Don't Be Fooled By Last-Minute CAFTA Pitches

Corporate America and its congressional/White House shills are turning up the heat in their efforts to pass the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). The pact is expected to come up for a vote in the next few weeks - and so far, it appears that lawmakers of both parties have the votes to defeat this atrocity. But, as the debate over NAFTA shows, lots of bad things can happen at the end. The first thing I would suggest a Democrat do before supporting CAFTA is go pick up a copy of John R. MacArthur's "The Selling of Free Trade." Short of that, take a look at these three bullets about how dishonest the key pro-CAFTA myths are:

DON'T BE FOOLED BY PROMISES OF SIDE AGREEMENTS: The Hill Newspaper reports Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) is warning lawmakers not to put faith in side agreements reached with the administration in the days leading up to a vote. Remember, these were the same kinds of side agreements the Clinton administration promised would make NAFTA better for American workers. Take a look at this study from UCLA and this other report to see just how hollow those side agreements turned out to be. They were nothing more than a way to feign support for workers and the environment, without really doing anything serious.

DON'T BE FOOLED BY ETHNIC APPEALS: The Bush administration is trying to convince Hispanic members of Congress that CAFTA is good for Latin America. Again, this is the same malarkey that was peddled during the NAFTA debate. But look no further than this Boston Globe piece to know that these corporate-written free trade deals are not only destructive to the American economy, but also to our trading partners' economy. As the Globe notes "Mexican workers struggle to find NAFTA benefits." The Economic Policy Institute backs up that article, noting "compensation and working conditions for most Mexican workers have deteriorated" since NAFTA as "the share of stable, full-time jobs has shrunk." There is absolutely no evidence to show that the same exact thing will happen in Central America. Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA) of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus voted in 1994 for NAFTA, but now admits these kinds of deals will launch a "race to the bottom" unless the trading partners are held to wage and labor standards.

DON'T BE FOOLED BY CLAIMS THIS DEAL WILL HELP AVERAGE AMERICANS: Anyone who claims this deal is good for average Americans is lying through their teeth. This deal is about one thing and one thing only: opening up a cheap labor colony for big corporations to exploit poor working conditions, low wages, and lax environmental regulations. And Big Business is basically admitting that. Fox News reports that one top trade group said they are pushing the deal because "manufacturers in our nation are clearly burdened with extra costs...because of regulations we are required to follow." He was referring to those annoying things like basic health care and workers' compensation – things that business wants to be able to avoid by going to places that have no regulations, or being able to threaten American workers with exporting their jobs. The same thing goes with farmers. This deal is a complete disaster for ordinary American farmers.

CAFTA will be a key test for Democrats. Is the party going to continue listening to a wealthy cadre of New York bankers/corporate lobbyists and support this corporate giveaway? Or, is the party going to start going back to being a true party of the working class and stand with average Americans in opposition?