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Posted on 03/31/2009 10:07:47 AM PDT by 1rudeboy
WASHINGTON -- The long-simmering dispute over allowing Mexican trucks onto U.S. highways is escalating into a trade war that could cost Washington state agricultural interests millions of dollars in lost sales and present the Obama administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress with an early test of their trade policies.
Washington's pear, cherry, apricot and Christmas tree growers find themselves in the middle of a trade clash not of their own making and facing 20 percent tariffs on their exports to Mexico.
The biggest impact, however, could be on the state's potato growers and processors. Mexico buys $83 million worth of frozen potato products annually, the bulk of them from Washington state, where 10 plants employing 20,000 people produce frozen French fries, hash browns and Tater Tots.
On the other side, organized labor, led by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and consumer groups continue to insist Mexican trucks and their drivers present a major road hazard to U.S. motorists. They also charge that Mexico illegally imposed the tariffs without living up to its obligations under the North American Free Trade Agreement.
As the most trade-dependant state in the nation, with one in three jobs tied to exports and imports, Washington state is closely watching the Mexican trucking dispute.
(Excerpt) Read more at miamiherald.com ...
If there’s one thing this economy needs, it’s more imported workers who get paid a lot less than Americans. That strategy has done wonders for our economy so far.
Every once in a while, there’s a FR thread about illegal immigration. You should keep an eye out for one.
It is unreasonable for Mexico to assume we should allow their drivers of deadly 18 wheelers on our highways when they have NO verification of violations, no national database of CDL holders and virtually no DOT as we do with logging hours.
How is the DOT supposed to check the log books on US drivers, but if you are Mexican? Oh, go on through. Been driving 19 hours straight? No problem, you are Mexican and we wouldn’t want a trade war.
This is stupid. Mexico wants to play with the big boys, ACT like the big boys.
Mexico can’t even keep their citizens heads from being lopped off, much less keep decent standards on tractor trailer drivers.
This is impossible.
The pro-tax anti-freedom pro-depression Freepers assure me that protectionism is good for us.
Not to mention there is no verification of insurance on these vehicles.
I think I’ve probably explained why you are incorrect a dozen times already. You should probably remember where you’ve tried that BS.
They tax our goods but expect us to feed, house and educate their people...all while sending mainly tax-free remittances back to Mexico...
As Felipe Calderon and Vicente Fox say, “It’s a ween-ween”
They do. Look up the law and do some research. Your assertions are absurd on their face.
Mexican trucks follow the same rules as ours on our roads.
A trade war would hurt America and Americans.
We don’t need to export any products anyway. The pear, cherry, apricot, potato and Christmas tree growers deserve it for selling to foreigners.
Last time I checked, the US had a $50 Billion trade deficit with Mexico
You sure have a creative definition of the term, "win - win."
Mexican illegal immigrants stay in the U.S., and Washington state workers (in export industries) take it on the chin. How does that work?
LOL—I suppose those Washington exports don’t really count, then. We should not buy oil from Mexico unless they buy the same amount of oil from us. What are we thinking?
How many Christmas trees can I put you down for this year in order to help make up the shortfall?
“Joo lose, gringo”
I’ll take an even dozen. As long as the truck that delivers them isn’t using fuel from imported oil. And the driver can’t have a foreign sounding name. And he can’t drive on any toll roads.
We could require that they buy insurance at the border, either for 1 run or a year's worth, and let the insurance company be responsible for keeping track of the rigs and drivers.
As long as we have NAFTA, for better or worse, we need to treat our business partners with respect, or expect an expensive response. Having union goons dictate policy undermines the word and spirit of the agreement. Tell them to go back to Chicago, where they belong.
Frankly, I think we should be able to sue the government for damages when some government twit causes losses to a private business through sheer incompetence.
Back when CBs were all the rage, we heard truckers lament over those who "went into Mexican Overdrive". Years later I learned that it was truckspeak for losing your brakes. I suspect Mexican trucking has only deteriorated since then.
I can see objecting to the program for various reasons, but people shouldn't just make stuff up.
I heard that Mexican trucks deploy huge sails made of wire mesh to slow themselves down.
I thought I'd read that goods were being unloaded off foreign rigs and being loaded onto teamster rigs as well. If it was all in the name of safety, the teamsters shouldn't object to the foreign shippers shopping the best price, either.
The thing with trucks holding insurance policies by foreign carriers, though, is that the insurance company needs to be capable of being sued in a U.S. court.
It wouldn't make much sense for an accident victim to sue the foreign insurance carrier, and have it reply, "sorry you do not have jurisdiction."
Wow! As the farmers lay off employees or go out of business, you be sure to tell them that!
Then stop buying Mexican stuff!
China in 2008: -$266,332.700,000!
Apparently we buy made in China
That’s it! No Chinese trucks on U.S. roads! To the barricades!
They’re sneaking in on the NAFTA superhighway!
They brake with their feet! WHARRGARBL
I’m sorry, but you are incorrect. As an insurer of trucking companies, I’m telling you the qualifications and background checks are no where near as tough as US DOT rules and regulations. They don’t require a physical fitness test for CDL drivers like the US does. Read this link regarding the US Senate discussing the issue in 2007.
http://www.truckaccidentlawyerblog.com/2007/09/us_senate_rejects_dots_mexican.html
Your desire to avoid a trade war does not trump people’s lives being at stake.
Not to mention speaking English. There are very basic signs that most can understand, but then there is the weight restrictions on bridges, height limits. Is the law going to require they all speak and read English? Will EVERY DOT official be required to learn spanish to read their log books? Or will they be required to write in English in their log books?
On the face of YOUR argument, the desire for money outwieghs the safety of people on the road.
So if we dont allow mexican trucks on our roads, they will tariff food stuffs that their own people eat. Their government must be very popular. No more potatoes!! that will mean only more masses of illegals coming our way, as they starve them north!!!
why not tell mexico we are building a wall, and then we wont give a rats behind if the mexican so called leaders will go thru on their threat to increase food prices in mexico!! they wont do it if we closed mexicos “safety valve” of dumping its problems on us.
mexico go eat your sand and cactus, if you want to raise your own food prices. I would rather the nice American crops stay here, picked by Americans, consumed by Americans.
Wonder when the politicans will start out sourcing their own jobs rather than that of American taxpayers???
Times are tight for everyone, I know. How many thousands of pounds of potatoes can I put you down for? How soon can you take delivery?
An old blog entry, of dubious accuracy, written by a lawyer soliciting clients. Whatever works.
It’s Not Obama’s fault!
Poll Finds Most Americans Approve of Obama’s Economic Policies
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2218876/posts
China's Snow (beer) jumps Bud Light to be world No 1
Blog entry by an attorney or not, it does not change the information in it nor does it make it wrong.
One would think an attorney would know a thing or two about citing to authority.
“This is probably due to the fact it has less formaldehyde in it than some of the lesser brands. Yes, they still put the equivalent of embalming fluid in Chinese beer, but not as much as they used to.”
Bohemia is one of the best lagers in N. America, in my opinion.
Oh, I remember you.
Nevermind. You like to argue and I’m not taking the bait.
I’ve expressed my opinion, and that’s that. You have yours.
And you like to post BS. C’est la vie.
There are more than 6.5 million trucks in the United States. The program Congress terminated allowed 97 Mexican trucks to roam among them. Ninety-seven!
Shutting them out not only undermines NAFTA. It caused Mexico to retaliate with tariffs on 90 goods affecting $2.4 billion in U.S. trade coming out of 40 states.
The very last thing we need now is American protectionism. It is guaranteed to start a world trade war. A deeply wounded world economy needs two things to recover: (1) vigorous U.S. government action to loosen credit by detoxifying the zombie banks and insolvent insurers, and (2) avoidance of a trade war.
Free trade is the one area where the world indisputably turns to Washington for leadership. What does it see? Grandstanding, parochialism, petty payoffs to truckers and a rush to mindless populism. Over what? Over 97 Mexican trucks — and bonus money that comes to what the Yankees are paying for CC Sabathia’s left arm.
I posted to you before. You are selling snake oil. I went to the statistics and we have been running a negative trade deficit with Mexico since 1994. Every single year. Guess when Nafta and “free trade” policies went into effect? You cite one company who trades with Mexico out of tens of thousands of companies, and that is proof? You sell snake oil.
I posted to you before. You are selling snake oil. I went to the statistics and we have been running a negative trade deficit with Mexico since 1994. Every single year. Guess when Nafta and “free trade” policies went into effect? You cite one company who trades with Mexico out of tens of thousands of companies, and that is proof? You are misleading people.
It was from your link.
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