NAFTA Provision To Go Into Effect- !00,000 U.S. Jobs At Risk

[PiKA2001]

I really don't think that this is a good time economically for Obama to try to destroy yet another industry. The kicker is that USDOT is giving these Mexican trucking companies grants to retrofit their trucks to meet U.S. safety and emissions standards..so they can take U.S jobs. You can't make this shit up. Was this part of Obama's Jobs Bill?

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/pol...ffort-to-stop/

[DeltaBetaBaby]

Yes, Obama is clearly responsible for the provisions of a trade agreement negotiated in 1994.

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by DeltaBetaBaby

Yes, Obama is clearly responsible for the provisions of a trade agreement negotiated in 1994.

A blocked provision that never went into effect until this year, courtesy of you know who. But honestly, do you really think this will be good for us?

http://mexicotrucker.com/en/nafta-co...mexican-trucks

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

A blocked provision that never went into effect until this year, courtesy of you know who.

Voldemort?

More accurate to say that this was a provision of NAFTA that has been in dispute for years for reasons of highway safety. It's always been part of the treaty and therefore since 1994 it's been the law of the land.

It was the Bush Administration that initiated a 2007 pilot program to allow Mexican trucks into the country, and it was the Obama Administration that pulled the plug on that in 2009 and directed the US Trade Representative to work with DOT, the State Department and Congress to try and find a way to address the issue.

If one wants to discuss whether it's a good idea or not, fine. But what's the purpose of making it the Horrible Obama Administration at its Evil Work again? This is an issue with bi-partisan positions on both sides.

[Mevara]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

I really don't think that this is a good time economically for Obama to try to destroy yet another industry. The kicker is that USDOT is giving these Mexican trucking companies grants to retrofit their trucks to meet U.S. safety and emissions standards..so they can take U.S jobs. You can't make this shit up. Was this part of Obama's Jobs Bill?

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/pol...ffort-to-stop/

Really why is it always about the Mexican's taking US jobs. Have you ever thought about what these treaties have done to Mexico's economy?

When NAFTA went into place it destroyed Mexico's agricultural industry putting TONS of people out of work. Since the US government subsidizes agriculture there was no way for Mexico to compete. We created our own problems!

[PiKA2001]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Voldemort?

More accurate to say that this was a provision of NAFTA that has been in dispute for years for reasons of highway safety. It's always been part of the treaty and therefore since 1994 it's been the law of the land.

It was the Bush Administration that initiated a 2007 pilot program to allow Mexican trucks into the country, and it was the Obama Administration that pulled the plug on that in 2009 and directed the US Trade Representative to work with DOT, the State Department and Congress to try and find a way to address the issue.

If one wants to discuss whether it's a good idea or not, fine. But what's the purpose of making it the Horrible Obama Administration at its Evil Work again? This is an issue with bi-partisan positions on both sides.

I never said Obama was horrible or evil but I am getting frustrated over his flip floppy policies. He pushes one issue to spur jobs, then turns around and pushes another issue that can potentially kill jobs. Clinton and Bush were able to stonewall this provision yet Obama seemed somewhat eager to get the ball rolling on it. It's been almost 20 years since NAFTA was introduced, we've seen what it's done to our manufacturing industry, do we really think it's a good idea to allow our trucking/logistics industry to suffer the same hardships?

Originally Posted by Mevara

Really why is it always about the Mexican's taking US jobs. Have you ever thought about what these treaties have done to Mexico's economy?

When NAFTA went into place it destroyed Mexico's agricultural industry putting TONS of people out of work. Since the US government subsidizes agriculture there was no way for Mexico to compete. We created our own problems!

I don't know, for some bizarre reason I can't explain I've always been more concerned with the U.S. economy over Mexico's....

But in all seriousness, yes NAFTA did hurt MX's agriculture industry but you have to remember that they experienced a huge growth to their manufacturing industry because of NAFTA. Most moved from the farms to the factories and the millions that were totally displaced just came into the U.S. anyway. It truly was the workers on both sides of the border that got the raw end.

-Not a fan of NAFTA in general

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

I never said Obama was horrible or evil but I am getting frustrated over his flip floppy policies. He pushes one issue to spur jobs, then turns around and pushes another issue that can potentially kill jobs. Clinton and Bush were able to stonewall this provision yet Obama seemed somewhat eager to get the ball rolling on it.

I was purposefully engaging in hyperbole. But Bush didn't stonewall the provision -- he tried to find way to implement it, or at least begin implementing it, so that Mexico wouldn't impose tariffs on US goods. Obama signed legislation effectively reinstating the moratorium on Mexian trucks, resulting in Mexican tariffs. The Department of Agriculture estimates that these tariffs cost US agriculture $2 billion. Like it or not, what the Obama administration is doing now is in response to pressure from the industries/interests hurt by those tariffs.

Here's the thing: When that history is ignored, when something that happens three years into the current administration is described as "eager to get the ball rolling" even when the same administration stopped the ball once, when this is couched as "Obama [trying] to destroy yet another industry," and particularly when this is called "a policy that never went into effect until this year, courtesy of you know who," I read that as "Bad Obama at it again."