U.S. moves ahead with Mexican truck program WH defies Congress, pointing to loophole in new law

[FreeStateDemocrat]

Source: MSNBC/AP

updated 1 hour, 33 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is going ahead with a controversial pilot program giving Mexican trucks greater access to U.S. highways despite a new law by Congress against it.

The decision to proceed with the four-month-old program, which allows participating Mexican trucking companies to send loads throughout the United States, comes despite language in the recently signed catchall spending bill aimed at blocking it.

The Department of Transportation is taking advantage of a loophole in the new law, which prohibits the government from spending any money to "establish" the program. The government says the new rules don't apply to the current program since it was started in September.

"The U.S. Department of Transportation will not establish any new demonstration programs with Mexico," said Melissa Mazzella DeLaney, spokeswoman for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. "The current cross-border trucking demonstration project — established in September — will continue to operate in a manner that puts safety first."



Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22507319/

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Why doesn't the idiot just dissolve Congress and get on with ruling by edict?

[Auggie]

1. Anything to eliminate U.S. jobs, right chimp?

[old guy]

2. I can't believe this will sit too well with the Teamsters.

[Toots]

22. They voted for him so who cares what they think

Hoffa stumped for Bush* and the Teamsters backed the Republicans in '04...Hope they like what they got....

[spag68]

26. Teamsters

I too say FU to the teamsters.

[Occulus]

27. Might one ask why?

And is it limited to the Teamsters, or does your statement extend to unions in general?

(I get the impression that a LOT of people seem to believe the Teamsters union is drunk on its reputation or out of control or some such. Is this union really so corrupt?

I suspect this could be yet another very controversial thread all by itself, so I have to include a statement that I don't want this to be a long and eventually deleted subthread which, while initially entertaining, becomes ultimately tiresome and divisive to everyone involved.

/meta.)

edited to add: god damn this f*cking keyboard straight to the deepest pit of hell for making me feel like I'm typing using correct spelling and then mocking me with missing letters that still don't cause the spellcheck to even cough, be it ever so delicately. I truly dislike this particular Thai piece of junk.

(Yes, I checked: Made in Thailand)

[Toots]

29. Teamsters used scab labor to build their new Hall in Houston

They made a public statement saying Union Labor was too expensive...They backed the Republicans in 2004 and are united in opening ANWR for Oil Drilling...Those are just a few right off the top of my head...

[skooooo]

3. Someone will sue....

...and there will be an adjunction (right word?). Maybe a judge will rule against the WH then. That's our only chance.

[rodeodance]

4. I would think that even Repugs would start spiting soon--.??

[rodeodance]

5. no, i correct my myself--they enjoy being DOORMATS to the PRES!!

[Solly Mack]

6. Bush's doormat? co-equal branch? Bush's doormat? co-equal branch?

[rodeodance]

7. "And they're not above the law."----Ha ha--

"They know what the law says," said Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., who won a 74-24 vote to block the program. "And they're not above the law."

The hotly contested program, opposed by labor, independent truck owners and environmental groups, permits up to 500 trucks from 100 Mexican motor carriers full access to U.S. roads.

Opponents have been fighting the measure — part of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement — since it was first proposed, saying the program will erode highway safety and eliminate U.S. jobs. And they say that there are insufficient safeguards exist to make sure that Mexican trucks are as safe as U.S. carriers.

"When you open up U.S. highways to long-haul Mexican trucks without equivalent safety standards, it poses risks for American drivers," Dorgan said.

[robcon]

8. At last, the U.S. is living up to its treaty obligations

to treat Canadian trucks the same as Mexican trucks.

[Elwood P Dowd]

18. NAFTA is not a treaty.

If it was, it would require a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate. The Senate vote for NAFTA was 61-38.

Have you ever met a job-killing, outsourcing, fake free trade deal you didn't support?

:eyes:

[robcon]

21. No, I've never met a free trade agreement I didn't like.

All of them are better than the status quo. Some, of course, could use a lot of improvements.

If you'd me to like to amend my original post, I'll agree that NAFTA is a trade agreement, not a treaty. So I'm glad we've decided finally to live up to the agreement we made with Canada and Mexico regarding trucks.

[pampango]

23. So we don't have to live up to our international agreements,

unless they are treaties?

All international agreements have provisions that each side doesn't like. Agreements won't be worth much, though, if each side can ignore the parts they don't like. Since I prefer negotiated agreements between countries to other forms of dispute resolution (see Iraq and now Iran), a reputation for unilaterally breaking mutual agreements is not one that will be helpful for us in future disputes.

[madrchsod]

9. .bush is in league with the smugglers in mexico!

for the right price mexican companies will be free to deliver trailers full of drugs or worse- illegal workers!

should i e-mail big lou so we can watch his head explode ?

[BearSquirrel2]

19. I good governor ...

A good governor looking to score points with labor will direct his state patrol to stop and ticket these trucks mercilessly.

BTW, the fact that Congress has passed laws against there presence means that state patrols could probably just arrest the drivers, impound the trucks and that would be that.

[focusfan]

10. the s.o.b doesn't follow rules or laws

i wish someone would give him what for.

[OhioChick]

11. Bad Idea.

What do we have Congress for........show?

[bluesmail]

12. This arrogant attitude is exactly

why I don't think they're gonna budge in '09

[TomInTib]

13. Anyone who votes in favor of this should have to drive around Mexico...

with their family for a couple of weeks.

[High Plains]

24. I am and I have.

The opposition to this just smacks of hysterical nativism.

A pilot program with up to 500 safety-inspected Mexican trucks, oh my! The sky is falling.

[lovuian]

14. this is a President who is out of control

He will FAIL

[AzDar]

15. Somebody, please blow him.

You know, so we can impeach, right? Riiiiggghht.:puke:

[pleah]

16. Watch the death toll rise on the roads. Bushdick is like the male Leona Helmsley

only the little people die, or go hungry, or lose their jobs, or health care..........

[tanyev]

17. Even some freepers are ready to impeach.

We better setup a road block on this one..... What the $#&^#$ is Bush thinking???? This is up there with his immigration and Dubai controlling our ports deals. We need to shoot this down quick....

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Kinda smacks of a dictatorship when the enforcement branch of the government simply disregards the law making branch.

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Kind of makes one wonder why voting is even worth it when you see those charged to protect and defend the nation let it be overrun, both culturally and economically... and then you look at what wins primaries in the heartland..

January 2009 can’t get here fast enough..

What does it profit the nation to win the WoT only to lose the homeland thru backdoor means?

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He’s obsessed with depressing wages in this country. He’s a traditional class warrior country clubber.

Rationalizes with various covers, such as “growth” and “globalism”.

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Impeach Bush! When President Bush does things that upset even many of his most loyal supporters, then he’s going too far politically! President Bush has definitely “jumped the shark” when he agrees to sign off on McCain’s “campaign finance reform” legislation, frequently agrees to “out of control government spending legislation” while the Republicans were still in the majorities in both Houses of Congress, allies himself with Senator Ted Kennedy on both education legislation and “amnesty for illegal immigrants” legislation, and completely ignores truly conservative politicians including ignoring both Rep. Tom Tancredo and Rep. Duncan Hunter on a variety of issues when both Tancredo and Hunter seriously want to personally and directly talk to President Bush on a variety of issues!

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That is insane. Gringo truck drivers aren't gonna roll into Mexico so Bush is talking about opening up Mexico for his illegal alien drivers.

Bush has total hostility for working people. He can't depress the wages of truck drivers through his usual means of flooding the US with poverty-laborers and he can't offshore their jobs, but Bush will find a way to screw you if you are the type who does an honest day's work.

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I assume Tijuana. I assume photos. I assume blackmail. I assume a Mexican paternity case that was hushed up. I assume kickbacks. There has to be some reason why a President of United States of America loves Mexico and illegals MORE than his own country. Someone want to explain this guy’s actions to me?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1948462/posts

[BearSquirrel2]

20. If only they realized this ...

If only they realized this 8 years ago.

[AzDar]

30. ...' I assume a Mexican paternity case that was hushed up'...

:rofl:

Freepers...only 8 years too late.

[sarcasmo]

25. The Dictator will NEVER leave office. He is what he is, a Dictator.

[2hip]

28. ".....despite a new law by Congress against it."

Arrogant MOTHERFUCKERS! They never met a law they wouldn't break. Are we even going to have Elections...?



  Edwards '08 tees!

[donkeyotay]

31. It depends on what the definition of impeachment is.

Bush is dissing the congress, and they're doing what?