Destructive trade deals
Published: Wed, Aug. 15, 2007 12:00AM
Modified Wed, Aug. 15, 2007 02:43AM
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closeI am a student at Enloe High School, and I was disappointed to read in the Aug. 8 article on the Democratic debate that the majority of the candidates are against eliminating free trade agreements.
I just returned from a Witness for Peace teen delegation to Nicaragua where I witnessed the effects of free trade, specifically CAFTA, on Central America. CAFTA is a mirror image of NAFTA, both strangling small businesses and farmers in Third World countries.
I met factory workers who were threatened with death when they attempted to unionize to protect their rights. I also learned that environmental protection laws are being ignored in favor of corporate profit.
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After NAFTA, U.S. big business entered Mexico without paying tariffs. Workers were exploited, and poverty-stricken communities were forced to buy cheaper U.S. products, driving out local businesses. This is a direct cause of the increased immigration to the United States from Mexico. NAFTA was a disaster for our southern neighbor, and CAFTA will be just as destructive to Central America.
The Democratic candidates for the 2008 election need to be alerted to these effects. The world is in desperate need of a real fair trade movement.
Ellen Biesack
Fuquay-Varina
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