May 11, 2011
Letter delivered to Rep. Woolsey’s staff at May18 Brown Bag Lunch Vigil
Dear Representative Woolsey:
On behalf of the undersigned members of the Progressive Democrats of America, Sonoma County, we are writing to express our adamant opposition to the proposed free trade agreements with Korea, Colombia, and Panama. Contrary to President Obama’s campaign pledge to overhaul President Bush’s failed trade policies, he is now proposing three disastrous NAFTA-style agreements on which you may soon be asked to cast a vote. We strongly urge you to oppose these deals.
We oppose the Korea Free Trade Agreement because it will increase the U.S. trade deficit by 13.9 billion dollars in the next seven years, it will cost 159,000 key American manufacturing jobs, it does nothing to prevent Korea’s practice of currency manipulation, it allows goods to be imported that are manufactured in North Korean sweatshops, it facilitates revenue going to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, it fails to limit risky financial products that brought us our current recession, and it allows U.S. and Korean firms to challenge our current environmental and safety laws that interfere with their profits.
The Colombian agreement does nothing to prevent the ongoing attacks on union movements that have resulted in thousands of unprosecuted murders. The pact will increase the number of displaced farmers and will encourage the despoliation of the Amazon region to mining, palm oil, and timber interests. The Panamanian agreement will allow rich U.S. individuals and corporations to avoid tax obligations at home. Panama is the main site of Mexican and Colombian drug laundering. The agreement does nothing to stop these practices and will only make them worse. Under this deal, corporations registered in Panama would be empowered to directly challenge future American anti-tax haven laws and financial crime policies in foreign tribunals.
For these reasons, we urgently request that you issue a public statement now that you will vote no to these proposed trade agreements.
Note: This letter was delivered to Rep. Woolsey’s staff at the May Brown Bag Lunch Vigil.
