Tapsearch Com EditorFree trade cancer spreads
October 12th 2011 00:02
Free Trade Trap by Ray Tapajna
See also Free trade is economic cancer. Can not leave free trade out of the Wall Street Occupy protests
From Congressman Dennis Kucinich's office....
Congressman Dennis Kucinich's (D-OH) opposition to three proposed ‘free trade’ agreements challenges President Obama who says these bills are jobs bills. He says this inspite of the fact that millions have lost their jobs due to free trade and with free trade being the major cause of our economic crisis. The House is expected to begin consideration of free trade agreements with Korea, Panama and Colombia tonight. Kucinich is managing time in opposition to H.R. 3079, the United-States Panama Trade Promotion Implementation Act
Congressman Kucinich outlined his opposition to the free trade agreements in the statement:
It's NAFTA-style free trade that caused the most massive dislocation of jobs in U.S. history with millions losing their jobs. Many have lost everything it took a lifetime to accumulate and yet President Obama calls for the process to continue.
By 1992, more than 2,000 factories were moved to Mexico and after NAFTA was passed this number quickly doubled to more than 4,000. Even after all this, President Clinton had to rush billions of dollars to Mexico to save the peso and the Mexican economy. And this is what President Obama says - creates jobs.
Congressman Kucinich says....
“Today the House will begin consideration of three NAFTA-style free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea at a time when our nation’s unemployment rate continues to hover around 9 percent. ( actually U.S. unemployment rate is much higher than this if compared to the way the unemployment rate data was gathered in the past. )
“Free Trade Agreements (FTA) have proven deadly for the American workforce and American workers. They prioritize the rights of multinational companies over the rights of workers, exacerbate the negative effects of globalization, facilitate the outsourcing of American jobs overseas and fail to adequately protect the environment.
“Proponents of free trade agreements like the ones we will consider tonight like to claim that these agreements will increase U.S. exports abroad and create jobs here in the United Sates. But these free trade agreements are no different.
..... Over 20 trade unionists have been killed in Columbia.....
“Colombia continues to be the most dangerous place in the world to be a member of a union. Over 20 trade unionists have been killed thus far just this year. The Colombia FTA, like the other two, will do nothing to protect American jobs from being outsourced abroad and fails to protect the lives of Colombians fighting for basic labor rights in their country.
“According to the Economic Policy Institute, the Korea- U.S. and U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreements are expected to increase our trade deficit by over $16 billion and result in the displacement or loss of 200,000 plus jobs. From 2001 – 2010, the State of Ohio has lost 103,000 jobs as a result of the increase in our trade deficit with China. We cannot afford to pass NAFTA-clone trade agreements that provide American companies with more incentive to ship jobs overseas.
“It is time to promote a fair trade model that prioritizes the rights of American workers, protects and grows our local manufacturing base and includes adequate environmental and product safety safeguards. The last thing American workers and our economy need is more NAFTA-style free trade agreements.”
It is impossible to promote a fair trade model as long as free trade is based on moving production from place to place anywhere in the world for the sake of cheaper labor. There will always be people who will be willing to work for less in a global economic global arena.
See also Free trade is economic cancer. Can not leave free trade out of the Wall Street Occupy protests
From Congressman Dennis Kucinich's office....
Congressman Dennis Kucinich's (D-OH) opposition to three proposed ‘free trade’ agreements challenges President Obama who says these bills are jobs bills. He says this inspite of the fact that millions have lost their jobs due to free trade and with free trade being the major cause of our economic crisis. The House is expected to begin consideration of free trade agreements with Korea, Panama and Colombia tonight. Kucinich is managing time in opposition to H.R. 3079, the United-States Panama Trade Promotion Implementation Act
Congressman Kucinich outlined his opposition to the free trade agreements in the statement:
It's NAFTA-style free trade that caused the most massive dislocation of jobs in U.S. history with millions losing their jobs. Many have lost everything it took a lifetime to accumulate and yet President Obama calls for the process to continue.
By 1992, more than 2,000 factories were moved to Mexico and after NAFTA was passed this number quickly doubled to more than 4,000. Even after all this, President Clinton had to rush billions of dollars to Mexico to save the peso and the Mexican economy. And this is what President Obama says - creates jobs.
Congressman Kucinich says....
“Today the House will begin consideration of three NAFTA-style free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama and South Korea at a time when our nation’s unemployment rate continues to hover around 9 percent. ( actually U.S. unemployment rate is much higher than this if compared to the way the unemployment rate data was gathered in the past. )
“Free Trade Agreements (FTA) have proven deadly for the American workforce and American workers. They prioritize the rights of multinational companies over the rights of workers, exacerbate the negative effects of globalization, facilitate the outsourcing of American jobs overseas and fail to adequately protect the environment.
“Proponents of free trade agreements like the ones we will consider tonight like to claim that these agreements will increase U.S. exports abroad and create jobs here in the United Sates. But these free trade agreements are no different.
..... Over 20 trade unionists have been killed in Columbia.....
“Colombia continues to be the most dangerous place in the world to be a member of a union. Over 20 trade unionists have been killed thus far just this year. The Colombia FTA, like the other two, will do nothing to protect American jobs from being outsourced abroad and fails to protect the lives of Colombians fighting for basic labor rights in their country.
“According to the Economic Policy Institute, the Korea- U.S. and U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreements are expected to increase our trade deficit by over $16 billion and result in the displacement or loss of 200,000 plus jobs. From 2001 – 2010, the State of Ohio has lost 103,000 jobs as a result of the increase in our trade deficit with China. We cannot afford to pass NAFTA-clone trade agreements that provide American companies with more incentive to ship jobs overseas.
“It is time to promote a fair trade model that prioritizes the rights of American workers, protects and grows our local manufacturing base and includes adequate environmental and product safety safeguards. The last thing American workers and our economy need is more NAFTA-style free trade agreements.”
It is impossible to promote a fair trade model as long as free trade is based on moving production from place to place anywhere in the world for the sake of cheaper labor. There will always be people who will be willing to work for less in a global economic global arena.
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