Thread: Trade agreements will turn U.S. into Third World country

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Don Mega: Trade agreements will turn U.S. into Third World country

By Don Mega

About 12 years ago, shortly after the Clinton administration began
setting national policies, the North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was introduced and passed by Congress. The American people were told that NAFTA would be good for the country. Since that time more than 1 million jobs have been lost.

Currently, we have CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) just passing Congress by a vote of 217-215. We are told that it will enhance our trade agreements.
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Expect more loss of American jobs.

The Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA) is next. If it passes, the American people will be just a generation away from becoming a Third World country.

We are currently being told by the Bush administration that we are at war against terror. This is the same administration that is sponsoring CAFTA and FTAA and refuses to close our southern borders to illegal aliens.

The president's first responsibility is to protect and ensure the safety of the citizens. Instead, what has been allowed to occur during the past two administrations is a form of emotional terrorism. The continued loss of jobs through these international trade agreements, coupled with the practice of allowing illegal aliens to enter this country, threatens the safety of our citizens and the domestic tranquility.

Are the American
people being held emotional hostages to a war on terror and these international trade agreements?

We cannot wage a war at our front door and allow the enemy to come in the rear entrance. We cannot provide opportunity for this economy and our citizens if we continue to distribute our job opportunities to other countries.

We recently commemorated the anniversary of Sept. 11, a day of infamy when freedom was attacked.

It is a day to remind us that a "holy war," a jihad, is being waged against us. As we planned events to remember the victims of 9/11, we must remind ourselves that the policies for the past 12-plus years are holding us hostage to poor and ineffective leadership that has not represented U.S. citizens very well. Our leaders have not protected our freedoms and jobs, and they are responsible for the emotional climate that currently exists in this country.

We are at a serious crossroad in our nation's history. Perhaps the best summary of our dilemma is written as a preface in the book by Gerry Spence, "From Freedom to Slavery" (1993): "Although we give lip service to the notion of freedom, we know the government is no longer the servant of the people but, at last, has become the people's master.

"We have stood by like timid sheep while the wolf killed -- first the weak, then the strays, then those on the outer edge of the flock, until at last the entire flock belonged to the wolf."
Don Mega is a Barboursville resident.

Yeah, well don't look now but here comes another one!

OMAN!!!

Man, Oman! This one's a doozy, too! What do they possibly have that could benefit us?

I was going to go into detail, but it's too important. So I'm just going to post it.