Senate votes to ban Mexican trucks

AP via Yahoo! News ^ | Sep. 11, 2007 | Suzanne Gamboa

[ruination]

WASHINGTON - The Senate voted Tuesday to ban Mexican trucks from U.S. roadways, rekindling a more than decade-old trade dispute with Mexico.

By a 74-24 vote, the Senate approved a proposal by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., prohibiting the Transportation Department from spending money on a North American Free Trade Agreement pilot program giving Mexican trucks access to U.S. highways.

The proposal is part of a $106 billion transportation and housing spending bill that the Senate hopes to vote on later this week. The House approved a similar provision to Dorgan's in July as part of its version of the transportation spending bill.

Supporters of Dorgan's amendment argued the trucks are not yet proven safe. Opponents said the U.S. is applying tougher standards to Mexican trucks than to Canadian trucks and failing to live up to its NAFTA obligations.

Until last week, Mexican trucks were restricted to driving within a commercial border zone that stretched about 20 miles from the U.S.-Mexican boundary, 75 miles in Arizona. One truck has traveled deep into the U.S. interior as part of the pilot program.

Blocking the trucks would help Democrats curry favor with organized labor, an important ally for the 2008 presidential elections.

"Why the urgency? Why not stand up for the (truck) standards that we've created and developed in this country?" Dorgan asked.

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who drafted a Republican alternative to Dorgan's amendment, said the attempt to block the trucks appeared to be about limiting competition and may amount to discrimination against Mexico.

"I would never allow an unsafe truck on our highways, particularly Texas highways," he said.

Under NAFTA, Mexico can seek retaliation against the U.S. for failing to adhere to the treaty's requirements, including retaining tariffs on goods that the treaty eliminates, said Sidney Weintraub, a professor emeritus at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs in Austin.

The trucking program allows up to 100 Mexican carriers to send their trucks on U.S. roadways for delivery and pickup of cargo. None can carry hazardous material or haul cargo between U.S. points.

So far, the Department of Transportation has granted a single Mexican carrier, Transportes Olympic, access to U.S. roads after a more than decade-long dispute over the NAFTA provision opening up the roadways.

One of the carrier's trucks crossed the border in Laredo, Texas last week and delivered its cargo in North Carolina on Monday and was expected to return to Mexico late this week after a stop in Decatur, Ala.

The transportation bill is S. 1789.

[NapkinUser]

Free traitors deeply saddened.

[Cinnamon]

omg the Senate found its backbone!!

[mdefranc]

Teamster thugs elated.

[SergeiRachmaninov]

omg the Senate found its backbone!!

Sounds to me like they found their pollsters (for which I am grateful).

[George W. Bush]

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who drafted a Republican alternative to Dorgan's amendment, said the attempt to block the trucks appeared to be about limiting competition and may amount to discrimination against Mexico.

Hopefully, the voters of Texas will remember this and discriminate against Cornyn at his next primary election.

[gondramB]

I am under the impression that this is a treaty requirement.

[Jean S]

Blocking the trucks would help Democrats curry favor with organized labor, an important ally for the 2008 presidential elections.

Yep.

[F15Eagle]

By a 74-24 vote, the Senate approved a proposal by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., prohibiting the Transportation Department from spending money on a North American Free Trade Agreement pilot program giving Mexican trucks access to U.S. highways.

Thank God. Yesterday we were being told how this was just a useless do-nothing act. Hmmmmmm......

[Man50D]

omg the Senate found its backbone!!

They found in the pressure from constituents.

[DoughtyOne]

I loathe unions, but if those teamsters are U.S. Citizens and work in the United States, they sure as hell get my vote to work over foreign nationals.

[Cinnamon]

‘Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who drafted a Republican alternative to Dorgan’s amendment, said the attempt to block the trucks appeared to be about limiting competition and may amount to discrimination against Mexico.’

yeah. I hope Texas voters discriminate him, and vote someone with country-first views in his place.

[greyfoxx39]

Ping

[greyfoxx39]

Ping

[FoxInSocks]

may amount to discrimination against Mexico

In two words: who cares? Does Mexico have civil rights under the Constitution?

[greyfoxx39]

Ping

[Man50D]

None can carry hazardous material or haul cargo between U.S. points.

Except illegal aliens, terrorists and their WMD's.

[TomGuy]

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who drafted a Republican alternative to Dorgan's amendment, said the attempt to block the trucks appeared to be about limiting competition and may amount to discrimination against Mexico.

That statement is apparently in error.


Corrected version:

Sen. John Cornyn, R-TexasMexico, who drafted a Republican alternative to Dorgan's amendment, said the attempt to block the trucks appeared to be about limiting competition and may amount to discrimination against Mexico.

[Cinnamon]

my bad my bad.

’ Sen. John Cornyn, R-Mexico, who drafted a Republican alternative to Dorgan’s amendment, said the attempt to block the trucks appeared to be about limiting competition and may amount to discrimination against Mexico.’

corrected :)

[savedbygrace]

Teamster thugs elated.

Yeah, but they're OUR Teamster thugs.

[greyfoxx39]

WOW....first time I ever saw a TRIPLE PING! Sorry everyone.
bsco, I’m afraid to put your name into the To: line

[jedward]

Junior, Earl and Earl Jr. are proud!

[F15Eagle]

if those teamsters are U.S. Citizens and work in the United States, they sure as hell get my vote to work over foreign nationals.

Thank you. I keep wondering where people think the money to pay the $9 trillion deficit ($9,010,438,701,838.81) is going to come from if all Americans are working for $5/hr? (of course it will never be paid anyways, imho).

http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

[ruination]

I’d like to point out that the parenthetical commentary wasn’t entered by me.

[Cinnamon]

I agree. They are our Unions, exercising their rights as free Americans.

[Bahbah]

LOL.

[AnimalLover]

bttt

[mdefranc]

Why oppose competition?

Why assume someone born here is of necessity superior to someone not so fortunate as to their birthplace?

[jedward]

;)

[bcsco]

This is a ping list promoting Immigration Enforcement and Congressional Reform.
If you wish to be added or removed from this ping list, please contact me.

[Jedidah]

John Cornyn is one of the good guys. You may disagree with him on this point, but it would be a serious loss were he to leave office.

[Toddsterpatriot]

The Senate voted Tuesday to ban Mexican trucks from U.S. roadways

If we can't let Mexican trucks into the country, what idiot believes that we're just going to merge with Mexico (and Canada)? Oh, right, Corsi. LOL!

[Cinnamon]

it’s called putting your country first. Keeping in mind who wields the power. The People.

[Jean S]

Bravo Teamsters! Bravo Democrats!

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1847293/posts
Is Congress Trying to Dodge a Lawsuit on Immigration? - Vanity

[nitzy]

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who drafted a Republican alternative to Dorgan's amendment, said the attempt to block the trucks appeared to be about limiting competition and may amount to discrimination against Mexico.

definition of discriminate: to recognize or perceive the difference

It is about time we perceived the difference between Mexico and the United States.

[jedward]

Are you saying that is not the title you entered? Someone changed it?

[Regulator]

BTW, can we get a weather status check from hell?

Apparently it's snowing.

[Regulator]

Goody

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

A rare moment of common sense erupts in the Senate!

[shield]

Exactly...it’s the teamster’s...nothing more than support for the UNIONS.....

[NapkinUser]

Are you saying that is not the title you entered? Someone changed it?

I don't know who changed it, but the "curry favor with organized labor" part was not there originally. The moderators here recently have been editorializing in the threads and titles (see the more recent Ron Paul threads), so maybe it's the same thing here? Just a guess. I don't really know.

[AmericanInTokyo]

I will have to Lavoris my mouth after this, but, anyway, here goes....

Thank GOODNESS for DEMOCRATS (sometimes)!

[elpadre]

According to what I have read this free flow of truck traffic between Canada/USA/Mexico is part of a legal treaty between the countries - and therefore the law.

Therefore it had to have been agreed to by the Senate and signed by the President.

When did all this happen?? and who were the big players??

[DoughtyOne]

I know what you mean. We do our best to replace our workers with workers outside the nation, they watch as another segment of workers replaces our own and sends a good chunk of that money out of the nation. Just what do some people think supports our local econimies if not U.S. workers, who spend their earning HERE?

Thanks.

[HereInTheHeartland]

This a very good thing.
The “lets all make one happy American continent” people won’t like it.
But it’s a good day for the sovereignty of the United States.

[Red_Devil 232]

This must have been the vote they interrupted the grilling of Petraeus for!

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

["...and may amount to discrimination against Mexico."]

Too bad.