[Peace-discuss] CAFTA passed by 2

[Ricky Baldwin]

Folks-

CAFTA passed the house last night by two votes after
several Democrats showed their true colors and even
though several more Republicans disserted.  One
labor-oriented Internet activist group called it "the
best result we've ever had among Democrats on a trade
deal."

GOP against CAFTA:

Charles Boustany (La.), Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.).,
Howard Coble (N.C.), Barbara Cubin (Wyoming), Virginia
Foxx (N.C.), Scott Garrett (N.J.), Virgil Goode (Va.),
Gil Gutknecht (Minn.), John Hostettler (Ind.), Duncan
Hunter (Calif.), Bobby Jindal (La.), Walter Jones
(N.C.), Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), Connie Mack (Fla.),
Thaddeus McCotter(Mich.), Patrick McHenry (N.C.), John
McHugh (N.Y.), Candice Miller (Mich.), Robert Ney
(Ohio), Charlie Norwood (Ga.), Butch Otter (Idaho),
Ron Paul (Texas), Dennis Rehberg (Mont.), Rob Simmons
(Conn.), Mike Simpson (Idaho), Chris Smith (N.J.) and
Tom Tancredo (Colo.).

Dems for CAFTA:

Melissa Bean (Ill.), Jim Cooper (Tenn.), Henry Cuellar
(Texas), Norman Dicks (Wash.), Ruben Hinojosa (Texas),
William Jefferson (La.), Jim Matheson (Utah), Gregory
Meeks (N.Y.), Dennis Moore (Kan.), Jim Moran (Va.),
Solomon Ortiz  (Texas) , Ike Skelton (Mo.), Vic Snyder
(Ark.), John Tanner Tenn.) and Edolphus Towns (N.Y.). 

Here's a brief description I 'borrowed':

"CAFTA, which does not include protections for
workers’ right to form a union or safe work
conditions, is the first bilateral or regional
agreement the Bush administration has pushed since
fierce opposition from workers in North and South
America and their community allies stymied trade
ministers in November 2003 from consolidating the Free
Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). If approved, FTAA
would eliminate tariffs from 34 countries with a
population of more than 800 million. Negotiations on
FTAA were suspended for most of 2004 and trade
ministers have not met this year to discuss it.

"CAFTA would eliminate tariffs from the United States,
Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. It would extend to
Central America the disastrous job loss and
environmental damage caused by 11 years of the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). U.S. workers
lost more than 1 million jobs and real wages in Mexico
have fallen as a result of NAFTA in the past 11 years,
according to the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute."

You can send a quick letter here:

http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/3pz4sOY1rubo/

Or of course you can write your own.

I also think some letters to the editor would be in
order, if you haven't written one recently.

Ricky


		
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