What have trade agreements done for us and who benefits? They have closed our mills and factories, driven the trade deficit into an abyss, enslaved other countries’ children, and now they even threatened our national security. Countries like China hold so much of our national debt that we have to cater to them so they don’t pull their financing out of the U.S. This would bankrupt us.

Now CAFTA. How many more jobs will we lose to undeveloped and Third World countries? We gave away our textiles, shoes, much of our auto and steel industry, most of the woodworking mills and now the paper industry is in trouble. These workers made good money and supported the country by paying taxes.

Corporations cry about competition, politicians give them our tax money to encourage them to move to another country and avoid paying U.S. taxes. They use that country to enslave people to save labor cost and pollute this small planet due to less environmental regulation. Then they import these goods to stores for a huge profit. The CEOs and big boys at the top take huge bonuses for themselves, then tell us they need our pensions back, need to invest our Social Security in their corporations, can’t provide health insurance and reduce wages to remain competitive.

Working American families lose.

Ron Hemingway, Dixfield