Did NAFTA benefit or hurt the U.S.?
By petebaja
@petebaja (516)
Mexico
February 28, 2008 11:26am CST
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed into law by President Bill Clinton over 14 years ago. It was originated by the first President George H.W. Bush back in the early 1990's.
It was made effective by a bi-partisan Congress. Now, both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have expressed their intention to modify this treaty with Canada and Mexico.
Has this pact between the 3 North American countries helped or hurt? Since it's inception, I've seen a lot of jobs leave middle America and a lot of jobs sprout in Mexico.
Who has benefited? And since it was initiated by a Republican and signed into law by a Democrat, who's to blame?
4 responses
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
28 Feb 08
I think it was just another example of how the lawmakers in our country are truly in the pockets of big business. Most America workers did not want this to pass but big businesses did. It only benefits the industries while punishing Americans by taking away jobs. Creating that type of free trade agreement with a third world country like Mexico just brings us to a lower level. If it were a smaller country it wouldn't be such a big problem, which is why the EU survives while occasionally including a smaller country with a weak economy.
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
29 Feb 08
I don't think it's possible for a president to repeal it at this point. They're all receiving money from the same businesses and if there's any hint they want to repeal it then they won't get their campaign money. I think we'll be screwed for a while.
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
29 Feb 08
NAFTA was signed into law by Bill Clinton, not Bush.
It was being talked about when Reagan was in office, and Reagan rejected it as a bad idea.
The guy that signed it into law is to blame, which puts all of the blame squarely on Clinton.
@mizrae (587)
• United States
28 Feb 08
NAFTA is only part of the problem. Jobs were also sent to India as well as the massive imports from China. Our trade with world countries is so lopsided as to be laughable. Until production and manufacturing are back in this country, instead of the world looking at us as selfish consumers, no amount of "tinkering" with this agreement will help. Greed pure and simple from the major corporations are hurting us.
Coupled with the millions of illegal immigrants already here doing jobs at below minimum wage, there is no easy answer!
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
28 Feb 08
As we live right on the NAFTA route, we benefited by getting public money to make badly needed improvements on our highway, but the flip side of that is now that the potholes are gone, and there are 4 lanes, the traffic moves faster and there is a lot more noise. Truly, Pete, I like to think of America as a continent and what is good for Canada and Mexico should also be good for us. I think that big fences make good neighbors, but I also believe that we would be fools to quarrel unnecessarily with our good neighbors, at least when they are being good. Is it wise to play ping pong with foreign policy just as a ploy to get elected?
