Posted on 01/06/2011 2:42:39 PM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration on Thursday proposed a new inspection and monitoring regime to permit long-haul trucks from Mexico on U.S. highways after years of delays over safety concerns and political wrangling.
The Transportation Department's compromise seeks to revive efforts to fulfill a key provision of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which is highly unpopular with labor but supported by many businesses as a cost advantage. [ For complete coverage of politics and policy, go to Yahoo! Politics ]
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called the plan by his agency a starting point to renew negotiations with Mexico, which has slapped tariffs on U.S. products over the delay.
The Transportation Department said the plan, which would eventually need congressional and Mexican government approval, would prioritize safety and that a formal proposal is due to be announced in coming months.
The countries would negotiate the number of carriers allowed to participate in a first phase. Applicants would be vetted by U.S. law enforcement agencies. Trucking safety programs would be reviewed and each vehicle would be inspected and certified by highway safety and environmental officials.
Prospects for an agreement are uncertain. The plan has failed to move ahead over the past decade regardless of which party controlled the White House or Congress.
But the Obama administration felt more comfortable issuing a proposal with the program's fiercest critics, labor friendly Democrats in the House of Representatives, voted out of office in November or sidelined to the minority. Republicans took over the chamber on Wednesday.
Mexico said it would review the plan, calling it a positive first step, and said tariffs would be lifted after a trucking agreement is completed.
"In general this is very good news," said Humberto Trevino, Mexico's deputy transport minister.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Hey all you trucking unions, F U
Anything that is “generally good news” for Humberto, is really bad news for us.
In San Diego the roads near the Otay Mesa port of entry are littered with plastic bottles full of urine. All from the Mexican truck drivers. Coming to your neighborhood soon.
Yeah, one-way, South.
It is hard to believe, but members of our own government actively and knowingly set out to harm the people of this country. The Third World is repeatedly being invited to sack the accumulated wealth of The United States.
Please inform me why that would be?
Honest, not kidding, I thought open border trucking would hurt union trucking most.
From what I hear Mexican trucks have to come here use union workers to unload then load on to American trucks close to the border before their cargo can go on.
I have been wrong many times in the past.
That will solve everything. /sarcasm
What could possibly go wrong?
It’s not hard to believe at all. Now the D.E.A. won’t have to WALK the guns and money back across the border, they’ll just put it on a Mexican truck. Oh, and the drugs coming North, yeah, you got that right, Mexican trucks. Saves on shipping costs don’t you know. They can bypass the mordida paid to the Mexican politicians.
Your statement probably matches reality. Money, money, money! The only value that really motivates our leadership class.
When diesel fuel was at record prices about two years ago, tens of thousands of independent truckers lost their rigs. Major trucking companies (which have union drivers) are able to negotiate better fuel prices than the independents. Believe me, this isn't going to help them.
Are they kidding? These trucks will occasionally barf aliens from concealed compartments, deep inside the border.
But none for repaying the national debt, senior citizens. or poor people - they need to tax the living daylights out of us for that.......while stimulus funds lie dormant in their stash for political campaigning and cash give-aways to foreign governments who have no accountability for it)
The North American Unilateral Free Trade Agreement
Free Trade Agreements are worthless unless they require that trade also be balanced. Take NAFTA for example. When President Obama announced that he would focus upon jobs in 2011, he forgot to mention that he was talking about jobs in Mexico. Under his watch, our trade deficit with Mexico has climbed rapidly as shown in the graph below:
Mexico has turned the NAFTA highway into a one-way street. When President Obama refused to let Mexican trucks operate in the United States, Mexico began placing tariffs upon U.S. products. It now collects tariffs on 99 categories of U.S. products. These include a 25% duty on U.S. cheese, a 20% duty on U.S. wine, 15% duties on U.S. fruit and fruit juices, 15% duties on U.S. pencils and pens, 10% duties on U.S. shampoo, hair spray, tooth paste and deodorant, and 10% duties on U.S. dog and cat food.
This measure will promote free trade in undocumented pharmaceuticals and undocumented workers.
This is a result of the December 20 North American Union annual meeting that Hillary attended. You know the the “North American Union” idea that was supposed to have been canceled.
>>The Third World is repeatedly being invited to sack the accumulated wealth of The United States.<<
That’s the idea behind the New World Order isn’t it?
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