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Mexican Trucking Program Tied
to North American Union
Dana Gabriel
Stop
Lying.ca
Thursday September 6, 2007
Many ideas and decisions being made now don't make a lot of
sense unless you view them with the understanding that the goal
is to further merge Mexico, the U.S, and Canada, How else would
you account for the lack of immigration enforcement, the push
for total amnesty, and open borders. Mexican long haul trucks
being granted full access to U.S. roads under a demonstration
program is part of the NAFTA commitment. It is also part of a
bigger agenda which includes the construction of a superhighway
and the creation of a North American Union. It's about reducing
costs and increasing profits for the global elite and multinational
corporations at the expense of our middle class, safety, security,
and sovereignty.
Under NAFTA, Mexican trucks should have already been granted
full access to the U.S., but it was then president Bill Clinton
who restricted them to a 25 mile commercial zone because of safety
concerns. Many safety issues still exist today despite assurances
by the Department of Transportation that all Mexican trucks will
be pre-screened before crossing the border. The Teamsters Union
and others don't believe that the pilot project has complied with
all the congressional requirements that were to be met. In an
effort to try and block the program, the Teamsters along with
Public Citizen and the Sierra Club filed suit. The 9th U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals has refused to temporarily block the demonstration
program which could begin as early as September 6.
(Article continues below)
Many feel that all the safety issues have not been addressed
or resolved, and what they are simply asking for is that Mexican
trucks and drivers meet the same requirements as their American
counterparts. Teamsters Union spokesperson Leslie Miller said,
“Just because we have a free trade agreement doesn't mean
people can come to our country and do business in a way that doesn't
meet our standards.” Mexico lacks any effective safety standards
for their drivers or trucks and has no reliable national criminal
or driving database. They also have no accurate drug or alcohol
policy in place and no certified testing facility. Also worrisome
is that these same drivers and trucks will be granted access across
the border in as little as 15 seconds as part of the U.S. Customs
and Border Protection's Free and Secure Trade System. Teamsters
president James Hoffa said of the pilot project, “We believe
this program clearly breaks the law. We will continue to fight
for safety and national security in the courts and in the Congress.”
There are to be 100 Mexican trucking companies participating
in this pilot program, which is scheduled to last one year. In
light of the time constraints and the number of trucks involved
in the program, it may not serve as an adequate assessment of
possible safety, security, and environmental concerns. Josh Dorner
of the Sierra Club said, “There isn't enough evidence that
the proposed pilot program will yield statistically valid results.”
In this whole process, the stumbling block for some was the condition
that American trucks be granted the same access to Mexico, and
it appears as if new rules have been implemented to make this
become a reality. A big concern of mine has always been when this
program becomes fully implemented and they attempt to make it
permanent, it could put thousands of American truckers out of
work and severely undercut wages. This demonstration program is
part of NAFTA and the corporate NAU agenda of further opening
up our borders.
Millions of dollars is being spent upgrading deep water ports
on Mexico's Pacific coast. The goal is to have more Chinese containers
entering the U.S. from Mexico and to have them unloaded by cheap
labor and avoid ports in Los Angeles and Long Beach. Texas ports
in Houston and Corpus Christi are also expected to see an increased
flow of containers from China. The Texas Department of Transportation
has designs of tying in the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) with these
ports. The TTC is to be the first leg of a NAFTA Superhighway,
and having new infrastructure in place will save costs and give
China full access to the continental United States.
The Bush administration has said that any more delays in allowing
Mexican trucks full access to the U.S could strain diplomatic
relations with Mexico. It shouldn't be surprising that benefits
to other countries and multinational corporations would come before
our safety and best interests. In an effort to bypass union longshoremen
on the West coast, Mexican ports are being upgraded and will allow
for more Chinese goods to enter the U.S. cheaper and faster. Don't
think for a second that these savings will be passed on to consumers
as this is another measure to ensure big corporate profits. James
Hoffa stated, “They basically want to erase all the borders.
This is big business that wants to be able to run stuff out of
Mexico, which is much cheaper, into Canada and into the United
States.” It's all about having open borders to allow for
the freer flow of goods and cheap labor and this cross-border
program is yet another step towards a North American Union.
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