Statement Of Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich On The FTAA Ministerial Meeting In Miami
The following is a press release from November 18, 2003, by Kucinich's office in Congress
***
Statement Of Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich
On The FTAA Ministerial Meeting In Miami
Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH), Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, issued the following statement today on the FTAA ministerial meeting currently taking place in Miami, Florida:
“The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) is wrong headed, and it will be harmful.
“It will impose a single set of terms and conditions for trade in the western hemisphere that will resemble NAFTA.
“That is cause for alarm, since NAFTA caused a reversal of the US’ trade balance with Mexico. Before NAFTA, the US exported more to Mexico than it imported from Mexico. After NAFTA, US companies shuttered their manufacturing plants in the US, and then relocated to Mexico, where they manufactured for export to the US. As a result, many Americans lost their jobs, and many more were threatened with the loss of their jobs unless they agreed to wage and benefit reductions.
“FTAA will also put limits on the ability of elected representatives to legislate consumer and other protections. The current draft establishes a bias against regulations in the public interest, such as safety, equity, and environmental quality.
“FTAA will also have a chilling effect on essential public services, such as drinking water. FTAA would establish a bias in favor of privatizing essential public services. Experience with privatization has demonstrated that costs rise for consumers. This has an especially hard impact on people with low incomes.
“These results are, of course, deeply unpopular. The FTAA negotiations are largely closed to members of the public or representatives of popular organizations. Corporations and their attorneys, on the other hand, have ample access to the negotiators. As a result, non-violent protests and teach-ins are the only mechanism for people to express their dissatisfaction with the FTAA. I stand on their side.”
Subscribe to this blog's feed