorism through trade? Is this man insane? What? When they kidnap you and start to slice your head off, you want to offer them in trade for your LIFE the "trade" opportunity to "free flow" into a Drone Job in the US? Rule of law? Well....that is the biggest joke of all....what law? WTO LAW?

NO one but the WTO even knows what those laws are and I'm pretty certain no American or other citizen of the world is gonna like them very much.

From what planet did Dennis Hastert come?? He is OBLIVIOUS. I guess he's just another one of those who's been brainwashed by the White House White Wash Bunch.

"Trade creates jobs and lifts people out of poverty," House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said at a news conference with Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and representatives from pro-CAFTA Hispanic groups. "And there's nothing like a stable society to fight terrorism and strengthen democracy, freedom and rule of law."

This is complete rubbish. Trade creates jobs and lifts people out of poverty? Just like it does for China, Mexico, India, etc? Just like it does for America? If this trade was so great then why are we trillions of dollars in debt? Why have we lost most of our textile, manufacturing and tech industries? Why have millions of Americas lost their jobs? Why are the wages for the jobs remaining being further eroded? If trade is suppose to promote freedoms and democracies then why is China, Mexico, India and All of South America still a third world cesspool overrun by crime, drugs, mobs and gangs? There's no rule of law in these countries. Are you kidding me? If that is the case then why do we still experience a massive influx of illegal aliens who are still extremely desperate to escape the cesspools in which they came from? I mean if trade in those countries is so great and it creates all these jobs and prosperity then why would they want to leave?

Now they are trying to pull the it will fight terrorism line? Oh that's a new one. Judy is so right. When and Al Qaeda sicko is about to behead you, are you going to offer him a job working in some sweatshop in Singapore as an alternative to not getting your head lopped off? HAHAHAHAHA! I don't think Al Qaeda really cares about trade, do you?

These idiots will do and say anything to sell us out on the alter of globalism. If you believe in these so called free trade pacts then you simply don't believe in America, you don't believe in the nation state and you sure as heck don't believe in our right to sovereignty. The lies they are using to pass CAFTA are the same ones they used to pass NAFTA 12 years ago. It's complete rubbish. Stop being a stupid sheeple America and research this info for yourselves and tell me it's still a good deal, don't just take Jorge Bush's word for it.

BTW Hastert I'm very dissappointed in you. I thought you were a man of honor, integrity and I thought you believed in our borders, language and culture as well as the nation state. You had me fooled. Your just nothing more than a stooge for Jorge Bush and a complete sellout.

Finally I want to say that I'm really getting sick of hearing that we need to do this to stimulate the economies of Central America. Excuse me Jorge Bush and CO, but since when is it Americas responsibility to provide jobs to the whole entire world? Show me in the constitution where it states that America is the worlds sugar daddy. Why did we even bother to fight a revolutionary war a couple of centuries ago when we are having the same problems now that we had back then? Only difference is that instead of dealing with a dictator 3,000 miles away, it seems that we have a bunch of wannabe dictators here who so blatantly ignore our constitution, ignore the rule of law except when it suits their agenda, show total disregard for our country and it's people (especially those that vote them into office).

When is America going to wake up and throws these bums out of office?