Thread: CAFTA Cautions

Bangor News


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CAFTA Cautions
Wednesday, May 11, 2005 - Bangor Daily News

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When asked about the effect of free trade agreements on local economies, government officials tend to rely on the old cliché that there are winners and losers. If you're a loser - especially of your job - they admit, free trade doesn't look like such a good deal. Since Maine is likely to have more losers under the proposed Central American Free Trade Agreement than many southern states, Sen. Olympia Snowe is rightly wary of the benefits of the pact, which will soon be considered in Congress.

The states with the largest economic interest in CAFTA are in the Southeast. Florida represents nearly 20 percent of U.S. exports to the Central American countries in the trade pact; Alabama relies on the region to buy its apparel and fabric-mill products. The countries covered by the trade pact are Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

The benefits to Maine are more speculative, if they exist at all.

Andrew Rudman, director of Inter-American Affairs at the Department of Commerce, said it is not easy to gauge the effects of free trade pacts such as the North American Free Trade Agreement. Studies have indicated that with both 1 million jobs created and 1 million jobs lost nationally, the effect of NAFTA has been neutral, Mr. Rudman said during a recent visit to Bangor, his hometown.

In many ways, international trade is producing real benefits for the Maine economy. From 1998 to 2003, Maine's exports increased by 20 percent. Maine companies benefit from this expanded market in which to sell their goods.

Yet, in recent years, more than 20,000 jobs have been lost in Maine.

"Jobs, admittedly, is a tough issue," Mr. Rudman said.

That isn't much comfort to those who worry that the latest free trade agreement could mean the loss of their job.

There is good reason for such worries. Last year, the U.S. trade deficit hit an all-time high of $666 billion, which represents 5 percent of the nation's gross domestic product. The growing trade deficit means that fewer U.S. goods are being sold overseas. At the same time, the United States is becoming increasingly indebted to other countries, an unstable situation that could lead to less investment in U.S. companies. In addition, the growing national debt is also hindering international investment.

Given local concerns about the issue, the Legislature last year created the Maine Citizen Trade Policy Commission, the only such group in the country to hear the concerns and ideas of state residents. Earlier this year, the commission was in Bangor to hear about CAFTA. They heard that CAFTA is not the way Mainers want to go. Instead, the three dozen people who testified said U.S. trade policy should focus on ensuring good jobs, accessible public services, a healthy environment, working family farms and small businesses, a strong democracy and supportive, respectful relationships with citizens in other countries. The hearing also raised questions about whether the rules were fair and whether they were benefiting working families, small businesses, the environment and democracy in Maine and around the world.

Many of the weaknesses of the North American Free Trade Agreement, such as dispute resolution mechanisms and labor and environmental protections, have been fixed in CAFTA. However, until it is clear the agreement will produce more winners than losers, Congress should not approve it.




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Bangor Publishing Company
www.bangornews.com/


Lloyd Wood
Director of Media Relations
American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC)
910 16th ST NW
STE 760
Washington, DC 20006

(202) 452-0866
(202) 452-0739 -- fax

lwood@amtacdc.org
www.amtacdc.org

Great Article, JP!
I had no idea that Main's been hit this hard
At least SOMEONE is talking about the truth....that's a good sign.

It hurts our entire nation

Of course Maine has been hard hit...Maine has the welcome mat out for illegals.

CAFTA with its 23,000 pages of rules and regulations will not be good for anyone...especially Central America...that's why the CA citizens were rioting in the streets a couple of weeks back when their legislators signed the agreement.

We HAVE to stop this!!

RR

We HAVE to stop this!!

Well, you already supported it with the real id. How can you support and oppose something at the same time? CAFTA and the FTAA will use the new-tri-national database to help unite Canada, Mexico and USA without borders. They said the Real ID act was supposed to stop Illegals, why would we need a real SS card?

JP wrote

Well, you already supported it with the real id. How can you support and oppose something at the same time? CAFTA and the FTAA will use the new-tri-national database to help unite Canada, Mexico and USA without borders. They said the Real ID act was supposed to stop Illegals, why would we need a real SS card?

WELL PUT! It's difficult to understand the COVERT plans with all these WONDERFUL IDEAS for SAFETY being extolled by the untrustworthy Politicians to the American people.

On the surface people believe that it's NOT MUCH TO GIVE UP........but how wrong that is when one understands the STEPS necessary to slowly, incrementally take away ALL THE FREEDOM we hold sacred.

That's why it's urgent, VITAL that the research into all of this is deep and done quickly.

NO We should embrace CAFTA and the FTAA and it will provide us with economic saftey and unite us with our bordering countries and we can all live peacefully and without fear forever.</sarcasm>

I disagree JP...totally and completely disagree. You can dispense with all the sarcasms...they won't change my mind. It's senseless to think that illegals can be removed from your midst if you can't identify them. Period.

I travelled many countries for many years...and had to identify myself...thoroughly...had to have a sponsor if I was staying long....the freedoms those nations had..they still have..identifying yourself threatens no one....unless you're a criminal.

RR

unless you're a criminal.

Would you take off your clothes and bend over if ordered to in order to have a cavity search done to you at the airport?

If not? how come? Are you a criminal?

PLESAE, Spare me from that type of diatribe.

RR......Yes, we all MUST identify ourselves in other countries!!

That's not the point though. This law does NOT do what people think it does.

ILLEGALS will still be able to stay under the radar screen. States are NOT going to abide and all it will do is clog up MORE COURTS while the ACLU fights for the states to NOT comply.

Please read the verbiage, years, fine print. It's a law for Americans, NOT ILLEGALS.