US and Mexico Need to Find a New Way

Good Morning Readers! I thought I might be a little less angry today - compared to yesterday's rant - by discussing a topic and taking a position that may shock some of you, at least those who consider me a radical, Republican-Bush-hating menace to society. Believe it or not, I plan to defend a program created by the Bush Administration, and one that unions despise. I know, it shocks me too.

It involves the right of Mexican trucks to enter the United States. The program started under the Bush Administration and was bitterly opposed by many Democratic lawmakers and by the Teamsters Union. Lawmakers are preparing to cut off the money for the one and a half year-old pilot program that opened the way for up to 500 Mexican trucks from 100 operators to drive deeper into the United States.

Originally the U.S. has allowed only a few Mexican trucks to drive beyond a southern border buffer zone, although it agreed under the Clinton Administration, under the North American Free Trade Agreement, to allow Mexican trucks full access to U.S. roadways beginning in 1995. As far as I can tell from my research, Mexico allowed the same access for U. S. truckers. Fair is fair! President Clinton negotiated and signed the agreement, and unless they start to pick and choose NAFTA clauses too, it's up to us to keep it. Congress, especially Democrats, must give in on this one. Mexico can take retaliatory action by placing very expensive tariffs on U.S. goods.

Who knew, but after Congress announced its intention to kill the program last week, Mexico said it would increase tariffs on 90 industrial and agricultural goods, likely to include politically sensitive farm products. John Deere and the rest of agricultural America are already hanging by a thread. Congress can be so stupid some times.

You see, Mexico was smart and thought ahead by obtaining a judicial ruling in 2001 under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) allowing it to impose sanctions, so Congress is playing with fire - an especially hot fire during this horrible JOB KILLING recession. How can you weigh the Teamsters against the farm workers? It doesn't work that way. We have to find a better solution.

We cannot afford sanctions from one of our LARGEST TRADING PARTNERS at this time! It's too risky for rural America. Thousands of jobs are at risk. (Btw, screw you Republicans who accuse me of being a West Coast elitist. I do care about the red states too, even if they don't know how to vote properly.)

The sanctions, which Mexican officials say are set to be imposed later this week, will be one of the largest acts of retaliation against US exports. US goods exports to Mexico totalled $151.5 BILLION last year. On Monday, Gerardo Ruíz Mateos, Mexico’s economy minister, said: “We believe that the action taken by the US is wrong, protectionist and in clear violation of NAFTA.”

The White House and U.S. trade representatives are supposedly examining all possible options, but but that won't help keep American JOBS when the Mexicans decide to make good on their threat. The only option is for Democrats to tell the unions that farm jobs are important too, and that sometimes one union has to BACK DOWN and try to solve this problem in a more creative win-win fashion - such as help the Mexicans improve their trucking industry, or negotiate benefits for our truckers in Mexico. There must be a better solution.

The Senate is considering a $410 billion House-passed spending bill that halts funding for the Mexican truck program. Two years ago, the Senate voted 74-24 to cut off the program's funding. Voting with the majority at the time were Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

Interestingly, now that George Bush is gone, Senate Republicans don't even plan to continue supporting the program. It makes you wonder whether they only supported the program to get the Hispanic vote in the first place - I assume they had the Southern trucker vote in the bag. That would be my guess. They're hard to figure out when it comes to this issue. They hate unions, yet they also don't like the idea of Mexican truckers taking American jobs. They're sort of schizophrenic on this one. Border state Republican nut job Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, who tried to keep the money flowing in 2007 on behalf of George Bush, is now giving up and moving on.

The really weird open question for me involves the union claim that Mexican trucks are unsafe. The unions are claiming that most Mexican trucks entering the US are run by so-called “drayage” operations that use older vehicles more likely to fail inspection tests. Scary, especially on wet roads!

However, it's still an open, and political, question because a study funded by the US Department of Transportation - under George "he lies too easily" Bush found that when comparing like with like, Mexican trucks were often safer than their US counterparts. Can we trust that report? My gut tells me no, but who knows. US trucks are run ragged and can look pretty rough sometimes. Regardless, the issue of truck safety is important and should still be resolved.

The Mexicans have been extraordinarily patient on this issue, and I think we need to address it for the good of the economy, for the Mexican and American worker, for the safety of American roads, and to stop a ridiculous new trade war. President Obama and Democratic leaders should come up with a big picture solution fast, and stop this before it gets any worse. They are our neighbors, our friends, and they deserve a reasonable solution.

Michael Boh
Papamoka's Left Coast Contributor
from Our Rants & Raves Blog

John McCain: Meet Your Fundamentals

Forest City is one of those places in western North Carolina that does not evoke images of much. Primarily because no one has ever heard of it. Nearby is Lake Lure and Chimney Rock, and that's about it. It is, however, a nice place to live; one of those "small towns" with matching "values" that the McCain campaign is quick to extoll, thanks to the Embarracuda, Sarah Palin.

There are no hockey moms or soccer moms. Maybe a bunch of Joe six-packs. It is the essence of what the Republican Party refers voters to when complaining about the evils of liberalism.

But....Forest City was also once a hub of textile activity. After NAFTA the area was devastated by plant closings. One by one the jobs (and machinery) made fast exits for China and Mexico. One remained however. National Textiles (Haynes Brand) still chugged along. In the Fall and Winter, one could see the plume of steam from the National Textiles plant rise in the clear sky. It was like the last candle burning on the cake.

Two weeks ago the evening shift was called together at 8 p.m. The plant was closing. The machinery was going to be relocated to Honduras. Good luck and don't let the door hit you on your unemployed ass. 500 people have been tossed onto the globalization bonfire, but that's small potatos, I guess. But in a small town, that's 500 families, 500 car payments, 500 mortgages. Anyone who has undergone this can relate to the rather implausible future that requires one to adjust from say $17.00 per hour at 40 hours a week to the Walmartized standard of $7.00 with no more than 32 hours a week.

This happened because of the 2005 Central American Free Trade Agreement, or CAFTA. So I did a little digging, and this bill passed with a razor thin margin in the House, and by a 55-45 vote in the Senate. The votes were as follows:

Voting in favor:

Elizabeth Dole (R-NC)
Richard Burr (R-NC)
JOHN McCAIN (R-AZ)

Voting against:

Barack Obama (D-IL)
Joe Biden (D-DE)

Now maybe the adults among those 500 families, tossed into the wilderness by the above votes, will go for McCain because Sarah Palin is cute; winks good, and promises "change." They may, as is the pattern, fall for the "re-education required" to get themselves "decent" jobs in the future. And hey, they are part of the strong "fundamentals" that McCain/Palin insist are strong.

Three weeks from the election and they are getting all the "education" they need. And it's real simple:

Their votes are needed to stop "radicals" like Obama and Biden from winning this election. After that, they won't be needed for anything.

Duke of Madness

Originally posted at Duke of Madness

Texas and Ohio Debate Cook Off

Hillary Clinton is running for the exits with her latest political strategy of attacking the new and improved Teflon Don Obama. Barack Obama will gain no ground on attacking the American version of the Iron Lady Prime Minister Thatcher that is Hillary Clinton. In the political cook book of Presidential politics there are way too many cooks in the kitchen and in that respect to0 many people in both campaigns tossing everything they have into the pot. When the original recipe called for boiling some water, adding plans to change America, debate plans, and simmer and allow public opinion to decide. Clinton and Obama are adding one too many Emeril-eske Bam’s (No offense Emeril) to this recipe! The end result is that the political dogs may sleep well with a full belly, the rest of us will be reaching for the Pepto Bismol or Alka Seltzer.

What you get with all of those unnecessary Emeril-eske Bam’s (Sorry Emeril) is fodder for the McCain political machine to pick up and run with come the general election. Just a note of interest, Karl Rove is in fact a political donor to the John McCain for President campaign. Don’t kid yourself, if a woman or a black man wins the nomination for President that the Republican war machine with its tap on hundreds of millions of corporate dollars will not pull any punches to get their man elected to the White House. When both of these Democrats are making Healthcare, Education, ending the war in Iraq and Energy consumption the base of their platform then that is the call to arms for Republican big business donors. That is the Republican pocket book in the nutshell. Do not pass Go, do not collect $2oo Billion dollars.

Having watched one clip after another it has been already decided by the main stream media that Hillary Clinton is done. I was not shocked to see it on many of the networks at how they all posed Senator Clinton in a negative light. MSNBC and Chris Matthews pretty much made toast of Senator Clinton. Keith Olberman continued the bashing relentlessly. With her message at most of her campaign stops more or less telling voters that Barack Obama is not the second coming of JFK or Jesus Christ and in doing so she lost some appeal to moderate voters. Attacking the issues is fine and good politics, attacking your opponent on the fact that he is a better public speaker comes off shallow and resentful. “The sky will open up, the celestial choir will begin to sing”… not getting it Hillary, not buying it. That was the MSNBC spin.

On February 26th, MSNBC is hosting the debate in Ohio with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. This is the Iron Chef debate where one of them is in the cook off of their life and the other has the latest Teflon pan set that pretty much tosses the sticky stuff out of the pan and at the opposing Chef. Hopefully, the viewers and voters will get to see a real debate on the issues and not another damn love fest.

What would ultimately be best for the Democrat Party is that both candidates of course debate their plans but stipulate the differences with their own plans and what Senator John McCain does not have to offer? Sell that and the Democrat political base will not be lost in the food fight of who can bake a better damn Health Care roast! Now that is a Papamoka Bam! (Sorry Emeril)

Papamoka

Cross posted at MichaelLinnJones.com and Bring IT ON!

Feel free to link to this post or borrow it.

Del.icio.us Tags:
Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Democrat, Political Bickering, Politics, MSNBC, President, Primary Vote Texas, Primary Vote Ohio, Elections, McCain, Barack, Hillary, Bill Clinton, Michel Obama, African Pictures, South Carolina, Clean Campaign, Campaign, RNC, DNC, White House, Food Network, BAM, Health Care, Ohio Debate, Debate in Ohio, MSNBC Ohio Debate, Olberman, Chris Matthews, Brian Williams Host, Texas Democrats, Ohio Democrats, Electing a President