U.S. won't reopen NAFTA for now: ambassador

[Newsjock]

Source: CBC News

The new U.S. ambassador to Canada says Washington believes the North American Free Trade Agreement is working well.

David Jacobson told a crowd of business leaders in Montreal on Wednesday that the U.S. has no immediate plans to reopen NAFTA.

... Jacobson said talks are underway to resolve Canada's concerns over protectionist Buy American policies.



Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/10/21/quebec-us-ambassador-jacobson-buy-american-nafta.html

[saracat]

1. How nice for us. The unemployed in the US may beg to differ.

[Indydem]

2. More change to believe in...

God damn bill of goods we were sold...

[Oregone]

3. LOL

Remember this hub-bub from the primaries?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/03/obama-denies-assuring-can_n_89539.html

[pampango]

4. And the EU is expanding their free trade zone, now 27 countries and 500 million people.

The US already had a free trade agreement with Canada in effect before NAFTA which, along with the "giant sucking sound" references, means that we're really talking about Mexico and its economic effect on the US.

Our trade deficit with Mexico is dwarfed by that with China, OPEC and the EU among others. We have those larger trade deficits with a developing country with a huge manufacturing sector (China), a collection of oil-exporting countries (OPEC), and a group of mostly developed countries (EU). And Mexico is hardly undergoing the social and economic change that is occurring in China. To focus on Mexico (well it's "NAFTA" that people refer to, but Mexico that they mean) as responsible for our economic problems is inaccurate.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

5. Free trade with Canada has never been a problem,

Free Trade between Canada and the US began in 1965 under the Autopact agreement which eliminated tariffs on most motor vehicles and related components or products. It harmed nobody and I bet most auto workers have never heard of it.

Unfortunately the first, last and only president who had a vision for "free trade between equals" was LBJ!