NAFTA & Free Trade Agreements Negative Effects!

We must examine the Long Term Unintended Consequences these so called Free Trade Agreements have on the American Workers as well the Workers in the countries that they’re supposed to help!

How do Economists Assess NAFTA’s Economic Impact?

It’s difficult to determine casualty rate between NAFTA’s implementation and economic growth and it is impossible to quantify the counterfactual—how trade policy might have liberalized without NAFTA. Intraregional trade flows have increased significantly over the treaty’s first two decades, from roughly $290 billion in 1993 to more than $1.1 trillion in 2012. Cross-border investment and travel have also surged. The United States trades more in goods and services with Mexico and Canada than it does with Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Russia, India, and China combined. Much of this growth has been due to increased trade between the United States and Mexico, where the trade balance—the difference between exports and imports—swung from a $1.7 billion U.S. surplus in 1993 to a $61.4 billion deficit in 2012, a $54,484 billion deficit in 2013, a $53.825 billion in 2014 and so far in 2015 a $27,832 Billion in 2015 well on the way to another 50 billion trade deficit totaling  over $270 billion in just 4yrs. and no hope for any change in the future and now Ford building a 2 Billion dollar new manufacturing plant there will only add to this deficit and cost us more jobs and tax revenue.

Originally, critics of NAFTA focused on labor-market dislocations, and warned that the United States would experience sharp job losses as companies moved production to Mexico to lower costs. But this effect has proved to be modest for the United States because total trade with Mexico and Canada account for a small percentage of the U.S. economy.

The direct effect of NAFTA on U.S.-Mexico trade is fairly small, and thus the direct impact   on the U.S. labor market is also small, produce benefits despite some painful short-term   costs such as the movement of some jobs and industries across borders. But according to at least one major study, the benefits are limited. The Congressional Budget Office attempted a full-scale examination of NAFTA’s economic consequences in 2003, and concluded that:  U.S. trade with Mexico was growing before NAFTAs’ implementation, and would likely have continued to grow with or without the deal on a scale that “dwarfs the effects” of NAFTA itself.

What impact has NAFTA had on Mexico?

One lofty, unrealized promise of NAFTA was that the treaty would narrow the gap between the per capita incomes of Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Per capita income in Mexico rose at an annual average of 1.2 percent over the past two decades, from $6,932 in 1994 to $8,397 in 2012, far slower than Latin American countries such as Brazil, Chile, and Peru. NAFTA was also expected to discourage Mexican emigration to the United States, yet despite the 2007–2009 recession and increased deportations, Mexican-born people living in the United States doubled since 1994 to 12 million in 2013, writes Jorge G. Castañeda, a professor at New York University and former foreign minister of Mexico. Industries excluded from NAFTA—such as telecommunications, television, and transportation—allowed Mexico’s wealthiest to become even richer; the country now claims the world’s richest man, Carlos Slim Helu, just slightly ahead of Bill Gates.

Some critics single out Mexico’s farm industry, saying NAFTA has crippled Mexican farming prospects by opening competition to the heavily subsidized U.S. farm industry. Economists dispute this assessment. The Economist notes that despite increased competition, Mexican farm exports to the United States have tripled since NAFTA was implemented, in part because of reduced tariffs on maize / Corn Flour, which is used to produce Tortillas and Chips which has put many of the Mexican Coop Farmers out of business, this is due to the subsides enjoyed by the American Farmers, and thereby has also helped increase illegal immigration into the US by destroying the Corn Famers in Mexico enabling companies such as Gruma Corp. & Bimbo Baking Co. the ability to purchase American Companies such as;  Argas’ Mexican Foods, La Tap, Villa Victoria, Guerrero, Oro Wheat, Rainbow Bread Co., Mission Foods, Linda’s Mexican Foods and also put out of business Maize Producers in the US who aren’t able to compete with Gruma Corporation as a result of farm subsidies given American Farmers and not given to the Mexican Family Farmer by their government.

NAFTA Costs Jobs, Closes & Buys American Business:

We’re losing ground in the US year after year as you can all clearly see in the handout to Mexico, we’re not only exporting jobs to Mexico and Importing the Products back into the US, we’re also losing an entire generation of skilled workers who used to do these jobs in the Auto, Appliance and other Industries, we’re also losing in Building the new Ford Facility at a cost of 2 Billion and the jobs that go along with that, former Detroit jobs they need desperately. It seems we’re getting the shaft on another less thought about front the food industry in both food imported and once American Companies now owned by Mexican Corps like Oro Wheat, Thomas’ English Muffins, Rainbow Bread and more along with raw material to manufacture these foods like Tortillas, it’s called Meseca made by the Gruma Corp. and Bimbo owns several American Companies now and imports a number of both raw and manufactured food products and have driven American companies out of business. We’re also importing Illegal Aliens who take American skilled and unskilled jobs not to mention the crime element. Our Leaders as Trump stated don’t know how to negotiate Good Deals, but great at giving away Americas Future.

Fast Track Trade:

In the United States, the majority of so-called free trade agreements are implemented as congressional-executive agreements.[58] Unlike treaties, congressional-executive agreements require a majority of the House and Senate to pass.[58] Under “Trade Promotion Authority” (TPA), established by the Trade Act of 1974, Fast track (trade) Congress authorizes the President to negotiate “free trade agreements… if they are approved by both houses in a bill enacted into public law and other statutory conditions are met.”[58] In early 2012, the Obama administration indicated that a requirement for the conclusion of TPP negotiations is the renewal of “fast track” Trade Promotion Authority.[59] If “fast track” is renewed, then the normal treaty ratification and implementation procedure would be by passed, and the United States Congress would instead be required to introduce and vote on an administration-authored bill for implementing the TPP with minimal debate and no amendments, with the entire process taking no more than 90 days.[60] TPP = Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement; Check It Out:

All trade agreements must be renegotiated to bring about the  Free / Fair Trade that will put American Citizens, Jobs, Interests, Security First or NO DEALS!

Summary Demographic AZ State Data,

 Population (2012 CB est.) 6,553,255

Population (2000 CB est.) 5,130,632 

Foreign-Born Population (2012 CB est.) 875,927 

Foreign-Born Population (2000 CB est.) 656,183

Share Foreign-Born (2012)13.4 %

Share Foreign-Born (2000) 9.9%

Naturalized U.S. Citizens (2012 CB est.) 334,372

Share Naturalized (2012) 39.3

%Legal Immigrant Admission (DHS 2001 – 2012) 182,257

Refugee Admission (HHS 2000 – 2012) 40,925

Illegal Alien Population (2010 FAIR est.) 390,000

Costs of Illegal Aliens (2009 FAIR) $2,568,668,603

Projected 2050 Population (2006 FAIR) 13,793,000

Costs to other States;California: $21,755,953,468/ New York: Costs of Illegal Aliens (2009 FAIR) $9,478,686,489/ Texas:Costs of Illegal Aliens (2009 FAIR) $8,878,402,789/ Florida: Costs of Illegal Aliens (2009 FAIR) $5,462,614,142/ Nevada Costs of Illegal Aliens (2009 FAIR) $1,191,163,407/ DC Costs of Illegal Aliens (2009 FAIR) $311,914,509. 

Total of 5 States & DC (2009) $25,322,783,336 / Add in AZ and you have (2009)  $27,791,451,939

This represents only 6 States and DC, these numbers don’t include lost tax revenue, lower wages, higher unemployment, any cost of crimes committed but not caught, auto accidents etc., so what is the real Cost of Illegal Aliens to America, certainly not what those holding office want us to believe. The Opinions of those who say Illegals whether overstayed visas or illegal entry pay their way is a (TOTALLY FALSE AND MISLEADING STATEMENT), and I believe they know it and that’s why our borders are still open and neither side of the Politically Elite want to Stop the Flow of Illegals into Our Jobs & Schools, so We must do it for them. AZ’s Maricopa County lost Sheriff Joe in this last election Cycle as the Illegal Activists turned out Voters against him, with I might add the Aide of the Federal Governments Legal Actions to Poison the Political Atmosphere in Maricopa County and most in office stood by silently and watched afraid to speak out and support him as they also didn’t want to face the EVIL Face of the Illegal Activists: ( Cowards One and All ), now we’ll have a new Sheriff and who knows if he’ll enforce our Laws as Joe did.  

• In Closing: Election Cycles are Critical Our Nation, whether we sink deep into a Socialistic Nation or Restore Ourselves to a True Republic form of Government. The choices are clear, we must never support anyone that votes against or compromises the US Constitution and Our Freedoms and believe that’s what most of us believe in and hope for, and the GOP Elite Power Brokers are Afraid of: ( Time to Drain All Political Swamps)… 

God Bless You All; Clair Van Steenwyk

Clair’s available to speak / meet with groups or private citizens upon request; use contact button above, call 623-322-9979, or email: crossroadswithvan@gmail.com