The Kerry Amendment To NAFTA

[DrFunkenstein]

(Nader-founded) Public Citizen:

"The amendment was a modest reform that guaranteed much-needed changes in the NAFTA Chapter 11 investment model in future trade agreements.

Under the model, foreign investors may file a claim in secret NAFTA tribunals to seek compensation when government public interest regulations in any way diminish the value of their investment.

In doing so, the amendment would have instructed U.S. trade negotiators to ensure that future investor provisions do not grant foreign investors rights beyond what the U.S. Constitution provides."

http://action.citizen.org/pc/issues/votes/?votenum=121&chamber=S&congr...

The Kerry Amendment to the Baucus-Grassley fast-track trade bill would have limited expansion of NAFTA-style corporate lawsuits to more countries.

Under NAFTA, foreign corporations gained broad powers to sue US taxpayers for financial damages if our environmental, health, or land protection laws interfere with their businesses.

The Kerry Amendment would have ensured that foreign investors have no greater rights than US citizens under the US Constitution.

http://www.sierraclub.org/votewatch/2002/kerry.asp

WASHINGTON - May 21 - Friends of the Earth expressed disappointment in the loss of an amendment to trade legislation that would have protected environmental standards from foreign investor lawsuits. The amendment, offered by Sen. John Kerry, sought to address concerns with investment rules like NAFTA's Chapter 11 that allow foreign corporations to bring suits against environmental laws and regulations.

"By voting against the Kerry amendment, the Senate has paved the way for more backdoor corporate assaults on laws that protect our air, water and land," said David Waskow, Friends of the Earth's trade policy coordinator. "The Senate should be protecting the health and safety of Americans, not watching the backs of wealthy polluters who make big campaign contributions."

http://www.commondreams.org/news2002/0521-13.htm

"The current Fast Track bill is an environmental nightmare," said Carroll Muffett, director of international programs for Defenders of Wildlife. "The Kerry Amendment would have fixed one of the biggest problems with it. Without Kerry, Fast Track is just a license for unchecked environmental destruction."

http://www.charitywire.com/charity51/03074.html

Unlike the amendment sponsored by Sen. John Kerry, the Baucus-Grassley Amendment does not set the U.S. Constitution as the benchmark for the scope of property rights available to foreign investors in the United States.

The Kerry Amendment would repair the investment model of NAFTA. Under the Kerry Amendment, a foreign investor would be required to demonstrate that the policy in question was enacted primarily with discriminatory intent against foreign investors or investments.

The Kerry Amendment is based on U.S. Supreme Court rulings on expropriation in that it would guarantee that future trade agreements improve upon the NAFTA model and restrict such investment protection actions to only those cases where government action causes a physical invasion of property or the denial of all economic or productive use of that property.

http://www.commondreams.org/news2002/0515-04.htm

Dear (Decision Maker),

I am writing to ask you to support the Kerry Amendment to FAST TRACK. The Baucus-Grassley Trade Bill is not good enough. I would appreciate your support for this amendment. Specifically, the amendment will:

1. Ensure that foreign investors don't get greater rights than US citizens or investors. We need to make sure that the US Constitution is the benchmark for investor treatment.

2. Clarify the definition of expropriation in future trade deals to conform with the US Constitution and recent US Supreme Court rulings.

3. Protect US laws on public health, safety and the environment from attack by investor-state lawsuits.

4. Ensures that minimum treatment under international law is defined in a way that follows the US Constitution. We don't want to follow that of some other country.

5. Require diplomatic check. Before a corporation could go into one of the secret trade tribunals to sue for taxpayer compensation (avoiding the domestic court system), they should have to check in with their own government.

This amendment will be voted upon soon. I urge you to vote for it and keep the problems that are already happening with NAFTA Chapter 11 from happening under future trade agreements.

Sincerely,
Your Name
Your Address

http://www.unionvoice.org/alert-description.tcl?alert_id=2005



John Kerry and Eliot Spitzer

[flpoljunkie]

1. Thanks, Dr. Funk for your post.

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2003_0917a.html

September  17,  2003

For Immediate Release
NEW YORK, NY –

Calling John Kerry’s environmental agenda “bold and visionary,” Robert F. Kennedy Jr. endorsed John Kerry for President today in New York City.  Kerry also announced his call for an investigation on whether environmental health was compromised by White House interference into air quality issues following the September 11th tragedy.

“ I am proud to endorse one of America’s great environmental leaders, John Kerry for President of the United States,” said Robert F Kennedy, Jr.  “And I hope that every American who cares about the environment will unite behind John Kerry.  He is the candidate with the best environmental record.  He is the candidate with the best ability to beat George Bush.  And he will be a President who will give us the environmental leadership we so clearly need.”

http://www.nrdc.org

Kerry was also endorsed recently by the League of Conservation Voters--who have never before endorsed during the primary process.

http://www.lcv.org

[corporatewhore]

7. I would suggest you take alook at this thread were we aare talking

about freetrade and evironment
also take agander at my new sig pic
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=258514&mesg_id=258514

[girl gone mad]

2. Why didn't he get it done?

His inability to get things done is troubling. This one should have been a cakewalk, if you ask me.

[blm]

3. Too many centrists pulling the party rightward

including Clinton, Gore and Dean. Dean was one of the WORST pulling right of all the DLCers.

Thankfully, Kerry knows what he can do and fix as President.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

14. Yes.

That little Governor from Vermont was probably more instrumental in stopping Kerry's actions than Clinton and Gore!


Can't anyone else see it, too?!?

[Straight Shooter]

4. Too much talk and not enough action - the REAL Toby Keith song

Play that at your campaign rallies, Kerry. Oh, and stomp a few Dixie Chicks CD's while you're at it.

Demonstrating more profile than courage, presidential contender and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry said he will mute his criticism of President Bush once war begins. Self-censorship, Kerry told The Boston Globe, is “what you owe the troops.”

http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/archives/032103/032103t.htm

[DemBones DemBones]

9. Dean also issued a statement that he wouldn't

criticize Bush "once troops are in the field."

The day the war began, Dennis Kucinich issued a statement deploring the war, calling for its end, and expressing hope that the troops would all return home safely.

[George_Bonanza]

11. LOL! Why didn't he save the world, the lazy bastard?!!!

[Armstead]

5. "Free Trade" is a political scam that Kerry supports

"Free trade" as it is defined these days is NOT free trade. It is just the opposite. The NAFTA free trade model is not just a mechanism to open up trade between natiions. It is a political scam.

Kerry's support of it is one of the reasons I don't like him.

The current "free trade" model takes away the ability of nations to determine their own trade policies, in favor of a global set of rules set up by the corporate and political elite. It also is an attempt to force all nations to follow a particulat CONSERVATIVE POLITICAL MODEL, regardless of its particular culture or the desires of their people.

At its core this "one size fits all" approach is unweildy and unworkable. It is the CORPORATE IMPERIALIST AGENDA written on a global scale.

It is not a case of isolation versus global trade either. It is quite possible to both stimulate international fair trade and standards for workers rights and the environment without violating the basic sovergnty of nations.

Kucinich is the only candidate who is on the right track on this. We need to return to more emphasis on BI-LATERAL TRADE AGREEMENRS between nations, to allow the flexibility to address different circumstances.

[revcarol]

6. a "modest reform" is right!!

this wouldn't take care of 10% of the NAFTA problems...nothing about worker rights, child labor, multi-nationals destroying the environment of host countries(they turned the Rio Grande into an unhealthy stinking sewer,)unsafe working conditions,right to have independent unions without losing their jobs or being killed...and that just part of LABOR.

And NOTICE the wording: foreign corps would have no more rights than American CORPORATIONS. Now THAT'S turning over the power to the people.<heavy sarcasm>

[George_Bonanza]

10. And what exactly has Dean done?

That is, if you're a Dean supporter. If no, then sorry, but I recall you being a Dean supporter.

[revcarol]

15. Nope, a proud Kucinich supporter!!

Kucinich would get us back to mutually agreed upon bi-lateral trade that doesn't feature U. S. and multi-national corporations preying on third-world countries.

[corporatewhore]

12. ditto

[revcarol]

8. Trying to paste...

listening to Randi, is that inhibiting posting?Removed duplicate post.

[RegenerationMan]

13. Great Post, Dr. Funk