The Columbian’s Jan. 14 editorial, “Trade pact boon to state,” promoted the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement claiming it would be a benefit to our state’s economy. This editorial exalts the benefits of expanded trade, claiming it will create more jobs in the U.S. by eliminating tariffs that are added to the products we sell to foreign countries.
Agriculture is mentioned as the big winner. According to the USDA and other sources, agricultural labor is 70 percent foreign-born. The vast majority of these laborers send most of their wages home to their families.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, NAFTA has lost the U.S. nearly 700,000 jobs in trade with Mexico alone. This number is rising.
As Donald Trump points out, my prior employer Nabisco is eliminating jobs at their plants in the U.S. and building bakeries in Mexico, thus laying off hundreds of U.S. workers. The World Trade Organization threatened a $1 billion sanction against our government claiming we cannot label our beef products’ country of origin. Our Congress just passed legislation complying with the WTO court of corporate appointed judges. The TPP rules governing our food can now expand from Mexico and Canada to the other 10 countries.
Say “no” to the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
