Trade deals could be disastrous

[Judi Lynn]

Trade deals could be disastrous
Published 12:01 a.m., Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Contrary to what George Will suggested in June 10's "President puts unions before jobs," President Barack Obama is right to consider stateside laborers in his decision regarding the pending free trade agreements with Colombia, South Korea and Panama. Before pushing these trade deals through, he must also consider additional other disastrous impacts of this trade deal on the working class and the environment both at home and abroad.

Consider Colombia: a nation embroiled in a decades-long civil war. In 2010 alone, 51 unionized Colombian workers were murdered. The impunity rate for these murders is an astounding 96 percent. Passing a trade deal with Colombia would be tacit approval of these human rights violations.

The agreement will also prove disastrous for Colombia's small farmers.

If passed, subsidized U.S. grain will flood the Colombian market and leave at least 400,000 farmers without their previous source of income. Many will be left with two equally unappealing options: become another of Colombia's five million-plus internally displaced people or begin producing the raw material for cocaine.

More:
http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Trade-deals-could-be-disastrous-1422675.php

Editorials:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x607834

[rabs]

1. Colombian trade deal is still up in the air

Was reading last night (think it was in SEMANA) that 20 members of the U.S. Congress and another 30 top aides of other members have been in Colombia in recent weeks, looking into the pending FTA.

The focus of the U.S. delegations is what the government of JuanMA Santos is doing to halt the unpunished killings of Colombian union membes, human rights workers and other social workers. The murders, which were endemic under uribito, have continued under Santos, though not on the same scale as under uribito.

So it is not a done deal yet in the U.S. Congress, even though Obama is on record as being solidly behind it.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Wierd, when you know that they couldn't have been Republicans, since Republicans don't give a ####

that people are being terrorized, tortured, murdered, disappeared, "false positive'd" and hacked to bits.

After all, with Republicans, it's "I got mine, #### you!"

I've read that the union killings are definitely continuing, too.

Having Uribe out of office should help some, since he was very satisfied with having Jorge Noguera pointing their enemies out and the paras or the militaries following up with assassinating them. It was their idea of a Peaceable Kingdom.


During his campaign, Obama was completely AGAINST this free trade for the wealthy plan.