Nancy Peolsi wants to bailout GM. Before President Bush signs off on any bailouts for the auto industry, he should insist that the Democrats and the unions that support their elections and reelections should unblock the presidents, and the business community, strong desire to sign free trade agreements (FTA's) with Columbia. Peolsi was able to shelve all FTA's succumbing to strong pressure from the unions who felt that especially Columbia's President Uribe wasn't doing enough to protect his unions.
President Uribe, a friend of the U.S., (we don't have that many, we started losing them more rapidly under Democrat President Johnson, read robert Shaplen, "The Road From War - Vietnam 1965-70) has been battling the terrorist and narcotic dealing FARC supported by Chavez ever since his election in 2002. Pelosi, playing politics as usual in kow-towing to the unions before the November election, blocked all FTA's including South Korea and Panama. Uribe's government has had considerable success in protecting the union and it's organizers but not enough to satisfy the Pelosi gang. Now that that the Democrats and Obama has won, Obama should move to sign these "Pelosi shelved" FTA's. If the Pelosi, Obama and the union gang, (hereafter I'm referring to them as the POUG's.) want to stick the taxpayers with an auto industry bailout, the bailout of union greed and weak GM management, should only happen if President Bush insists on a vote of the outstanding FTA's with Columbia, South Korea, and Panama.
more than ever in this economy, U.S. exporters need every new market they can find. Caterpillar, a major producer and exporter of off-highway trucks, motor graders, bulldozers and wheel loaders is organized by the UAW. To export an off-highway truck to Columbia adds a 15% tariff or $200,000.00 each. More Cat D-11 bulldozers operate in Columbia than in any country in the world, yet Cat has to pay a 5% tariff on bulldozers imported to Columbia. Overlooked by the POUG's is that our countries manufacturers and exporters are facing increasing competition from other exporters of heavy equipment like Canada and the European Union, both who are doing their own FTA's with Columbia.
What part of "cutting off your nose to spite your face" doesn't the POUG get?
I suggest that now is the time for the POUG to set politics aside for awhile and think practicably about what will actually work to move the economy forward at the same time signaling to the world the willingness to work with all peoples.
Wasn't that was a trademark of the recent Obama campaign promises? Or will all the promises he made, and they are legion, kill capitalism and further promote protectionism, unionism, populism and socialism?
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