Costa Rica, Pelosi, Reid and CAFTA - Democratic Underground

Sarah Ibarruri

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Sun Oct-14-07 09:55 AM
Original message

Costa Rica, Pelosi, Reid and CAFTA

Edited on Sun Oct-14-07 10:10 AM by Sarah Ibarruri

I just returned from Costa Rica, a country I'd never visited and wanted very much to see. Unfortunately we were hit by a front from Argentina, and from the time I arrived to the time I left, it did nothing but rain 24/7. However, the country was awesomely beautiful, the people are unbelievably affectionate (they call themselves TICOS), and it is not an impoverished country the way other countries in that area are. In fact, they have an immigration problem!

I was surprised to learn that they have socialized medicine and their medical excellency rating stands between France and Japan on a UN list. Their educational system is outstanding. It is required up to the 8th grade, and if a poor person needs their child to work (for example, caring for the younger kids while both parents work outside the home because they don't have enough to pay for child care), the govt. will calculate the equivalent of how much that child's work provides, give the family the money, and send the child to school. No one loses. It's a good country, not without problems, but all countries have problems.

However, I arrived on the day that the country was voting on the CAFTA referendum. Costa Ricans have been against it from the get-go. With the exception of the mega-rich, and those affiliated with the U.S., the answer to CAFTA was always no, so when the govt. was ready to either accept or reject (and of course, they deal with the U.S. so they were ready to accept), the nation demanded a referendum vote, and so it happened. The people voted last Sunday. (Notice that they even hold elections on weekends so working people don't have to miss work. They go vote after church, on the way to their Sunday family get-togethers - a Tico tradition). It barely made it to yes.

I speak Spanish, so I had the opportunity to speak to all manner of TICOS, from taxi drivers, to maids, to attorneys and restaurant owners. All of them told me the story of CAFTA and what happened. Here's their story: TICOs were against CAFTA because they're aware that all like treaties (NAFTA) only benefit the rich. The early voting studies were showing 80% against it. Then TICOs demanded it be either passed or rejected via referendum and that's where our government (DEMOCRAT as well as Republican) becamse nervous. This govt. regardless of which political party wants all free market treaties to go forward.

At that point, Pelosi and Reid wrote an official threat letter to Costa Rica and told the govt. of Costa Rica that if they did not manage to convince their country to vote yes on CAFTA that the U.S. would no longer have mercantile treaties with Costa Rica. Suddenly, after they left, there was a MASS (and I do mean MASS) amount of propaganda for the YES. From newspapers, to billboards, to people being paid to campaign for yes, etc. All TICOS said it was outrageous. A country that clearly was against CAFTA suddenly had pro-CAFTA propaganda coming out of the wazoo. It was clear the govt was spending millions of dollars (who knows if those millions were American), and the VP was actually recorded threatening local officials if they did not tell their communities to vote in favor of CAFTA. The VP had to resign. By the time it went to vote, it was 51-ish to 48-ish

So that's my Costa Rica story. No need to say how disappointed I am with my political party which I have belonged to for many, many years. Maybe I have been deluded and there are not really 2 political parties here, but two fraternities or clubs, both of which have the same beliefs. I am DISAPPOINTED BEYOND BELIEF at Pelosi and Reid and they make me sick to my stomach just to think about what they did in and to Costa Rica.

Perhaps someone could offer a word of comfort. I've been a Democrat all my life but I've just about F had it and I'm about to end that idea and relationship.