CAFTA Bait-and-Switch Destroys Georgia Community

[KoKo]

from Sirota Blog...

Remember during the debate over the Central American Free Trade Agreement, every Republican politician and corporate lobbyist was giving the public the “free trade creates American jobs” line? It’s a line that America has become used to hearing from Washington, D.C. - even though as U.S. Sen Byron Dorgan (D-ND) shows in his new book that this mantra has no relation to reality. Well, now we have a real-world example of exactly how the “free” traders are trying to mislead America - and how that dishonesty has very serious consequences.

Georgia’s Millen News reports on how Jockey International announced last week that sewing operations at its Millen facility will be permanently terminated, putting 203 workers out on the street. The paper notes that this is the same company that lobbied for CAFTA by claiming the passage of CAFTA was essential to preserving the Millen jobs. The CEO of the company even told the local paper at the time of the CAFTA vote that “The free trade agreements allow this plant to stay here.” Now, as the area’s Congressman, Rep. John Barrow (D) notes, “Jockey plans to outsource jobs to Jamaica, Honduras, Costa Rica and El Savador, many of the countries included in the CAFTA.”

Barrow voted against CAFTA, realizing early just how dishonest the “free” traders were being. But courageous lawmakers like him who opposed CAFTA were overwhelmed by massive campaign contributions from Big Money interests. They bought enough Republican and Democratic votes in the House to make sure we get a trade policy that has nothing to do with helping ordinary Americans and everything to do with helping corporate executvies slashAmerican jobs, wages and exploit oppressed workers abroad.

Barrow is running for re-election in one of the most closely-contested races in the country. And America’s sellout trade policy may become a major issue in the race. Washington politicians, operatives and lobyists want to pretend that trade is not a political issue - but it is increasingly taking center stage in many “red” districts and states.

http://davidsirota.com/index.php/2006/08/03/cafta-bait-and-switch-destroys-georgia-community/

[Nikki Stone 1]

1. This is exactly what they wanted to happen. Or "the big sucking sound"

predicted by Ross Perot.

The whole world is Pottersville now.

[TheFarseer]

2. WTF!? Were the Hondurans going to buy

up all the Jockey products? Seems unlikely. The balls of these corporations and politicians to tell us bold faced lies is astounding.

[SharonAnn]

10. I worked in Honduras for a year. Most can't afford to buy anything.

Even at that time there were off-shore textile and sewing plants. Arrow and Van Heusen shirts, etc.

For heavens' sake, anyone who thought that CAFTA would really allow us to sell more to poor countries really doesn't understand how economics works.

Badck in the 1980's when I read that Jack Welch (CEO of GE) said that manufacturing plants should be built on a barge so that they could easily be floated to wherever the world's cheapest labor is, I knew I had heard true capalistic evil.

Nothing has changed.

[TheFarseer]

11. OMG on that Jack Welch quote

I hope that was just cynical talk, but that's probably wishful thinking. That guy is so celebrated by the Wall Street crowd it would be hard to believe he's not an asshole.

[CottonBear]

3. John Barrow is my (D) congressman.

I've been unhappy about many of his votes but not his CAFTA vote.

[KoKo]

6. It's good he tried to stop this. I wonder about Georgia...but if

this guy tried to stop CAFTA then he at least did one good thing..as you said.

Georgia is so Conservative these days...it's hard to imagine. I have relatives in Savannah from years ago..and this wasn't the Georgia of the 70 's and 80's ...It's a NEW GEORGIA of the FUNDIES!

But, it's happening all over the South...yet with GA Relatives it makes it hard to deal...for me with my views :-(

[Nite Owl]

4. All these companies that say

that they will not ship jobs overseas should be made to sign a legal contract stating that before any bill is passed. Would they sign on the dotted line? I doubt it.

[tsuki]

5. Yes, they would, and then they would renege. Who'd hold them

accountable? :shrug:

[Zhade]

7. If anyone can defend CAFTA after this example of outright betrayal...

...then they are hopeless.

This shows just how these "free" trade agreements screw over the American worker.

[KoKo]

8. The more we can get the message out the bigger the message is....so

if we can start "water cooler talk" and the rest with friends, family, neighbors folks will start to wake up as to what these "Free Trade Agreements" really mean to all of us.

Free Trade for the Companies...but not necessarily for the rest of us..it seems.

[gulfcoastliberal]

9. With only a few exceptions (like Barrow) the vast majority of dems support

CAFTA, NAFTA, GATT, WTO, ad nauseum.

The Unions, who have been the biggest donors to the dems, got fucked by them.

Some days I really wonder if we are a one-party government. Seems like only a few cosmetic differences between the dems and pukes. And all the time we hear certain dems saying we need to adopt more puke ideas andmove closer to them and their platform.

RIP, America (as created by the Founding Fathers)