Thread: From trucking to US/Mexico trade war

From trucking to US/Mexico trade war

Growers feel squeeze after Mexico slaps tariffs on American goods

By Hailey R. Branson

HOUSTON CHRONICLE
2:00 a.m. April 13, 2009

WASHINGTON – Western agricultural groups, stung by retaliatory tariffs resulting from a U.S. trucking dispute with Mexico, are stepping up pressure on the Obama administration to quickly resolve a budding trade war.

More than two dozen agriculture organizations joined forces recently to send a letter to President Barack Obama and his staff, asking them to take the lead in mediating the monthlong impasse.

“The longer we wait, the more economic harm can be done to the agriculture industry,â€

Why isn't this counted as protectionism, or isolationism, etc. From what I see, all it means is America you give to me and do what I want, or we won't trade or tax your stuff to death. Where's the fair in that? Always seems that America looses.

Sorry, but I could care less if we trade with Mexico. They have nothing I want or need or can't get somewhere else.

Call me loony be please, will someone again tell me how it's beneficial to this country to be forced to deal with or become dependant on any other country for anything, when we can make it ourselves?

California grape growers, facing a 45 percent tariff, will be among the hardest-hit U.S. producers. Grapes are the only product with a tariff in excess of 20 percent. More than half of California-grown grapes are shipped to Mexico, Rolph said.

Yeah, and probably more than 90% of the grapes are harvested by illegal aliens!

Originally Posted by MW

California grape growers, facing a 45 percent tariff, will be among the hardest-hit U.S. producers. Grapes are the only product with a tariff in excess of 20 percent. More than half of California-grown grapes are shipped to Mexico, Rolph said.

Yeah, and probably more than 90% of the grapes are harvested by illegal aliens!

Oops, there go the remittances. That must be our fault too.

Well, California needs to ship their grapes to the US stores at prices we can afford to buy them and stop worrying about "mutually beneficial trade with Mexico" because not in 15 years has our trade with Mexico been beneficial to the United States.

The same with the rest of these whiners. If you have more grapes than Americans want to buy then grow something we do want to buy. Today, Americans import more food than we export. Get a clue farmers.



http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/w ... ance.shtml

http://www.grist.org/article/us-about-t ... d-importer

http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/exports111204.cfm

http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food/p ... ade-policy

Let's send Mexico back all of their citizens sponging off of the US and then Mexico can then build up their economy in the same way that their citizens have helped us build our's...................

Americans just need to start demanding more grapes in every form. More grape jelly and juice in vending machines, more wine, more raisins. Years ago I had some good recipes for chicken salad with grapes and almonds, as well as a chicken breast dish with a white sauce that included grapes. Forget the salty snacks during ball games, serve grapes. Forget the hot dog vendors, we need grape vendors at all public arenas. The growers would see their entire crop snarfed down in this country.
I don't know what the other crops subject to tariffs may be, but in the spirit of patriotism (and eating healthy) we can probably consume anything that California produces.

Originally Posted by vortex

Americans just need to start demanding more grapes in every form. More grape jelly and juice in vending machines, more wine, more raisins. Years ago I had some good recipes for chicken salad with grapes and almonds, as well as a chicken breast dish with a white sauce that included grapes. Forget the salty snacks during ball games, serve grapes. Forget the hot dog vendors, we need grape vendors at all public arenas. The growers would see their entire crop snarfed down in this country.
I don't know what the other crops subject to tariffs may be, but in the spirit of patriotism (and eating healthy) we can probably consume anything that California produces.

I used to make a curry chicken salad with grapes and celery. It was delicious! Thanks for reminding me .. I've not made it in years and shall do so forthwith.

Mexico slaps tariffs on certain U.S. products
March 19, 2009

WASHINGTON – The government of Mexico on March 19 imposed tariffs on about 90 U.S. products in retaliation for the scrapping of a pilot program allowing certain Mexican trucks to haul freight in the United States beyond a 20-mile zone extending from the border. Agricultural products targeted for tariffs included fruits and vegetables, fruit and vegetable juices, soup preparations and concentrates, wine, sunflowerseed and dog and cat food. Food staples such as wheat and wheat flour, corn and corn flour, sorghum and rice were not included given their importance to Mexico’s consumers. Most tariffs will apply to nonagricultural goods.

The truck pilot program was eliminated under a provision inserted in the budget bill signed into law by President Barack Obama. The program’s demise long was sought by unions and some consumer groups that alleged Mexican trucks were maintained below U.S. standards and raised safety concerns.

Under the North American Free Trade Agreement, Mexican trucks were supposed to be allowed to carry freight in U.S. states that share a border with Mexico beginning in 1995 and throughout the U.S. beginning in 2000. The provision was delayed time and again by the U.S. despite a NAFTA arbitration panel finding in favor of Mexico in a challenge to the delays in 2001.

In September 2007, President George Bush implemented the pilot program that allowed as many as 100 Mexican trucking companies to haul cargo into the U.S. after their trucks met safety requirements. The program was renewed in August 2008 and the intent was to expand it. The Mexican government saw the pilot program as a step toward realizing the NAFTA cross-border trucking provision.

"We consider this U.S. action to be wrong, protectionist and a clear violation of the treaty (NAFTA)," said Gerardo Ruiz Mateos, Mexico’s economy secretary. "By deciding to protect their trucking industry, they have decided to affect other countries and the region."

The tariffs will affect about $2.4 billion in U.S. exports to Mexico. The U.S. exported about $152 billion in products to Mexico in 2008. "The retaliatory measures are the cost the U.S. is going to have to pay for failing to fulfill its obligations under NAFTA," Mr. Ruiz Mateos said.

Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, who led Senate efforts to scrap the program, said, "No trade agreement should obligate us to compromise our highway safety."

Other members of Congress expressed concerned the U.S. would turn out to be the loser. Representative Kevin Brady of Texas, ranking Republican on the trade subcommittee of the House Committee on Ways and Means, said, "We’ve got a tough economy. We are going to lose sales, agricultural sales of exports that we are selling into Mexico and that may well go to other countries."

The Obama administration directed the Department of Transportation, the State Department and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to work with Congress to develop "legislation that would create a new trucking project that does meet the legitimate concerns of Congress," said Jill Zuckman, spokeswoman for the transportation department.

Robert Gibbs, President Obama’s press secretary, said, "We don’t want to find ourselves in a time of economic slowdown creating or erecting a barrier to that valued trading partnership."

http://www.foodbusinessnews.net/news...ticleID=100928

Some facts about U.S.-Mexico ties

Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:32am EST

President-elect Barack Obama meets Mexican President Felipe Calderon in Washington on Monday to discuss immigration, security, trade and the economy.
Here are some facts about the issues likely to be discussed:

THE DRUG WAR

* Mexican cartels smuggle some $40 billion worth of illegal drugs every year into the United States, the world's biggest market for narcotics. The drug gangs arm themselves with huge arsenals of smuggled U.S. weapons.

* Some 5,700 people were killed last year by drug cartels in turf battles with rival gangs and fights with the Mexican military, sent in by Calderon to try to stop the violence. U.S. officials worry the killing could spill over the border into the United States.

* The United States has so far released almost $300 million in anti-drug aid for Mexico under the so-called Merida Initiative, a three-year, $1.4 billion package for Mexico and Central America pledged by President George W. Bush during a visit to Merida, Mexico, in March 2007.

IMMIGRATION

* An estimated 12 million undocumented workers and their children live in the United States, slightly more than half of them Mexican.

* Obama won two-thirds of the Hispanic vote in the presidential election and many hope he will pass reforms to give more immigrants legal status.

* At least 4,500 Mexicans have died trying to cross illegally into the United States since Washington sharply increased border controls in 1994, according to immigrant rights groups based on data from the Mexican foreign ministry.

TRADE AND THE ECONOMY

* Since the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, took effect on Jan 1, 1994, U.S.-Mexico trade more than quadrupled to around $350 billion a year. Mexico bought more than $11.5 BILLION worth of farm crops from the U.S. last year.

* Hundreds of factories stand along Mexico's border with the United States, and only China and Canada sell more goods to America.

* Mexico is a leading supplier of crude oil and natural gas to the United States and U.S. carmakers have around a dozen factories in Mexico.

(Reporting by Robin Emmott in Monterrey; Editing by Kieran Murray)