Senate Approves Central America Trade Deal (CAFTA)

[Purveyor]

(06-30) 19:12 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) --


The Senate on Thursday endorsed a free trade agreement with six Latin American nations, handing a major win to President Bush, who has promoted the accord as a mark of U.S. commitment to democracy and prosperity in the hemisphere.


The vote was 54-45 in favor of the Central America Free Trade Agreement, setting the stage for a final battle in the House, where the agreement's many critics have vowed to defeat it.


The House vote, probably in July, is too close to call.


"The stakes could hardly be higher," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a supporter. "It's important because at stake is the future of Central America in its economic and political dimensions and hence its security dimensions."


Senate Approves Central America Trade Deal

[Greyhound]

1. and the beat goes on... n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. and the race to the bottom continues

so how amy are wtih me to vote against Feinstein? Enough is enough with that woman! She is well beyond the point of normalcy

[acmejack]

3. So much for getting a low paying service sector job

I give up. Subsistence farming anyone?

[barb162]

4. This is a TERRIBLE mistake; each time we go into

one of these fucking trade deals,more Americans lose their jobs and the rich business men get richer.

[sadiesworld]

28. And the real kicker is that the people of Central America don't want

it either. Freedom and Democracy my ass.

[Nite Owl]

5. And we get screwed

again. It's all about big business not the people.

[LeahD]

6. More important to help Central America than the American worker?

"The stakes could hardly be higher," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a supporter. "It's important because at stake is the future of Central America in its economic and political dimensions and hence its security dimensions."

[gtar100]

16. Right...which Latin American country does McCain represent again?

Let's get it through our heads real clear - We The People are no longer represented by the United States government.


US Corporations have *NO* concern for the United States or its people. It is Americans who trade jobs to other countries for bigger bonuses, higher exec pay, and increased profits for shareholders and they are TRAITORS - THEY ARE TRAITORS and they have sold us and our children's future for the comfort of a few sorry-ass son-of-a-bitches. These people are weasels hiding behind corporate positions. They are selling out the rest of us for a larger slice of a pie they could never eat.

What are some of the telling signs of an average, everyday American traitor?

• They are willing to sell you something far above it's real worth.
  
• They sell you on a promise and hide the negative impacts (refinance with an ARM or IO loan anyone?)
  
• They attend "outsourcing" seminars and get excited at the prospect of a windfall.
  
• They bankrupt a company and collect millions in separation agreements.
  
• They lobby or litigate for deregulation.
  
• etc...etc...etc...
  

Remember when the US used to manufacture and produce vehicles, electronics, toys, furniture, airplanes, clothes, home or office furnishings, books, small engines, *huge* engines, construction materials, tractors, trailers, picks, shovels, teapots, forks, knives, spoons and the plates we eat off of?

IT'S ALL BEEN OUTSOURCED. It's nearly all gone except our need for work to sustain ourselves.

(oh, I forgot to mention, Monsanto is furiously working around the globe to have a monopoly on the seeds you can plant...so much for subsistence farming)

[Robert Oak]

18. "Security dimensions"

Isn't that argument extremely overused at this point?

After all that's what they said about the China PNTR, you know
the country that now is kicking our ass, buying up our debt,
taking our jobs and building up their military with the new profits?

[No Michael Savage]

7. Good news is...

Faux news said this thing was going to get 65-70 votes, all republicans and about 15 democrats. But it only got 54 votes.

I'm feeling good about our chances of defeating it in the house of representatives.

[Purveyor]

8. Work the phones and emails...House up next! nt

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

9. Party line vote?

At least that's the appearance. Looks like the GOP just flipped a big bird to its rural constituency.

[Purveyor]

10. I'm looking for the yeas and nays but no luck yet...

[gtar100]

17. I wonder if their constituency will get to hear the truth about it

...that they've just been sold out...again.

[Whoa_Nelly]

11. One more step

toward bringing this nation into economic depression.

[VegasWolf]

12. Hey, at least Gay's can't get married. nt

[killbotfactory]

13. IT'S A TRAP

[Robert Oak]

14. ROLL CALL VOTE

http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00170

Grouped By Vote Position
YEAs ---54 (BETRAYERS)
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Chafee (R-RI)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
DeMint (R-SC)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Frist (R-TN)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Wyden (D-OR)
NAYs ---45 (LOYAL HONEST AMERICANS)
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Boxer (D-CA)
Burns (R-MT)
Byrd (D-WV)
Clinton (D-NY)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
Dayton (D-MN)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feingold (D-WI)
Graham (R-SC)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Obama (D-IL)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Shelby (R-AL)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thune (R-SD)
Vitter (R-LA)
Not Voting - 1
Lieberman (D-CT)

I am so disgusted right now. The studies are in and there is just
NOTHING good that is going to come out of this agreement. But,
who cares about the facts? Multinationals want it, so there we have it.

[Toucano]

15. That makes me sick. n/t

[idlisambar]

19. Both of my democratic senators voted yes -- WA

This is very disappointing:-(

[Robert Oak]

20. I hear ya, I think this gave me a temporary chemical imbalance n/t

[Judi Lynn]

21. Thanks for posting the roll call vote. Along with the major disgust

I feel for the Democrats who couldn't control themselves, and threw in with the scum on this catastrophe, is the respect I feel in noting the names of some decent Republicans who stood up for important principle, moving against the traffic, and opening themselves to real punishment. They deserve some respect.

I hope fate will throw this right back in the Republicans' faces sooner than they could have expected.

[Robert Oak]

22. well, this comment would be unpopular on some blogs

But I gave up being partisan and now shop ala carte per issue...

although I will admit Bernie Sanders has my undying love as does
Peter DeFazio. (socialist and far left dem. house reps) (and I also notice they sometimes team up with conservatives or will vote opposite party when it truly makes sense)

I think the only real hope are those representatives with a conscience
join forces. It's also amazing how much extreme liberals and conservative Republicans have in common on economic and trade issues...
and let's not forget that elephant in the corner, budget deficit.

I agree, I feel the Republicans have way more pressure on them
due to their party so I think it's taking some guts to stand up
to the Neocons.

(not that on some of their social issue policy I'd sign up tomorrow, but
hey right action is right action!)

[MaineDem]

25. I knew it was doomed when Collins voted "no"

She wouldn't vote against the President if it was going to actually count.

[sadiesworld]

27. What about the House?

Any (real-not hot air) hope?

[Robert Oak]

29. Need to start screaming in the streets

word is house is too close to call...but the Senate supposedly wasn't
going to pass and here we are.

So, start blasting your reps with emails and phone calls.

And blast your Republican reps. I blew off my Republican Senator
because he is a member of the corporate party...
but obviously we have some Democrats who are members of the corporate
party also...and there are strong rumblings with Republicans, esp.
conservative Republicans who have some heavy feelings on trade, deficits. Bush is a Neocon, not a true Republican.

My understanding is Bush Incorporated is strong arming congress
with major threats and payoffs on this.

[insane_cratic_gal]

68. I think more Republicans

jumped ship then dems.

At least when you eye ball it.. it looks to be so.

Lets how this doesn't pass the house, it has more opposition there.

[bushcrab]

70. NW Senators ALL voted YES??!!

I figured that the spineless Gordon Smith (R-OR) would vote party line---he always does when it counts--- but Ron Wyden (D-OR), Murray (D-WA), and Cantwell (D-WA) all voted in favor of this as well. Oh, but I'm sure they installed some last minute provisions in the Bill to protect the American workers......:grr:

[sadiesworld]

23. This is a sick joke.

Of course, the usual DINO scum voted for it so republicans can at least console themselves that there was some bi-partisanship. The dem party would be far better off w/o these senators.

edit to add: I've noticed that many of the newspaper headlines on this story omit the word CAFTA. It would be nice if we had a free press and a representative democracy. A joke.

[Massachusetts]

24. "The stakes could hardly be higher," said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz

Sen. Dorgan put up a good fight against.

When will people in this country who support the likes of McCain and others who support this, WAKE UP?

[sadiesworld]

26. When will democrats who support the likes of Feinstein WAKE up?

[thoughtanarchist]

30. Senate votes 54-45 to OK CAFTA

The U.S. Senate approved the Central American Free Trade Agreement late Thursday by a vote of 54-45. Next, a vote must be taken in the House.

BY JAMES KUHNHENN


WASHINGTON - Both Florida Senators, Republican Mel Martinez and Democrat Bill Nelson, voted for the trade agreement.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday approved language to implement the Central American Free Trade Agreement, giving President Bush a solid victory despite fears within his party about the domestic consequences of the pact.

WASHINGTON - Both Florida Senators, Republican Mel Martinez and Democrat Bill Nelson, voted for the trade agreement.

The bipartisan 54-45 vote in the Senate belies a much more difficult road in the House of Representatives, which is traditionally more hostile to free-trade deals. Earlier Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee approved the legislation, but prospects on the House floor are uncertain. A July vote is expected.

...

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/12033150.htm

[Dr.Phool]

31. Thanks Bill Nelson

For selling us out again!

I'll ask you about it in Tarpon Springs next week.

Other than the numbers game, and majority control, How exactly could Katherine Harris be worse?

[cureautismnow]

32. Indeed. Nelson might as well switch parties.

He seems to vote with the GOP thugs an awful lot. I wish the Dems would get a true liberal to run against him. Someone who could force a paper trail for the wicked voting touch screens. I'm sick of one-party rule...

[thoughtanarchist]

34. anyone have a roll call for the vote? N/T

[pokercat999]

56. You are our only hope Obi Wan Kenobi, we must

divide the republic if we are to survive.

No shit, it's time to divide this country into normal people and repugs so we can actually have a multi party system in New America and they can have the theocracy they dream about. Win-Win if I ever saw it. Come to think about it with diminished power the rest of the world would be a safer place also.

[siliconefreak]

61. get real

Katherine Harris would be MUCH worse. Take a look at Nelson's complete voting record. He's not perfect, but he's much better than Cruella.

[rman]

67. Isn't it sad that we tend to settle for the lesser of various evils?

And that there seem to be really good candidates?

[siliconefreak]

72. Yep

But that's the American system. I don't like it, but since the "founding fathers" are talked about by so many as having infinite wisdom, I doubt it's going to change.

[meganmonkey]

33. ...

:(

[Blaq Dem]

35. Oops, there go our jobs!

Big businesses want to export jobs in exchange for importing illegal drugs so that we can forget about how far they have their foot up our @sses. That's the way they want it. And we're not supposed say anything against it.

[meganmonkey]

39. Speak for yourself - this is job security for me

I work for a nonprofit hunger relief agency. As US jobs become lower paying and, well, nonexistent, I get busier and busier.

I have the kind of job that I would LOVE to see become obselete. This sure won't make that happen. :(

[Miss Chybil]

36. Lou Dobbs said there is 1000 pages of international law that goes with

CAFTA. Law that would supercede local community law. I.E. if a community voted to stop urban sprawl and a foreign developer wanted to come in and build, they developer would win under the law. He was urging the lawmakers to read the fine print. We all know, after Fahenheit 9/11, they don't read the bills they sign. Also, in the agreement, foreign companies could bring their own workers with them to work in the US. We have truly been sold up the river on this one.

[htuttle]

40. Sounds like GATT on that aspect

GATT has the same types of clauses. Foreign companies can force state and local governments to get rid of laws that are more restrictive than average as unfair trade practices.

[Miss Chybil]

57. It seems the whole idea is to drive down our labor prices, while at the

same time increase CEO compensations - no matter their country of origin.

[rman]

64. Or NAFTA for that matter

Many people don't notice yet, but governments give away ever more power to the transnational corporate establishment. The power of NAFTA tribunal supersedes that of national governments and -courts - thanks to our governments.


NAFTA's chapter 11

"...gives corporations rights to sue governments in special tribunals, for unlimited compensation for profits lost due to normal governments activities."

"...there have been cases, like "Metalclad".
An American company called "Metalclad" went down to Mexico to build a toxic waste dump on an aquafer; the local supply of water. The government said "no, this goes against our environmental laws".
The people are getting poisoned from the water - what corporation has a right to poison our water? The government passed a law that said "no, you can't operate this thing".
They said "that's to bad, we have rights as a corporation that outweigh your human rights". They sued them for 17.5 million dollars saying it was a barrier to fee trade.
This US corporation takes the Mexican government to a NAFTA court, sues under this chapter eleven, and the ruling is - the Mexican government has to pay millions of dollars in "penalties", for "lost profits" of this corporation."

from the documentary "Trading Freedom" (Indymedia)
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/01/284511.html

also documented at

Berkeley University
http://are.berkeley.edu/courses/EEP131/classpresentations/Metalclad.pdf (PDF)
(turns out the amount in penalties to be payed by the Mexican government was reduced, but "...the judge agreed with the NAFTA panel on the merits that the actions of the Governor constituted expropriation".

New York Law Journal
http://www.clm.com/pubs/pub-990359_1.html

Stop FTAA
http://www.stopftaa.org/article.php?id=37

"NAFTA Chapter 11 Investor-to-State Cases: Bankrupting Democracy"
http://are.berkeley.edu/courses/EEP131/Nafta_Chapter11.pdf (PDF)

[4_TN_TITANS]

37. Jeeeees.....

2006 won't get here fast enough so we can get a Dem in Frist's seat. We're working on it in TN.

[SoCalDem]

50. '06 won't be any different if we have the same "e-voting" systems in place

Polls on tv and in the papers will just tell us that "we are a 50-50 nation".."red state-blue state"..."evenly split".."close races"..blah blah blah. and what of the important races AGAIN break "just enough" in the favor of the republican??

Until we spend 110% effort on forcing PAPER ballots, we can never be sure about elections again..

[reprobate]

38. Look at the positive. Each repug attrocity makes revolution a step closer

[natrat]

41. yea yea yea look on the bright side

i'm just not that psyched to have to eat of garbage cans

[AlCzervik]

42. roll call

and as usual the full Nelsons voted with the gop.

YEAs ---54
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Bond (R-MO)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burr (R-NC)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Chafee (R-RI)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Coburn (R-OK)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
DeMint (R-SC)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Ensign (R-NV)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Frist (R-TN)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Isakson (R-GA)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
Martinez (R-FL)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Pryor (D-AR)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Smith (R-OR)
Stevens (R-AK)
Sununu (R-NH)
Talent (R-MO)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)
Wyden (D-OR)
http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=1&vote=00170

[Seabiscuit]

44. Feinstein should switch parties.

I'm sick to death of that traitor.

[AlCzervik]

45. and both Nelsons

[Seabiscuit]

46. Even "Garden Party" Ricky?

[stickdog]

54. WTF is up with DiFi? Could she possibly be a bigger corporate whore?

[AlCzervik]

55. yes of course she could and she will be to fill her campaign coffers

i will support what Democrat/Green/independent/socialist/peace and freedom candidate that comes along to run against her.

[nolabels]

76. A lot of republicans vote for her because of this kind of thing

They know they would never be able kick a pub in office in Cali , so she is the next best thing for them :-(

[Lowell]

51. I wonder what dirt the FREEPERS have on

those 9 dinos that voted YEA. One thing for sure, my senator, Nelson, is officially on my shit list now. We need a real democrat to run against him.

[sadiesworld]

52. The sad part is that there would be several more DINOs on that list...

except they have '08 presidential aspirations.

[Left Brain]

53. Ron Wyden, how COULD you?

You call Labor your friend, yet you vote this way?


He'll be getting a nastygram from me, for sure.

Thom Hartmann was spot on this morning when he talked about the Dems in Washington and how they can't seem to send a consistent message to the public. Hartmann quoted a poll that shos a majority of Americans *still* trust the repug party over the Dems. Even with all the blatant lies, thievery, and deception of this administration, people see the elephant as the party that stays true to the platform.

I know Wyden prides himself on his ability to cross party lines and work together, but I just don't think the majority of his constituents care about that right now. In bygone days, maybe that was seen as a virtue.

Times have changed, Mr. Wyden. This country is in crisis. Vote like a Democrat, dammit.

[AlCzervik]

43. if our 9 voted with we the people it would have failed.

fuckers.

[reformedrepub]

47. Pathetic

Once again the American worker gets sold out, but the perfumed princes of power, on both sides of the aisle!!

[losdiablosgato]

48. BOHICA

[redqueen]

49. Both from TX voted for it, AGAINST the stance in the state party platform

Oh you better believe I'm gonna be talking about THIS little betrayal very loudly this weekend.

[wellst0nev0ter]

58. *Goes Into "Big Eddie" Mode"

Who CARES if both Ben Nelson, Bill Nelson and Dianne Feinstein vote our jobs away to some bannana republic, THEY GET ELECTED THAT WHAT COUNTS!!!!

(/"Big Eddie")

[GHOSTDANCER]

59. SLAVES!!! MUST HAVE MORE SLAVES!!!!!!!

<>

[Seabiscuit]

60. AND MORE COWBELL!!!

[flying dog]

62. re: "Senate votes 54-45 to OK CAFTA"

This is just like nafta that was signed into law by the last president. At this rate the next president will just sign a global deal and then we're totally screwed.

[NorthernSpy]

63. we keep getting screwed, damn it!

God help the American working class, 'cause our government certainly won't.

[robcon]

65. CAFTA is another sign the world is getting smaller

The advantage to the U.S. and the Central American signatories will be apparent soon after it takes effect, IMO. Like NAFTA, it will have dramatic positive outcomes for the economies involved.

[rman]

66. It's another sign of corporate takeover of the world

CAFTA, NAFTA, GATT etc - in short: "Globalization" - are not a result of the world getting smaller, as though it is some sort of inevitable process - it is the result of concerted efforts of corporate interests to forge such trade agreements. Various representatives go to meetings to discuss and plan these things, there's nothing accidental or inevitable about it. It happens only because those powers who want it this way stand to benefit from it greatly, at the expense of everyone else. That's the reason why they want us to believe it is some sort of natural law that it happens that way.

There are numerous examples of such agreements having desasterous consequences for the people of the nations involved.
The fact that in the minds of proponents of globalization, such things as environmental regulations and unions are considered to be "trade barriers" that have to be removed, is a dead give away that what's "good for the economy" is not necessarily good for people. It's good only for some people; the CEOs and investors who see ever increasing salaries, dividends etc.

Even in the US, "good for the economy" in practice means that top salaries go up while the vast majority of people have to work longer hours for lower wages.

"We tried to help Bolivia, it went under. We tried to help Brazil, it exploded. We tried to help Indonesia, it was burning in riots. Maybe there's a pattern here.
Our systems for eliminating barriers, eliminating unions, cause pain, but not pain that leads to gain, it's pain that leads to collapse, failure and economic death."
-- Joe Stiglitz, former Chief Economist for the World Bank

For suggesting, simply suggesting that they reevaluate their positions, the World Bank fired him. He wasn't even allowed to resign, he was banished from the entire World Bank.

http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=128&row=1

"...He survived his sacking from the World Bank and IMF complaints about his bad attitude. In september 2001 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in economics. Stiglitz, remember, had been fired merely for seeking to study why IMF policies failed so often. he conceded to me, however, the globalizers could point to one big success: Argentina. Then, five months after we spoke, I received the sad news that Argentina had died."
-- Greg Palast, "The best democracy money can buy"

NAFTA's chapter 11

"...gives corporations rights to sue governments in special tribunals, for unlimited compensation for profits lost due to normal governments activities."

"...there have been cases, like "Metalclad".
An American company called "Metalclad" went down to Mexico to build a toxic waste dump on an aquafer; the local supply of water. The government said "no, this goes against our environmental laws".
The people are getting poisoned from the water - what corporation has a right to poison our water? The government passed a law that said "no, you can't operate this thing".
They said "that's to bad, we have rights as a corporation that outweigh your human rights". They sued them for 17.5 million dollars saying it was a barrier to fee trade.
This US corporation takes the Mexican government to a NAFTA court, sues under this chapter eleven, and the ruling is - the Mexican government has to pay millions of dollars in "penalties", for "lost profits" of this corporation."

from the documentary "Trading Freedom" (Indymedia)
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/01/284511.html

also documented at

Berkeley University
http://are.berkeley.edu/courses/EEP131/classpresentations/Metalclad.pdf (PDF)
(turns out the amount in penalties to be payed by the Mexican government was reduced, but "...the judge agreed with the NAFTA panel on the merits that the actions of the Governor constituted expropriation".

New York Law Journal
http://www.clm.com/pubs/pub-990359_1.html

Stop FTAA
http://www.stopftaa.org/article.php?id=37

"NAFTA Chapter 11 Investor-to-State Cases: Bankrupting Democracy"
http://are.berkeley.edu/courses/EEP131/Nafta_Chapter11.pdf (PDF)

[robcon]

69. Wishing the world wasn't interconnected won't make it so.

The 'free trade agreements' will continue to multiply, IMO.

One of the biggest economic problems in the world is the refusal of free trade in agricultural commodities. The U.S. (notoriously forbidden to import sugar) and the EU (40% of its budget is spent on subsidies to the 4% of the EU population that is farmers) are the worst examples of this beggar-thy-neighbor policy that is the biggest impediment to third world economic growth.

[rman]

71. this has nothing to do with the world being interconnected

of course there will be more so-called "free" trade agreements, as long corporate interests go unchecked.

Why do you ignore the examples of catastrophic failure of "free" trade?

[idlisambar]

73. could you comment on this graphic?

I would like to hear your take on whether you see this trend as a problem, and if so I'd like to know what you might do to solve it.

[robcon]

77. Certainly not a problem.

A little primer: the balance of payments are ALWAYS IN BALANCE.

The current-account trade deficit is precisely offset by the capital accounts trade surplus.

As long as the world accepts our dollars, and does not repatriate then to the U.S., we can continue to run a trade deficit without any pain. There is a limit to this strategy: we aren't anywhere near that limit, IMO.

[idlisambar]

78. Thanks for the primer

"As long as the world accepts our dollars, and does not repatriate then to the U.S., we can continue to run a trade deficit without any pain."

The key phrase is "as long as" -- those of us looking beyond the next quarter have an interest in what happens after. You acknowledge that "there is a limit to this strategy", when in your opinion do we hit this limit?

[Merrick]

74. You'd think a mentally handicapped president would look out for his own

by supporting the interests of those with comparable IQs wiping up tables at McDonalds and greeting customers at Wal-Mart whose jobs are going to be in jeopardy once all us 'normals' lose our outsourceable positions.

[Rainscents]

75. I called both my Senators and rimed their ass for voting for this shit!

I was fuming top of my head when I called their office. Poor lady and a man on the phone, they didn't know what to say. BTW... I didn't swear, I almost did.