Thread: FTA & Migra. Answer to Sad Letter of US Economist Friend

FTA & Migra : Answer to Sad Letter of U.S. Economist Friend

FTA : Free Trade Agreement

Migra : The name that Hispanics give to Immigration



An American Friend that is a Prominent Economist of one of the best Universities in the USA wrote me a personal letter telling me that there is a lot of Economic Suffering for U. S. Citizens and that he has seen that in his family, friends and his own personal life.

He wrote sad stories for me of losing jobs, destitution, etc ... He told me not to assume that being an American Citizen is automatically to be rich, healthy and happy.

He told me that I am wrong in assuming that the Protest of the American People is fueled by Racism, Xenophobia and Anti Hispanism. And he tells me that most protesters are clean of such attitudes. It is just plain suffering of unemployment, bad jobs, lost opportunities, etc .... that drives U. S. Citizens to protests for Legal or Illegal MIGRA.


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Explanation of Vicente's attitude :

Colombia is going to sign the most STUPID and IDIOTIC trade agreement that destroys the agriculture of the Andean Nation and fuels the Civil Agrarian War that has been fought for more than 50 years.

Colombian Agriculture is going to be ruined by American Agriculture with subsidies of more than US $100 per ton of cereal. And the best technology in the world.

Expect many beggars and migrants to the Outer World.



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Dear American Economist and Friend :

Thanks for your letter. I am astonished by what I am learning about the United States of America. Indeed I was very ignorant about what is going on in America and had a false image of Economics and Politics in the USA.

For me the Powerful Capitalistic Industry and Agriculture of the USA were right and "the populace" was paranoid, misguided and wrong.

I thought that the USA was a country of "Pampered People" that complained about the Economy without reason.

I also thought that opposition to Legal or Illegal Immigration had a lot to do with Racism, Supremacism, Foolish Exaggerated Chauvinism or Jingoism.

But reading your stories I am impressed and I see that you are doing good economic analysis in your articles in other websites. Which I read carefully.

I am keeping a *.txt file with the addresses of your Web Online articles and contributions because I may quote them later in political fights inside Colombia ( in the Spanish Language ) or in English if things are failing inside Colombia or Latin America and I need to fight in Political Matters using the English Language.

Mr Bush appointed Luis Alberto Moreno of Colombia as president of the Interamerican Bank of Development ( that lends several hundred billions of dollars ) and the first declarations of Luis Alberto ( my countryman ) were very idiotic :

That Colombia has to sign any Economic Treaty ( Free Trade Agreement ) that the U. S. presents to the weak party. Or that without the USA we have no future.

I never heard such imbecility in my whole life. The Treaty has not yet been closed or finalized ( is somewhat secret ). It is negotiated now and as it stands now Colombia is largely open to U. S. Agriculture whereas America is very closed to Colombian Agriculture. ( except perhaps some products like coffee and flowers )

We have to fight against that alliance of powerful rich U. S. Citizens and Powerful Latin American Rich Citizens.

Carlos Slim from Mexico is the fourth richest man in the world and Mexico has billionaires while some peasants in such country have been evicted from farms by NAFTA.

I have always been an admirer of the Classical Economists like Adam Smith, David Ricardo, etc ... and I always thought that Free Trade led to General Prosperity. The problem is that these treaties are unfair to many citizens of both parties in the pacts.


I will continue reading your articles of economics and forgive me if I ever thought that those complains of Americans were the whining of pampered children.

I still think that Free Trade Agreements have a potential to do good ( when they are well conceived and have more fairness inside ).


We in Latin America think that Americans complain for nothing. I am beginning to realize that such opinion might be wrong.


Vicente Duque

vicente
An out standing post. Thank you for your understanding.

vicente,
I am glad to see that you are learning and have a better understanding about what America has become and is becoming. You are correct, trade is good between countries when it is fair, but most of these agreements only benefit rich corporations and hurt the small business owners as well as the small farmers.

Check your trade agreement and see if they will be forcing the farmers to use genetically modified seeds that must be purchased from one seed company each year, instead of saving seeds and planting again the following year as most farmers have been accustomed to do.

CharlesOakIsland and JP :




Thanks for your posts and understanding.

Genetically Modified Plants and Animals :

JP :

As far as I know we are obligued by the treaty to respect all U. S. Patents and allow their use here. Some Americans have patented Ayahuasca or Yagé and we might be forced to respect that patent.

That alucinogen was discovered by the Indians thousands of years ago.

I won't be surprised if Coca Leaves have an American Patent of an American "Scientist" that was helped by the Indians to discover the best Coca leaves to chew ( not so dangerous as Cocaine in L. A. or in the streets of NYC )

I wouldn't be surprised if the 5,000 species of little colorful tiny poison toads of Colombia ( very powerful and lethal ) have already been patented by American Scientists and we have to pay 5,000 dollars a month for a prescription prepared with the diminute rainbow gaudy and flamboyant toads. No matter that the indians have known the properties during the last 10,000 years.



POLITICAL WORK :




It is quite possible that I am going to do some political work in my own country Colombia.

I have called up some Outstanding People here like : Lawyers, Economists, Professors, Smart Engineers, etc .... Some of them have traveled a lot to Europe, the USA or Canada.

And they tell me that they are scared with the Andean FTA but they do nothing and write nothing, even if two of them are journalists with access to Newspapers with circulations of 200,000 daily copies.

People here are very silent before the threat of a Trade Agreement that evicts peasants from the land.

Serfs without land. Future Beggars and Later a crop of Emigrants.

Thanks for your understanding and friendship.


Vicente Duque