For some, October 12th is commemorated as the day that Christopher Columbus "discovered" the Americas. For many more, it marked the beginning of over 500 years of foreign domination, cultural destruction and systematic exploitation. Over the last 15 years, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has perpetuated that tragic history.
Join with other justice-minded people to use this October 12th to push for the renegotiation of NAFTA and forge a new history based on mutual respect, human rights, and dignity.
NAFTA and its sister agreements have resulted in a "race to the bottom" that has eroded governments' ability to set food, environmental, consumer and labor protections in the public interest. The only winners with the implementation of NAFTA 15 years ago are transnational corporations.
Act now for trade justice and tell the US Trade Representative to renegotiate and replace NAFTA.
Dear U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk,
Instead of fulfilling its promises of economic prosperity and development, over the last 15 years NAFTA has led to stagnated wages in the US and decimated livelihoods abroad.
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After being appointed US Trade Representative, you noted that the public should not infer from your past support of NAFTA that you would be an unmitigated free trader. You stated "my agenda is the President's agenda."
I hope that your agenda also represents the interests of the people who are affected by the policies and agreements that you negotiate. According to polls by Rasmussen Reports, least 56% of the population in the US wants NAFTA to be renegotiated and replaced with something better for workers, our economy, and our environment.
In Mexico, only 10% of the population has seen a higher standard of living since NAFTA's implementation, and thousands have protested at great peril, as military and government crackdowns on non-violent activists have flourished over the last decade and a half.
It is clear that the majority of people in this country believe NAFTA should be renegotiated and that we should end the era of padding the pockets of a few while eroding workers' negotiating power, consumers' protections, and family farmers' ability to make ends meet.
As food pantry lines grow and people continue to lose their jobs and their homes, it's becoming increasingly clear that the current model isn't working. I urge you to take swift and decisive action to fulfill President Obama's campaign promise to renegotiate NAFTA in favor of a more balanced and fair trade policy that respects human rights, environmental, and development goals.
