Democrats Pandering on NAFTA

Mexicans say changing NAFTA may force them to move to U.S.
By Franco Ordonez

McClatchy Newspapers

Mon Mar 3, 6:17 PM ET

MEXICO CITY — Jesus Velasquez doesn't want to move to the United States . He fears, however, that he may have to if he loses his job selling avocados. Velasquez, 36, says he and his family have benefited from the North American Free Trade Agreement. For him, the alternative is to immigrate to the United States .

"The trade act is good because we have jobs," he said Sunday, speaking loudly over the clamor of hundreds of workers hauling fruits and vegetables offrumbling trucks. "If there are no jobs, more people are going to go to the U.S. I have so many friends who can't find jobs and leave."

As voters in Ohio , Texas , Rhode Island and Vermont prepare to go to the polls Tuesday, some workers and distributors at this 800-acre food market, one of the biggest in the world, are expressing concern about presidential candidates Hillary Clinton's and Barack Obama's threats to pull out of NAFTA unless it's renegotiated.

Hillary's and Obama's threats to pull out of NAFTA "unless it's renegotiated" have more to do with pandering to economically depressed commnities who blame the free trade agreement for their woes than an honest evaluation of the treaty's unintended effects and how to remedy them.

Hillary's criticism of NAFTA is false at best and hypocritical at worst. Her husband was behind it all the way. She had never been critical of the trade agreement until recently.

It looks like Obama's people have told Canadians that their boss is not serious about renegotiating NAFTA despite his recent stump speeches. So, Obama is actually lying.

Now we hear that doing away with NAFTA or "renegotiating" it will most likely result in job losses in Mexico and, as a consequence, more illegal immigration.