can voters opposed CAFTA! Why, then, did roughly 80% of Congressional Republicans favor it? But we all know that the Washington insiders are completely out of touch with the American people and the Constitution. So, let's turn our attention to so-called "free trade agreements" and what they are all about, as well as how CAFTA was actually passed.

CAFTA and NAFTA are not simply agreements; rather, they set up authorities that trump federal, state, and local laws and constitutions. When our elected officials signed CAFTA into law, they signed over a piece of our sovereignty. The U.S. Constitution gives Congress and only Congress the power to regulate trade. NAFTA, on the other hand, sets up a tribunal to rule on all maters of trade. For example, one dispute between the state of Massachusetts and a Canadian real estate company was decided in the Massachusetts Supreme Court. The NAFTA tribunal, however, had different things in mind, and overruled the previous court decision. So, these are unconstitutional decision-making, power-wielding bodies that have no business in American affairs.

CAFTA and NAFTA will not/have not improved economic conditions in America; rather, they have (coupled with intrusive government) decimated the manufacturing base of many communities. Ask any American who lives in a community that has lost manufacturing jobs to Mexico, and you will likely get the same strong condemnation of NAFTA. NAFTA has clearly hurt the American economy. Our trade deficit is growing and our manufacturing base is disappearing. Not to mention the often-neglected fact that having foreign nations manufacturing all our goods is a national security risk. CAFTA will do the very same things to our economy that NAFTA has done.

CAFTA and NAFTA are not simply about economics; rather, they are about open borders and political union as part of the New World Order. As has been hidden in plain sight by the CFR, the economic union is only a stepping stone to the long-dreamed of political union. The stones are as follows: NAFTA then CAFTA then the FTAA then the Pan-American Union (and a regionalized world) then the UN or the New World Order (world government). The massive amounts of evidence supporting this assertion needs its own article. Suffice it to say that the CFR globalists have been open about their plans as well as their strategies, seeking to make an "end-run around national sovereignty, eroding it piece by piece" (Richard Gardner, CFR; in his piece "The Hard Road to World Order" in a 1974 issue of Foreign Affairs, the CFR's publication).

Finally, CAFTA was not passed fairly by the House; rather, immoral scheming got the CAFTA vote through. The Republicans, who are supposedly the "moral values" party, ought to be ashamed of themselves. The CAFTA vote was stolen, and is a total sham. As Kent Snyder of the Liberty Committee noted, CAFTA was defeated after its allotted 15-minute vote window. Unhappy with the results, the House broke the rules by keeping the vote alive for another hour. At the end of that vote, CAFTA had passed. Or did it? One of the two Congressmen who supposedly abstained from voting, North Carolina Republican, Charles Taylor, did vote "no" on CAFTA, but for some reason his vote didn't show up on the register.

In sum, CAFTA and NAFTA are surrounded by lies, misunderstandings, and misinformation on all sides. The average American, though, senses the danger in these phony free trade agreements. And, the Constitution prohibits them. It's time for a wake up call in Congress.

Click to join catapultthepropaganda

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/catapultthepropaganda/join

CAFTA passage sparks job fears

Engler pushes trade pact, but critics say deal could hurt auto workers, state sugar beet farmers.

http://prisonplanet.com/articles/august2005/030805jobfears.htm Louis Aguilar/The Detroit News | August 3 2005

When President Bush signed a free trade pact Tuesday with six Latin American countries, he was flanked by supporters, including John Engler, head of the National Association of Manufacturers and former governor of Michigan.

Bush said the Central American Free Trade Agreement would "advance peace and prosperity in the region."

Engler told reporters that the measure was a "win-win" situation.

But the ceremony belies the fierce battle CAFTA has sparked over the future of U.S. trade policy and the bitter opposition from many Michigan players, including labor unions such as the United Auto Workers and sugar beet farmers from western Michigan.

CAFTA eliminates $33 billion in tariffs on goods traded between the United States and Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. That includes a 30 percent auto tariff in El Salvador and an average 11 percent tariff on autos and parts in the other nations.

Critics contend the pact sets a dangerous tone for upcoming trade agreements with Thailand, Argentina and Brazil, which they say could threaten tens of thousands of jobs in Michigan and other U.S. states.

"This wasn't about free trade-against -protectionism," said Sen. Carl Levin, a Democrat who voted against CAFTA.

"But trade has to be expanded in the right way and CAFTA is exactly the wrong way. It doesn't protect the rights of workers overseas and it encourages a race to the bottom in wages."

Michigan exported $35.6 billion in goods to the world in 2004, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, but the CAFTA nations represented a small slice of that market -- about $125 million.

The UAW and other labor groups contend CAFTA doesn't adhere to an international standard of workers' rights set by the World Trade Organization that advocates the right to organize and prevents child labor and discrimination.

While the UAW doesn't expect significant job loss of auto workers as a result of CAFTA, upcoming trade agreements with Thailand, Argentina and Brazil could have "tremendous impact on Michigan workers," said Alan Reuther, UAW legislative director.

"Thailand is the second largest producer of pickup trucks. Argentina and Brazil have auto facilities. We can get flooded with products and tens of thousands of jobs could be affected," Reuther said.

Michigan's sugar beet industry, which contributes an estimated $115 million to the state economy, is sour on CAFTA because of fears it will result in a surge of cheaper sugar. Other Michigan commodities were expected to benefit, including beef, dairy and soybeans, according to the American Farm Bureau.

Rep. Candice Miller, R-Harrison Township, whose district represents many sugar beet farmers, voted against CAFTA despite provisions that limited the amount of imported sugar.

Bush remained steadfast in his support of CAFTA Tuesday.

"The best way, as far as I'm concerned, to make sure we continue to have sustained economic growth is to promote trade that is fair for the folks here at home and that is leveling the playing field," he told reporters.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------