[kellynla]

"There are a number of things that the Department of Transportation is involved in, in trying to maintain and ascertain and guarantee the safety of any trucks that are on U.S. highways?"

Another "Snow Job." And Tony, what about the millions and millions of CARS traveling our streets, roads and freeways? What is the D.O.T. doing to "make sure that they are safe?" Gezzzz...I don't know about any of the rest of you, but Tony's little daily "Snow Job" pressers won't be missed by me. The D.O.T. can't even handle the traffic on our freeways now! Well, we already have all of Mexico's criminals; we might as well have all their broken down trucks and bad drivers. Heck, Mexico needs some better way of shipping all those illegal drugs & illegal aliens to America now don't they. Expect the number of traffic accidents & deaths on our freeways to sky rocket next year. But then Tony Snow won't be around to come up with an answer for any of these problems when they arrive next year.

In a second question, Kinsolving asked: "Did the president, on May the 30th of last year, promise completion of 70 miles of border fencing by this coming September the 30th, when less than 20 miles of this fencing have reportedly been completed?"

Oh well, I feel safer already! Whether it's 80 or closer to 20, that means there's only NINETEEN HUNDRED MILES OF BORDER NOT YET FENCED...and they haven't even thought about the Canadian border! Whoever the GOP comes up with next year to run for POTUS, he/she better GUARANTEE that BOTH borders will be secured, ALL illegals will be deported and businesses who hire illegals fined or the party will find A LOT of people either staying at home come election day and/or voting for a third party candidate. Fred Thompson, are you paying attention?

[kellynla]

ping

[Norman Arbuthnot]

I hope Tony rejoins FR when he officially ends his tenure as Press Sec.

I want to see him defend some of these insane policies on FR and engage us in debate.

[Darkwolf377]

What’s even funnier is how now the Teamsters are wonderful folks to some around here. ;)

[Darkwolf377]

the Sierra Club and Teamsters to block the program

Bush = Bad, Sierra Club = Good

Yeah, I know, I know, build the wall, blah blah...

[Neu Pragmatist]

Exactly , one last “snow job” before he leaves. Thanks again Tony .....

[DTogo]

(11/2008 won't come soon enough for me!)

Agreed. And your opening comments nail it!

[rockinqsranch]

I was tinkering around in the search for Transportation Industry News earlier this evening and came across the following of which I excerpted only the latter part of the article as all the Hoffa stuff has been blown out all over the news already.

http://fleetowner.com/news/teamsters_border_block/

“...However, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters said the demonstration program closely followed the requirements established by Congress in 2002. She stressed that the Inspector General certified that the program substantially meets eight criteria addressing inspector training, inspection facilities, and the development of safety procedures.

According to Peters, DOT has invested $500 million since 1995 to modernize border safety facilities and hire and train the more than 500 federal and state inspectors who inspect trucks crossing the border every day.

“Fourteen years ago, the U.S. pledged to allow the free flow of commerce across the North American continent. Three U.S. presidents and the Congress have considered and ultimately supported NAFTA’s trucking provisions, while the Supreme Court rejected unanimously a challenge to the Department’s implementation of those provisions,” she said in testimony before Congress earlier this year.

Peters stressed that the border is not being “thrown open” to any and all Mexican carriers. Only 100 pre-certified carriers are participating in this program, which have undergone in-person safety audits to ensure they comply with U.S. safety regulations. DOT is also requiring all Mexican truck drivers participating in the program to hold a valid commercial driver’s license, comply with U.S. medical requirements, comply with all U.S. hours-of-service rules and be able to understand questions and directions in English.

Mexican truck companies that are allowed to participate in the program must have insurance with a U.S.-licensed firm and meet all U.S. safety standards, including drug and alcohol testing and – if they meet these stringent standards – are only allowed to make international pickups and deliveries.”

This excerpt answers some questions, but it doesn’t hit upon what I was searching for, so I’ll continue my quest. I’m trying to find anything I can about related actions to this opening of our borders to the Mexican truckers. For every action there is a reaction, or in the case of what I am searching for, a cause of action.

I recall beginning back in the early 1970’s (I’ve been Many years in the Container Shipping business) the grousing from Internationals of the expense of American Transportation beginning with Port costs. Theories abounded back then about how to utilize Mexican Ports and cut costs, but always the Truck and Rail Transportation dilemma in Mexico stalled any action.

Now with our borders open to Mexican Truckers, the International Ocean Cargo Container shipping Industry needn’t waste much more time removing their business from North American Ports to less costly Mexico do they.

All the theories of yore I heard bantered about now coming into play makes me curious as to the true source of this manipulation. My search for trade news continues.

[GiovannaNicoletta]

If I didn't know any better, I would think that this administration is the administration of more than one country.

I'm only going on their behavior and what they say, of course, and their desired policies, and what they fight for in the courts. If I didn't know any better, I'd really believe that George Bush had a lot more people to represent and work for than just Americans, and I'd think that President Bush was towing the line of more than one "Constitution".

Mere coincidence, I'm sure.

[Pelham]

Tony Snow never met an illegal alien he didn’t like, so no surprise he’s a fan of Mexican trucks.

Maybe he thinks American truckers make over $160,000 a year and can afford the price competition from Mexican drivers. Isn’t Snow quitting his job because he can’t get by on a meager $160,000?