Bush official says cross-border trucks boosts trade

[Omaha Steve]

http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/denver/rockytalklive/archives/2008/03/bush_official_says_crossborder.html

Wednesday, March 26 at 7:34 AM



Opening the border to allow truckers from Mexico and the U.S. open access across the border will help the economy - in spite of questions about safety, security and economic concerns - says the secretary of transportation.

The long-delayed provision of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been under fire for years from unions, environmental groups and congress, which has refused to fund a pilot program and isn't happy the administration has pushed ahead with it anyway.

James Paton reports:

Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, addressing reporters at Maverick Ranch Natural Meats in Denver, said putting the brakes on the initiative would hurt the economy.

The pilot program has drawn criticism in Congress, which has voted to stop funding the effort, and has angered unions, including the local Teamsters. Opponents have cited an array of safety, security, environmental and economic concerns.

But Peters, who followed Maverick Ranch President Rex Moore on a tour of the meat facility before holding a news conference outside, said it's "no time for the politics of pessimism."

Without the ability to travel freely in Mexico, "every slab of beef and every sack of potatoes has to come to a complete stop," she said. "Those delays cost money and put businesses like those in Colorado at a disadvantage."

Peters has described the program as a "long-delayed implementation" of North American Free Trade Agreement provisions. Since 1982, Mexican trucks have been restricted to a 25-mile zone near the U.S. border and forced to transfer goods to American trucks. U.S. truckers have faced similar restrictions.

FULL story at link.

[liberal4truth]

1. Utter BS. What can can we expect from * ?

[madrchsod]

2. it is not a good time for trucks from mexico

to be out on the roads in america...it`s not a good time for the trucks from mexico to stop in any truck stop in america.

my dad was a truck dispatcher in the 30`s and 40`s...i`ve read a few teletypes about what was going on during the unionization...they did`t play nice.