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Mary Peters wants you to believe that NAFTA is good for American workers. Of course she also wants you to believe she’s acting legally by keeping the border open to unsafe trucks.
During a telephone news conference with reporters on Monday, Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa scoffed at Mary Peters’ claim that closing the border would hurt American business.
Before NAFTA, America sold $1.5 billion more goods to Mexico than we bought.
Last year, we bought $75 billion more goods to Mexico than we sold.
Can you say “job loss?”
Hoffa did. “The Teamsters have been a constant critic of NAFTA,” he told reporters. “We’re hemorrhaging jobs.”
He cited a long list of companies that moved to Mexico: Swingline Stapler, Square D, Mr. Coffee — all Teamster employers — as well as Whirlpool, Pillsbury, Lexmark, Eastman Kodak and Levis Wrangler.
Mexico now has an auto industry that sells more cars into the U.S. than the U.S. sells to the rest of the world. How did Mexico get an auto industry? Ford, Chrysler and GM have all moved down there.
Mary Peters actually has the nerve to claim that opening the border to Mexican trucks will be good for American truck drivers.
Hoffa doesn’t think so. There’s a big problem down there: crime.
”I mean, hello, do you really want to take a load of Cadillacs down there and park?” he said. “I don’t think so.”
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The only country that DOESN’T gain from NAFTA is the USA. Why is it that our government officials, Republican and Democrats, are so stuck up Mexico’s a** !? Is it the large pop. of Mexican nationals we now have in this country sucking our healthcare system dry? In my America, the elected officials advocate for the citizens, not the millions of ILLEGAL aliens who shouldn’t even be here!! We are all witness to the attempted destruction of our national sovereignty. The Counsel on Foreign Relations in conjunction with canadian and mexican gov officials and elitists, has been planning this for years. Now several state governments, including Texas, of all states, is threatening to use eminent domain to seize citizens private property to build the NAFTA Superhighway which would connect Mexico and Canada via the USA !! Does anyone think this should be put to a vote by the people? I do and I’m confident that I’m not alone. So much for the “lessons” learned from 9-11. What happened to the “secure” borders we were supposed to get? Now they are not only NOT building border fences but are planning to build a superhighway about a thousand yards wide right through the center of the country!! Has everyone in DC forgotten about a little incident in our history called the Revolutionary War and what caused it?
Comment by jason March 14, 2008 @ 1:11 pmI support the Teamsters Union 100%. As a former union member working for Mich Con. Gas, I have seen what NAFTA has done. Now its the diesel costs raising faster than an eagle can ascend. I hope that the International can organize a strike across the nation to protest the rising fuel costs.If this happened, I believe this strike would stiffle the crooks on Wall Street. you all are the only ones with the power to get Congress attention on this issue !! Thanks for reading this..
Comment by Samuel Watkins March 15, 2008 @ 8:14 pmIf we don’t stop this, all American companies will think it will be alright to move to Mexico and our economy will be a lot worse then it already is.
Comment by Doug March 20, 2008 @ 9:27 pmI had a scary realization this morning. I hate to be the type to run around screaming “The sky is falling, the sky is falling!” BUT…
Comment by Hap Smith USMC (ret) March 29, 2008 @ 8:14 pmWhile you are reading this, pause for a second and name one item the workers in the United States build/ make and export. Did ya come up with any, I couldn’t?
Now think of items the Chinese workers build/make and export. I came up with a boat load, actually many ships full, how about you, did you come up with any?
We (workers in the U.S.) have become a nation of primarily service workers, i.e. food service and the like. The workers that do build things, are building widgets that are sold to our fellow citizens, not exported. What I mean, let me explain. Large furniture manufacturing, who buys the product from that company? Automotive and parts manufacturing plants, i.e. Gates rubber, Arvin, GM, Ford, and Chrysler. The parts are made for the automotive plants, who’s buying those cars, us? Are GM, Ford or Chrysler exporting cars around the world? If they are, I haven’t heard about it?
So ask yourself “Who has all the money?” Like it or not, with the money comes power.
Now, think about the problem we have had fighting a group of insurgents in Iraq, NOT a well regulated standing army. Now picture this (bare with me) say the situation would arise, where we were to come to blows with China, i.e. the trade imbalance, human rights issues, or Tiawan. Troops on the ground in a conventional war, can you picture that? Not a pretty picture at all. So if China were to say to the United States “We own you, stand-down, or we’ll send troops in.” What would the United States do? I think we would have no choice but to look at our nuclear arms. Would we use our nukes and destroy China, all the while they are sending nukes our way. So ask yourself, “Which country has the strongest will?” Would either of us risk world destruction, who knows?
China is not, repeat NOT, in the same situation the USSR/ Soviet Union, Russia was.
The Soviet’s/ Russia ran out of money for their military machine. They had no income from items they made. Can you think of anything Russia manufactured on a large scale, me either?
To me, it is as if we have went to Wal-Mart, bought a box cutter (made in China) placed it to our throat, and cut our juggler.
Just my thoughts…
Later for now…
In addition to my previous comment, add Mexico.
Comment by Hap Smith USMC (ret) March 29, 2008 @ 8:22 pmIt is high time we as citizens send a message to folks in Washington.
WE do not want NAFTA, it is killing us. If you all recall, Mr. Ross Parot said we would hear that big sucking sound (The sound of jobs leaving this country) remember that?
He was right, and people thought he was crazy. It’d be a good time for him to step forward…Again, just my thoughts on the subject.