Democrats Resist Obama On Colombia Free Trade Agreement
The Obama Administration is pushing Democrats in Congress to pass a free trade agreement with the South American nation of Colombia. Democrats in Congress are pushing right back.
George Miller, U.S. Representative from California, spoke against the Colombia Free Trade Agreement yesterday, commenting,
“One of our most important responsibilities as elected officials is to promote and protect American jobs and American values. We do this by ensuring that those who receive trade preferences respect essential democratic rights. These are important rights: the right to speak out and protest, the right to organize unions and bargain collectively, and the right of citizens to support political efforts to improve their economic condition without reprisals.
Unfortunately, we see what happens when union members in Colombia try exercise their rights. Death squads are unleashed against union activists and human rights defenders; labor leaders are gunned down in broad daylight. This isn’t yesterday’s news. The intimidation and violence continue to this day.
This agreement does not fairly represent our Nation’s values, and it’s fundamentally unfair to America’s workers. They can’t compete with workers who face death squads for wanting better working conditions. They can’t compete with a country that continues to allow thousands of assassins to operate with impunity.”
Democrat Jan Schakowsky spoke against the agreement as well, explaining,
” The Labor Action Plan is not legally binding under the FTA before us. If violence and impunity continue, the United States will have no mechanism for delaying or halting implementation of the free trade agreement. The Labor Action Plan fails to require sustained, meaningful and measurable results. Once we enact the FTA, we lose any ability to force the Colombian Government to produce tangible change. Mr. Speaker, I do not support the NAFTA-style trade model illustrated in the three pending Bush-negotiated free trade agreements because so-called free trade has proven destructive to the American economy and harmful to workers both in the United States and abroad.”
While the points made above are valid, let’s see what NAFTA did for us – it’s been nearly 20 years, I think the jury can come back in. And the results are: NAFTA failed on every promise it made to American workers.
Vote NO on this. I’ve already contaced my House Rep and asked him to do so.
Spencer
Obama has lied as much if not more than any president in history but in a shorter period of time. This fool was once against free trade agreement with Columbia based on what was said by George Miller…..yet the foolish dumocrats keep voting for traitors like obuma…