In article ,
says...

A thousand miles to the north, Mexican farmers organize a parallel
protest, blocking the US/Mexico border in Ciudad Juarez. Since the
advent of NAFTA in 1994, the country has been flooded by cheap, US
taxpayer-subsidized grains and foods, including six million tons a
year of GE corn and high-fructose corn sweetener for soft drinks.
Unable to compete with more than $20 billion in annual subsidies to US
agribusiness, most of which goes to large farms, two million Mexican
corn growers, cane-cutters, and indigenous subsistence farmers have
been driven off the land, forced to migrate to the already overcrowded
cities, or to make a long and dangerous journey to the US to find
work. Once self-sufficient in food production, Mexico now spends 78%
of its oil exports to purchase food imports from the US.

I thought this was interesting because we're getting the other end of the
stick. Canadian cattle trucks have been tearing up our street because
it's a bypass around a weigh/inspection station. In a nearby town,
they've been dumping the slurry of cowpats and urine on the streets
before they go back across the border :=(.

Seems NAFTA isn't good for anyone except a few big producers - whether
it's us selling in Mexico or Canada selling here. Not to mention the
U.S. jobs that have migrated to Mexico.

--
It's turtles - all the way down!

On Wed, 12 Feb 2003 14:52:30 -0800, Larry Blanchard
wrote:

In article ,
says...

A thousand miles to the north, Mexican farmers organize a parallel
protest, blocking the US/Mexico border in Ciudad Juarez. Since the
advent of NAFTA in 1994, the country has been flooded by cheap, US
taxpayer-subsidized grains and foods, including six million tons a
year of GE corn and high-fructose corn sweetener for soft drinks.
Unable to compete with more than $20 billion in annual subsidies to US
agribusiness, most of which goes to large farms, two million Mexican
corn growers, cane-cutters, and indigenous subsistence farmers have
been driven off the land, forced to migrate to the already overcrowded
cities, or to make a long and dangerous journey to the US to find
work. Once self-sufficient in food production, Mexico now spends 78%
of its oil exports to purchase food imports from the US.

I thought this was interesting because we're getting the other end of the
stick. Canadian cattle trucks have been tearing up our street because
it's a bypass around a weigh/inspection station. In a nearby town,
they've been dumping the slurry of cowpats and urine on the streets
before they go back across the border :=(.

Seems NAFTA isn't good for anyone except a few big producers - whether
it's us selling in Mexico or Canada selling here. Not to mention the
U.S. jobs that have migrated to Mexico.

You got that right! I couldn't believe it when Congress fell in line
during the NAFTA debates. Seemed crystal clear to me that it was a
major Big Biz scam...



--
Polar

On Wed, 12 Feb 2003 14:52:30 -0800, Larry Blanchard
wrote:

In article ,
says...

A thousand miles to the north, Mexican farmers organize a parallel
protest, blocking the US/Mexico border in Ciudad Juarez. Since the
advent of NAFTA in 1994, the country has been flooded by cheap, US
taxpayer-subsidized grains and foods, including six million tons a
year of GE corn and high-fructose corn sweetener for soft drinks.
Unable to compete with more than $20 billion in annual subsidies to US
agribusiness, most of which goes to large farms, two million Mexican
corn growers, cane-cutters, and indigenous subsistence farmers have
been driven off the land, forced to migrate to the already overcrowded
cities, or to make a long and dangerous journey to the US to find
work. Once self-sufficient in food production, Mexico now spends 78%
of its oil exports to purchase food imports from the US.

I thought this was interesting because we're getting the other end of the
stick. Canadian cattle trucks have been tearing up our street because
it's a bypass around a weigh/inspection station. In a nearby town,
they've been dumping the slurry of cowpats and urine on the streets
before they go back across the border :=(.

Seems NAFTA isn't good for anyone except a few big producers - whether
it's us selling in Mexico or Canada selling here. Not to mention the
U.S. jobs that have migrated to Mexico.

You got that right! I couldn't believe it when Congress fell in line
during the NAFTA debates. Seemed crystal clear to me that it was a
major Big Biz scam...



--
Polar

Polar wrote in message . ..
On Wed, 12 Feb 2003 14:52:30 -0800, Larry Blanchard
wrote:

In article ,
says...

A thousand miles to the north, Mexican farmers organize a parallel
protest, blocking the US/Mexico border in Ciudad Juarez. Since the
advent of NAFTA in 1994, the country has been flooded by cheap, US
taxpayer-subsidized grains and foods, including six million tons a
year of GE corn and high-fructose corn sweetener for soft drinks.
Unable to compete with more than $20 billion in annual subsidies to US
agribusiness, most of which goes to large farms, two million Mexican
corn growers, cane-cutters, and indigenous subsistence farmers have
been driven off the land, forced to migrate to the already overcrowded
cities, or to make a long and dangerous journey to the US to find
work. Once self-sufficient in food production, Mexico now spends 78%
of its oil exports to purchase food imports from the US.

I thought this was interesting because we're getting the other end of the
stick. Canadian cattle trucks have been tearing up our street because
it's a bypass around a weigh/inspection station. In a nearby town,
they've been dumping the slurry of cowpats and urine on the streets
before they go back across the border :=(.

Seems NAFTA isn't good for anyone except a few big producers - whether
it's us selling in Mexico or Canada selling here. Not to mention the
U.S. jobs that have migrated to Mexico.

You got that right! I couldn't believe it when Congress fell in line
during the NAFTA debates. Seemed crystal clear to me that it was a
major Big Biz scam...

You couldn't believe Congress fell for a Big Biz scam? Who do you
think they work for? Us?

On 13 Feb 2003 13:45:53 -0800, (Lee Hall) wrote:

Polar wrote in message . ..
On Wed, 12 Feb 2003 14:52:30 -0800, Larry Blanchard
wrote:

In article ,
says...

A thousand miles to the north, Mexican farmers organize a parallel
protest, blocking the US/Mexico border in Ciudad Juarez. Since the
advent of NAFTA in 1994, the country has been flooded by cheap, US
taxpayer-subsidized grains and foods, including six million tons a
year of GE corn and high-fructose corn sweetener for soft drinks.
Unable to compete with more than $20 billion in annual subsidies to US
agribusiness, most of which goes to large farms, two million Mexican
corn growers, cane-cutters, and indigenous subsistence farmers have
been driven off the land, forced to migrate to the already overcrowded
cities, or to make a long and dangerous journey to the US to find
work. Once self-sufficient in food production, Mexico now spends 78%
of its oil exports to purchase food imports from the US.

I thought this was interesting because we're getting the other end of the
stick. Canadian cattle trucks have been tearing up our street because
it's a bypass around a weigh/inspection station. In a nearby town,
they've been dumping the slurry of cowpats and urine on the streets
before they go back across the border :=(.

Seems NAFTA isn't good for anyone except a few big producers - whether
it's us selling in Mexico or Canada selling here. Not to mention the
U.S. jobs that have migrated to Mexico.

You got that right! I couldn't believe it when Congress fell in line
during the NAFTA debates. Seemed crystal clear to me that it was a
major Big Biz scam...

You couldn't believe Congress fell for a Big Biz scam? Who do you
think they work for? Us?

Confession: I did, in my naive youth. Now, alas...

(it still hurts!)



--
Polar

In article ,
says...
On 13 Feb 2003 13:45:53 -0800, (Lee Hall) wrote:

Polar wrote in message . ..
On Wed, 12 Feb 2003 14:52:30 -0800, Larry Blanchard
wrote:

Seems NAFTA isn't good for anyone except a few big producers - whether
it's us selling in Mexico or Canada selling here. Not to mention the
U.S. jobs that have migrated to Mexico.

You got that right! I couldn't believe it when Congress fell in line
during the NAFTA debates. Seemed crystal clear to me that it was a
major Big Biz scam...

You couldn't believe Congress fell for a Big Biz scam? Who do you
think they work for? Us?

Confession: I did, in my naive youth. Now, alas...

(it still hurts!)

Yeah. It takes us all a while to realize our gevernment isn't a lot
better than any other. They just let us blow off steam in free speech
and free press because it's a good safety valve. Seldom does it change
their actions as witness the current push to war despite a majority
saying "not without UN approval".

And as far as the freedom itself goes, it's a lot less than it used to be
- I'm an old fart so I remember :-).

--
It's turtles - all the way down!