SATURDAY, MAY 27, 2006
CAFTA’s One Year Old… With Nowhere to Go!
May 28: A Bitter Birthday for Bush's CAFTAPlease find below:
-CAFTA's One Year Anniversary
-Action: Wishing CAFTA a Bitter Birthday
-Put Pressure on the Finance Committee
-Action Advice and Talking Points
-Why we say No to CAFTA
It's been a whole year since CAFTA was signed, and thanks to the hard work of concerned citizens like you, the Administration hasn't been able to get the votes it needs to pass it in Congress.
Good work!
But it's not over yet -- as the Senate goes fishing for votes, we need a big push against CAFTA to make sure it never sees the light of day!
The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA, also known as DR-CAFTA) would create a trade and investment bloc that includes Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and the United States. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) has indicated that the Committee is tentatively considering a "mock markup" of CAFTA for June 14, 2005 and the Bush Administration is sending a strong message that they are once again ready to test whether they have enough votes in Congress to pass CAFTA.
Let's make sure they come up short!
The fact that CAFTA has not yet come up for a vote is a testament to the incredible mobilizing that has taken place by activists against CAFTA. If the Administration realizes that it doesn't have the votes to pass CAFTA, it may never come up for a vote. But with enough Congress members being tight-lipped about their position, no one knows exactly what the outcome will be.
The good news is that more and more Representatives are realizing that CAFTA is a raw deal for workers in the U.S. and Central America and a threat to the environment, public health and safety, and local, participatory democracy. Bush Administration officials, in a last desperate attempt to gain support for CAFTA, have tried linking CAFTA to increased democratic stability and the fight against terrorism. On the contrary, CAFTA has already destabilized the region as thousands of farmers, workers, students, women, indigenous communities, and religious groups have taken to the streets in protest of CAFTA -- often meeting violent repression from local law enforcement. Lost livelihoods in rural communities, reduced access to life-saving medicines, an erosion of labor and environmental protections will outweigh the potential benefits. Additionally, CAFTA will maintain, if not worsen, the debt crisis facing developing country members. CAFTA places profits over people, corporate interests over worker rights, and trade laws over local and national democracies -- it does not bring stability or development to the region!
Action: Wishing CAFTA a Bitter Birthday
1. Meet with your Senator or Representative while they are in their home districts over the Memorial Day recess, May 31 - June 3. Tell them why you oppose CAFTA, and why this unfair deal still isn't popular, even after a year!
To schedule a meeting call the Capitol switchboard toll free at 1-800-839-5276 or visit www.house.gov or www.senate.gov for the local contact information for your Representative or Senator. Also, you can always just stop by the district office next week and talk with staff. See below for tips to make the most of your visit.
Pressure the Senate Finance Committee on CAFTA:
The Republican leadership of the Senate Finance Committee has indicated that they may be the first to act on CAFTA on June 14th. Though the campaign against CAFTA has thus far focused on the House of Representatives, it is important to target Senators now as they begin the process of presenting CAFTA legislation. If one of your Senators is listed below, then call or drop by the district office to demand a "No" vote on CAFTA. Let the committee know that we won't let CAFTA go to the floor without a fight!
Democrats
MAX BAUCUS, MT
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, WV
KENT CONRAD, ND
JAMES M. JEFFORDS, VT
JEFF BINGAMAN, NM
JOHN F. KERRY, MA
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, AR
RON WYDEN, OR
CHARLES E. SCHUMER, NY
Republicans
CHARLES GRASSLEY, IA
ORRIN G. HATCH, UT
TRENT LOTT, MS
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, ME
JON KYL, AZ
CRAIG THOMAS, WY
RICK SANTORUM, PA
BILL FRIST, TN
GORDON SMITH, OR
JIM BUNNING, KY
MIKE CRAPO, ID
Action Advice and Talking Points:
When you meet with your representative, if you are dropping in or just calling, ask to speak to the trade staffer, chief of staff or legislative director.
Tell them you are a constituent and want to know your Rep's position on CAFTA. If you would like to meet with your Rep ask to schedule a meeting while he/she is in the district.
If the Rep is opposed to the agreement and will vote against it, thank him/her. Ask if your Rep has made his/her opposition public and encourage him/her to do so. Always ask for a letter to you stating his/her position.
If the Rep is undecided, ask your Rep (or staffer) why and when they are planning on taking a position. Let them know that you oppose CAFTA (any personal stories related to how NAFTA hurt your region are helpful) and urge them to vote no when CAFTA comes up.
If the Rep is planning to vote for CAFTA, urge them to reconsider. Inform the office that you intend to spread the word that the Rep is voting against their constituents' interests.
For sample call scripts, help finding your members of Congress, and suggestions on concerns to raise, please visit www.stopcafta.org and http://www.nicanet.org
Organize a local action:
Check http://www.stopcafta.org/calendar.php for local actions against CAFTA and to post your own! For assistance in organizing in your community please contact: The American Friends Service Committee via email at trade@afsc.org or by phone at 215.241.7277.
Why we say No to CAFTA:
Developing countries are severely disadvantaged in the current world trading system. And unjust free trade agreements are compounding the problem. Rich nations preach free trade while hypocritically rigging the rules in their favor. They forget that their own nations were built on protecting domestic industry.
This struggle to stop the CAFTA vote is a symbolic referendum on the 10-year old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which has failed to protect the rights of workers and deliver many other promises-in the U.S. and Mexico. Since CAFTA extends the harmful aspects of NAFTA rather than correct them, the chances for improving the lives of the most vulnerable in the region will be diminished.
Fair trade agreements are possible, but only if they recognize the uneven playing field and provide flexibility for countries to set their own development agendas
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