My Congressman Opposes CAFTA!

As many of you know, the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) contains sections related to something called CODEX ALIMENTARIUS --- which is legislation that seeks to remove our dietary supplements and herbal alternative therapies. If this passes the U.S. House of Representatives, we will have to get a doctor's prescription to buy over-the-counter Vitamin C, and many other vitamins and minerals that are part of our daily lives . . .

I wrote a letter to my Congressman Brian Higgins (27th District NY) and was surprised at the reply that he sent.

In the text below, I have identified myself as Mr. Kentroversy. However, this is NOT how Rep. Higgins addresses me in his letter, which is duplicated below.

I received this reply on July 18, 2005:


July 13, 2005

Mr. Kentroversy
14 ----- -----
Buffalo, New York ----- - ----

Dear Mr. Kentroversy:

Thank you for contacting me in opposition to the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). I appreciate hearing your views on this important issue, and share your concerns about the impact that such a treaty would have on jobs, labor rights, and the environment. I do not support CAFTA in its' present form, and hope you will accept my apologies for the delay in my response.

President Bush signed the United States-Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade agreement on August 5, 2004. This measure, which is now pending ratification before Congress, promotes trade liberalization among the United States, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. CAFTA is an inequitable agreement that will hurt families and workers not only in our country, but across Central America.

This treaty is an expansion of broken trade policy that would affect developed and developing countries alike. While the agreement would lower barriers among ratifying nations, it would not adequately raise labor-management or environmental standards in order to level the playing field and make free trade among these nations truly fair.

Since the North American Free Trade Act (NAFTA) was ratified in 1993, our nation has lost over 500,000 jobs to exploited Mexican workers who work in poor conditions and do not receive sufficient wages for their effort. Like NAFTA, CAFTA fails to comply with international labor standards and fails to enforce fair labor practices. In fact, the agreement only requires participating nations to comply with their own domestic labor laws, many of which are extremely inadequate within Central America.

In addition, Central America is a region that is rich in biodiversity. Unfortunately, CAFTA does little to address the urban pollution, costal contamination and deforestation that would threaten this unique environment without proper development policies. Any industrail development spurred by CAFTA would take place without sufficient environmental safeguards.

I am proud to come from a family that boasts a rich history of organized labor. I believe that workers in all nations have the right to earn an honest wage for their honest work. I do not support CAFTA because through it, our country would turn its back on its tradition of win-win growth through strong employee-management relations. CAFTA would cause lose-lose economics where workers' voices would be silenced, natural environments would be destroyed, and American jobs would be threatened.

Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. Please rest assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind. I hope you will not hesitate to contact me again in the future, if I may be of further assistance on this or any other matter.

Sincerely,



Brian Higgins
Member of Congress
New York-27

CAFTA

free trade

globalism