President Bush's re-election
doesn't mean passage of the Central American Free Trade
Agreement (CAFTA) is inevitable. Preventing Congress
from approving this NAFTA-expansion to Central America
could invalidate the flawed trade model that has gutted
U.S. manufacturing, undermined environmental protections
and bankrupted family farms. Over the coming weeks, we
have the chance to be proactive in changing our nation's
trade policy, making real improvements in the lives of
workers, farmers and poor people in the United States
and around the world.
Though CAFTA was signed in May and the Bush
administration has said the agreement is one of its top
priorities, political concerns have kept President Bush
from submitting it to Congress - with no small thanks to
constituents who have already begun to put pressure on
their elected officials by expressing their opposition
to CAFTA. And that opposition
continues to build both in the U.S. and Central
America.
Because of this fierce opposition, the Bush
administration may try to railroad CAFTA through
Congress in the "Lame Duck" session beginning
November 15, because this is when Congresspeople think
they are least accountable to the people who elected
them. But we'll be watching! We already know that the
vote, whenever it happens, will be extremely close, and
the best way to keep the "retired" and
"fired" from deciding the fate of our trade
policy is to lock down enough opposition to ensure that
it won't come up for a vote. That's where you come in!
Congress needs to hear from you before Thanksgiving!
|
|
|