The WiscoTrader
Providing fair trade news and views you won't find in mainstream media.
April 6th 2005 ~ Issue 7 ~ CAFTA: We Don't Hafta.
Online issues available at www.wiscotrader.org
Take Action
Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance,
announced
a committee hearing on the United States-Dominican Republic-Central
America
Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) for Wednesday, April 13. It is rumored that
the House Ways and Means Committee will also hold a hearing the same day.
These will address "general issues" of CAFTA, and do not include the basic
"mock-mark-up" activities needed for CAFTA implementing legislation to be
finalized. This hearing was rescheduled from the original April 6th date.
Put simply, free traders are stalling, probing for votes, and they don't
yet
have them. We need your help to continue the crucial fight to defeat
CAFTA.
Call your Congressional Representatives on April 13th, thank them for
opposing CAFTA, and encourage them to publicly come out against it. Be
sure
to leave your address, and ask for a response.
.. Wisconsin delegation contact info is at www.wiscotrader.org/action.htm
.. To find out who represents you in Congress visit to
www.house.gov/writerep/
The Good: Governor Declines to Sign New Trade Agreements
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski has refused a request from the U.S. Trade
Representative to commit his state to the terms of new trade agreements
now
being finalized with Panama and the Andean countries of Columbia, Ecuador
and Peru. As is the case with all trade agreements, states must consent to
be bound by provisions that would affect their purchases of products and
services.
In a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, dated March 22,
Gov. Kulongoski wrote: "I understand that the American economy has evolved
into a global economy and that trade agreements are a necessity. But these
trade agreements must include provisions that guarantee fair trade.
Accordingly, Oregon will evaluate whether to participate in trade
agreements
on a case by case basis using a fair trade standard for each analysis.
Given
these requirements, Oregon will not be participating in the Panama and
Andean FTAs."
Wary states are resisting free-trade deals as the Bush administration
tries
to persuade local governments to open up contracts to foreign competition.
State officials are concerned the deals, with a growing list of countries,
will erode their sovereignty and ability to set wage, environmental, "Buy
American" and other standards in taxpayer-funded contracts.
The Bad: Gambling with States Rights
Antigua Anticipates Favorable Ruling on Gambling Issue
The small nation of Antigua and Barbuda could successfully expand gambling
in America on April 7th when the World Trade Organization's (WTO) trade
ruling is announced. If the original November 2004 WTO ruling is upheld,
the US will face compliance issues requiring our US government to allow
more
online gaming rather than simply prohibiting it altogether.
The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), led by Utah State
Representative Sheryll Allen, wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Peter
Allgeier regarding the WTO appellate decision. You can find the letter by
clicking here. Briefing materials on the case are also available by
clicking here.
The Ugly: Pretty Shirty - Imports increase 1,258 % in 3 months
On Friday, the US Department of Commerce released preliminary figures
showing that through March, U.S. imports of Chinese textiles and clothing
spiked 63 percent. The numbers also showed that shipments of knit shirts
from China increased 1,258 percent in the first three months of this year,
compared to the same period last year, while shipments of cotton pants
were
up by 1,521 percent.
Those increases threaten jobs across the country. For example, in the
Carolinas Springs Industries closed two plants and will close two more,
eliminating 1,240 jobs. Home-furnishings competitor WestPoint Stevens in
January said it would cut 1,905 jobs as it shuttered Carolinas operations.
Related: US to Curb Chinese textile imports
China slammed US efforts to reimplement quotas on Chinese textile imports
as
an unfair and unreasonable move running counter to trade liberalization
and
smacking of protectionism.
Related: Cambodia's sales pitch: Sweatshop-free products
Cambodia is seeking to become the rare Third World country to develop
economically while treating workers reasonably well. "The really big
question is: Do consumers care?"
Cambodia's sweatshop-free sales pitch is laser-focused on U.S. buyers. Gap
is the Southeast Asian country's largest customer.
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WFTC ~3129 Hermina Street Suite ~Madison WI 53714
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