Thread: CAFTA: Big Sugar, Big Lies

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,163840,00.html

CAFTA: Big Sugar, Big Lies
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
By Daniella Markheim

The House of Representatives is about to vote on the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) (search), and the outcome shouldn’t be in doubt.

We’re talking, after all, about an agreement that would open Central America and the Dominican Republic to U.S. goods and serÂÂ*vices, make investing in America more attractive, and support better, higher-paying U.S. jobs. The Senate has approved it. Who could object?

Big Sugar, that’s who. It’s predicting dire consequences, including lost jobs and widespread unemployment, if DR-CAFTA passes. But their protectionist claims simply don’t hold water.

In Texas, for example, the sugar lobby has mounted a PR campaign claming that removing trade barriers with the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala would leave the sugar fields of Texas “barren� and throw thousands of sugar workers out of work.

But protecting sugar is not the same as protecting jobs. Already, American sugar farmers and processors enjoy prices two to three times the world average. Yet, despite those high prices, sugar farmers and processors themselves are eliminating jobs because of technological advancement, and their higher prices have wiped out still more American jobs in sugar-using industries.

“Barren� fields? DR-CAFTA would have little impact on the number of acres of cane planted or the level of refined sugar production in the United States. The agreement would allow qualifying Central American countries to export an additional 107,000 tons of sugar to the U.S. in the first year. That’s only 1.2 percent of annual U.S. sugar consumption -- equal to about a teaspoon and a half of sugar per American per week and little more than one day’s average domestic sugar production. Even after 15 years of DR-CAFTA, new sugar imports would amount to no more than 1.7 percent of domestic demand.

Dispassionate analyses by the U.S. International Trade Commission, American Farm Bureau Federation, Office of the United States Trade Representative and USDA Foreign Agricultural Service all conclude that DR-CAFTA will not damage the domestic sugar industry in any meaningful way.

And Texas hardly relies on sugar to keep its agricultural boat afloat. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, nearly all the cane in Texas is grown in just seven of its 254 counties and on just 166 of its 229,000 farms. It takes up all of 44,000 acres of land in a state that is more than 900 miles across and generates $52 million of the state’s $15 billion in farm earnings … or about a third of 1 percent. The American Farm Bureau Federation projects that if DR-CAFTA passes, roughly 800 acres in all of Texas would be shifted from sugar to other crops.

All this fear for something that might -- just might -- affect 800 acres. This does not a dust bowl make.

It’s hard to imagine who would end up the losers from DR-CAFTA, given the terms of the agreement and the fact that U.S. markets already are open to almost all the products involved. But the losers certainly would not be the sugar growers of Texas or any other state.

It’s far easier to see who would be the winners: the American people and the people of Central America. The agreement would bring growth, increased investment and job opportunities and better living conditions, particularly in the other signatory countries. It would enable farmers, manufacturers, retailers and service providers to become more competitive, gain market access and benefit from stronger property-rights protection. It also would assure our neighbors that we are sincerely interested in their economic well being.

And by removing barriers to markets in the Dominican Republic and Central America, the agreement would open those growing markets to U.S. goods and services, make investing in the U.S. more attractive and support better, higher-paying U.S. jobs.

Unlike the claims of the fear mongers in Texas, that is the un-sugar-coated truth.

Daniella Markheim is a senior policy analyst in the Center for International Trade and Economics at The Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based public policy research institution.

What a totally twisted thinker!!

WE don't give a HOOT about the teaspoon of sugar!!

WE care about our nation; controlling our trade; controlling our population; controlling our borders; controlling our environment; controlling our jobs; controlling our manufacturing; controlling the US Economy; the freedoms, liberties and well-being of the American People; and our National Sovereignty!!

PUT THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION ON THE LIST OF OBL SUPPORTERS!!

Sick and Twisted. This Heritage Foundation is where Elaine Chao, present US Secretary of Labor worked before her appointment by Bushey Bomb as a Member of the United States Cabinet.

Her "contribution" was to propose to the US Congress a "labor plan" that removed automatic over-time for American Workers earning less than $22,000 a year which is every American Worker earning less than $11 an hour.

OK ya'll, don't flame me. I'm just trying to figure this out. It seems so many are against CAFTA and I'm trying to figure out why. Just a Missouri girl, not real into all the technical things.

Mostly I don't understand why so many are against CAFTA. My reasons being, I am against illegal immigration and FOR a very careful and limited imigration. I could never understand why companies (i.e. Tyson) build here and then create a flood of legal and illegal immigration to fill their plants HERE when I think it would be much better to just build a plant in Mexico and hire workers THERE. They would have the cheap labor they require and these illegals would have the wonderful opportunity to stay in a land they love and be with their families.

To me it is better to invest there for certain things (cheap labor) than to invest here which involves enticement for immigration of uneducated third world populations. I support international trade.

You need not respond right away as I know you're busy with this CAFTA thing and I trust that you have actually read and understand the bill (which I obviously have not read and do not understand).

HI True American!!

Here is the deal on CAFTA

The reason Americans are opposed to CAFTA is because:

1) Our companies will now be allowed to relocate and build their factories there in Central America. This investment is now prohibited and strictly controlled so protect the local manufacturers in Central America.

2) Our companies, when they relocate, will FIRE all the American Workers in those plants that now work there.

3) Our companies, which would now be in Central America, will ship those products back to the United States and expect US to buy them.

4) This unfairly competes with those manufacturing companies who want for a variety of reasons to REMAIN n the United States.

5) CAFTA has a "free flow of people, labor and goods" clause that will allow any Central American to enter the United States to visit, work or bring goods". Illegal immigration disappears only because the treaty makes the entry legal and our job market and communities will be FLOODED with Central Americans

6) CAFTA has clauses that allow our farmers to compete with local Central American farmers. They can't. Ours will gobble them up; the farmers will lose their land; their livelihood; and will be forced to leave Central America and enter the United States which will now be LEGAL.

7) CAFTA transfer power concerning trade to the World Trade Organization such that now all matters relating to trade such as labor costs, labor standards, work place conditions, disputes, worker's rights, regulations, environmental standards, quality, liability, everything to do with TRADE will not be decided by the World Trade Organization. The Americans can no longer rely upon their laws, their constitution, their standards, their ideals to protect themselves or their nation.

CAFTA is also Open Borders because of the "free flow of people, labor and goods" clause. The borders will be open, remain open and stay open and once this treaty is ratified tonight, the American People will no longer be able to demand their borders be policed, secured or closed under any circumstance. The matter will be under the control of the World Trade Organization which is multi-national and international conglomerates who want Open Borders; full and complete free flow of people, labor and goods into the United States.

9) CAFTA is part of a plan to increase the US population to its saturation point of 700,000,000 as quickly as possible. Our population is now around 304,000,000.

10) CAFTA is PURE EVIL. It will destroy the farms and businesses of the Central American countries and will attempt to "parity" the American Worker with Central American Workers. They don't intend to pay Central American Workers $11 to $22 an hour. They intend to flood our market with more labor than jobs and push our rates down to parity with Central America.

CAFTA has no intention or purpose by design of improving life in America for the American People and has no intention whatsoever of improving life in Central America for their people.

When you gain 1 new manufacturing job in the United States, between 4 to 5 more are created through a multiplier effect. Same is true, when you lose 1, you lose the additional 4 to 5 that fed from that manufacturing facility.

CAFTA will increase the income gap in both countries; it will feed only the top of the human economic chain; it is a repeat of NAFTA but much much worse and if what you see now with Mexico in the United States you will see from the Central American countries.

I'm a 4th generation Dyed in the Wool Republican, I supposed Nixon during the prospect of his Impeachment, I have supported every Republican candidate during my life-time.

I spent 3 weeks, 20 hours a day, trying to understand what this President was up to with regards to illegal immigration. To my horror, I discovered that illegal immigration was a tool being used to flood our labor market intentionally; to propel the American Population to an alarming level; to change the political demographics of the United States; to gain enough support to Open the Borders completely and at the end of the day dissolve the United States.

We have the very sovereignty of the United States and the America People on the line with this "treaty".

If the US Congress with the vote tonight approves this bill, then they have the votes to pass the next treaty which is the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas which extends the CAFTA type agreement throughout all of South America creating a giant nation including the former United States whose trade decisions and all matters relating to trade (product liability, labor laws, markets, environmental regulations, everything that can be linked to Trade which is another word for Business and Commerce) will all be under the control of the World Trade Organization.

I wanted to at least write and thank you so much for you well thought out response. I just got home from a movie and have only scanned but plan to read in depth tomorrow.

I hope all goes for the best of the American people. I am not like a lot of others, as I said, I'm FOR open trade with other nations. I want to close the borders against illegal immigrants (with a passion!!). I understand perhaps times have changed and the people I used to know that worked in shoe factories and sewing factories are no longer here (they now work in motels and McDonalds). Times have changed. Rather than bringing the people here, I'd like for the factories to go there as long as our economy allows it.

Thanks again, I hope the vote is in favor of We, the people of United States.

Hi True American. The vote went the other way. The House of Representatives approved CAFTA with a vote of 217 Yea (Traitors) and 215 Nay (Patriots) with 2 Not Voting (Cowards).

True American. We will lose our manufacturing companies; illegal aliens will have all the jobs and McDonalds; the Central Americans will lose their farms unable to compete with our agri-business; the Central Americans will go to work in American Factories for pennies a day; they will remain in poverty; and we will move towards it....quickly. Central America like Mexico is a close, nearby location and those companies that have stayed in the United States because they couldn't afford to manage a site in China can now do so in Central America.

But CAFTA was about much more than that. 3600 pages of regulations that will now be governed by the World Trade Organization.

One of which is that you will no longer be able to purchase vitamins without a prescription. Learned that one tonight. I remember an article about it on our forum which I glanced at but didn't understand how THAT could be in CAFTA but one of the Congressman opposed to CAFTA included that provision in his remarks.

STUNNED...I realize there is even more Evil to CAFTA than anyone even knows yet and this is a very sad day.

True American...when the Central Americans lose their farm which costs them both propert ownership, housing and livelihood...they are then in the same position as the Mexican Farmers after NAFTA.

700,000 Mexican Farm families were starved out by NAFTA and the vast farmlands of Mexico were Depopulated by American Agri-Business. These people moved to the cities of Mexico where there was NO WORK, and then were encouraged and aided to high-tail it to the US.

The same plan is in play for the vast farmlands of Central America.

Except the US Government provided for free flow of these displaced impoverished farmers in the Central American nations to move to the United States legally.

If you are tired of new people showing up all over the place, prepare to see your surroundings disappear. They will be covered with people who will have no jobs; no housing; no water; no food; NOTHING...hanging on the streets trying to find their American Dream which I suspect they'll find one way or another by taking what's left of yours and everything other American's.

Did you know that they changed the rules of Remarks in the US House of Representatives so that they did not have to tell the truth about CAFTA as they spoke on the bill? Charles Rangel pointed that out tonight. That's amazing. Rhetoric is one thing; but to be openly allowed to lie on the floor of the House of Representatives is just unbelievable.

WELCOME TO ALIPAC TRUE AMERICAN!!

And that's for the reply. I hope it helps you to understand why we were so opposed to it. There is so much to convey...too much in a forum....about a 3600 page document.

96% of the people who took a poll this evening on Lou Dobbs wanted CAFTA DEFEATED. Only 4% wanted it to be approved.

When the Pro-CAFTA people told you and many Americans that CAFTA would do something about illegal immigration simply LIED to you. CAFTA allows it under the "free flow of people, labor and goods" clauses.

Also, other countries can set up operations in Central America and once there be a business activity with all the privileges of CAFTA. There is nothing to prevent China was buying Central American companies or American companies and trading from there.