Prolijo...good post, and I probably just get a little confused between what is playing the Devils Advocate and what Prolijo really thinks
.
I totally agree that in this current world there is hardly any such thing as pure "Free Trade". When you have temporary governments negotiating on behalf of "the people" (who tend to be the minority moneyed people who put them in office), there is hardly anything pure about it. I WISH it were as simple as the Cato quote you bring up..."In the final analysis, nations do not trade with each other; people do." Individuals are forced to trade under the government rules and sanctions that run rampant in our world. In the USA, I am only free to trade under the rules and controls of my govt. At the same time, I have grown accustomed to accepting whatever level of free trade I can get over none at all. While Nafta and probably CAFTA are not perfect agreements, they are a step in the right direction compared to former policy.
A minor case and point is Cuba. Our policy there has OBVIOUSLY been failing for over 40 yrs now. The only people that have suffered or been controlled by our embargos, etc have been the people themselves...AND the US businessman who is legally prohited from even traveling there. In the end this has all been about "saving face" and a certain degree of Imperialist thinking of our government concerning this hemisphere. Sure...our govt was right to protect us from Russian nuclear warheads being setup in Cuba as a direct threat to our safety. BUT...my arguement continues that if we had trade relations with Cuba, we would have more cultural influence as well. The Cubans would have more of our goods, we would have more access to their beaches and culture...and it could have been a good thing. Now the Canadians, French, Russians and Chinese have all beat us to that market and when it opens up again we will be sucking their hind tits to get access and compete. How can anyone say this was a successful policy? Obviously our embargos on Iraq and Iran never hurt anyone but the citizens of those countries either. The govts always had SOMEONE to trade with and get goods. Thats the way of the world. So again, in the end protectionism does NOT work in the long run.
Now the question unfolds...will Costa Rica be the next Cuba? Isolated, economically devastated, controlled by anarchists, socialists and or communists? Thats the position these unions and educators are taking here...and the K*ds are just looking for some cause to live for. Being against most anything is what makes them tick it seems...and easier to do than read and understand these complicated agreements.
I close with an editorial I wrote that was published in AMcostarica.com a couple weeks back...
Quote:
Vision of future here
is at least pessimistic
Dear A.M. Costa Rica:
Obviously the dialogue regarding CAFTA and free trade in general is a “lightning rod†among foreigners and locals alike. It also seems that foreign readers of this publication have more conviction in their opinions than Ticos. Everyone who I hear voice an opinion in my path . . . I always ask “have you read the CAFTA agreement? 98% say no. How can people have an educated opinion without reading the agreement...readily downloadable here?
I doubt most of the students and syndicates blocking the streets of Costa Rica in protest have read the deal either. Yet, a dark subtle anti-American movement is rising in Costa Rica that has me quite concerned. It gives me Ayn Randian shivers when as in “Atlas Shrugged,†reason and rationale went out the window in favor of protectionism and redistribution of wealth you see in Socialist and Communist models.
The money and the brains “disappeared†and left the inept, irrational masses behind to suffer for their incompetence. You are already seeing this capital and braintrust flight to Panama and back to the U.S.A. Sure, tourists and mercenaries will continue to come use this country as they can, but true growth and prosperity for the masses will be a long way off . . . if they ever come to this fair land.
Another question that should be raised is . . . where is the true power in Costa Rica? Where is the leadership with teeth? Are the masses truly expected to agree on every complicated factor of international trade, domestic law and fair taxes, ecological protection and land use, or boundaries of freedoms and personal rights?
What power does a president have if he has no armed forces or even national guard to enforce legal decisions or protect the “national welfare,†let alone for disaster
relief at the currently devastated Pacific communities from floods and landslides? If he is dependent on external forces like the U.S.A. to support in case of an emergency, doesn't that make him an obvious “puppet†of that support base?
I hate to say it, but if this country continues on its current course, I see it falling far behind the rest of the region as an emerging economy, and it could easily fall into the hands of anarchy and/or manipulated by any external influence that would come in to “save the dayâ€. I hope it doesn't come to this.
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