United States News
The latest news from and about U.S. issues.Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Let’s renegotiate NAFTA.
Ottowa Citizen, June 21, 2008 - “U.S. presidential candidate John McCain apparently thinks Canadians, and perhaps American voters, will be reassured by his promises yesterday in Ottawa to defend the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The truth, however, is different. Citizens in both countries, especially workers, could benefit greatly from a thorough rewrite of NAFTA to put their interests first, rather than the interests of corporate investors who alone have reaped the benefits in the 15 years since NAFTA was signed.” Read more.
U.S. senator says Canada’s oilsands won’t be penalized by restrictions.
Sympatico/MSN, June 18, 2008 - “Canada’s oilsands won’t be penalized by American legislation that prohibits the U.S. government from buying alternative fuels with higher greenhouse gas emissions than conventional sources, Senator Jeff Bingaman said Wednesday. Bingaman, a Democrat who chairs the Senate Energy Committee, said he supports adopting a clarification like one in the House of Representatives that clearly exempts the oilsands. Under that measure, restrictions wouldn’t apply to general U.S. purchases, only contracts drawn up specifically limiting a certain type of alternative, non-conventional fuel.” Read more.
U.S. slowdown squeezes Mexico’s migrant worker bounty.
SignOnSanDiego, June 18, 2008 - “The mountain of cash sent home by Mexicans in the United States is shrinking for the first time in over a decade, putting the dampers on Mexico’s economy as a U.S. slowdown takes work away from immigrants. In rural towns like Tonatico, in central Mexico, where about half the men are in the United States, rodeos and country dances are being canceled and restaurants, which play U.S. hip hop music brought home by returning sons, are languishing. Migrant remittances have brought a major injection of dollars in Mexico over the last decade, and forced belt-tightening by the millions of families who depend on money transfers is hurting the economy’s important retail sector.” Read more.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s 4th Annual North America Forum.
NewsBlaze, June 16, 2008 - “The way I see it, this event could not come at a better time. With its focus on enhancing cooperation among the United States, Canada and Mexico - and on bringing together representatives of our governments and the private sector - you are helping to develop and achieve real and lasting solutions to some of our world’s most significant challenges. And when it comes to the global energy landscape, the challenges we face are certainly massive and pervasive. I don’t need to remind you of where we stand.” Read more.
Confronting Energy Efficiency in an Election Year
GreenBiz, June 17, 2008 - “John McCain and Barack Obama would push energy efficiency as a means of addressing future constraints and security, according to a series of speakers who gathered at the 19th Annual Energy Efficiency Forum last week. The theme of the forum revolved around the ways in which the next president will drive large-scale energy efficiency programs based on current public and private sector initiatives. Johnson Controls Inc. and the U.S. Energy Association sponsored the event held at the National Press Club.” Read more.
Immigration 101: Border Walls - True costs in dollars and human lives.
Sanctuary, June 16, 2008 - “The policy of ‘prevention through deterrence’ involved quintupling border-enforcement expenditures, building new fortified checkpoints, high-tech surveillance, and deploying thousands of additional Border Patrol Agents. Additionally, border barriers were built along portions of the California and Texas border to prevent migrants from entering through the most highly trafficked urban areas. More than a decade later it’s become evident that the promises of these two policies, rather than bringing economic change to Mexico and decreasing unauthorized migration to the US, have led to conditions that more than doubled the flow of migration ... and brought added death to the border.” Read more.
Why NAFTA Is An Anger Point Fueling The Uprising.
Huffington Post, June 16, 2008 - “The ‘free’ traders’ argument says that while NAFTA-style policies drive down wages and eliminate jobs, those policies are ultimately a good bargain for all workers because the wage-cutting, environment-destroying competition brought on by these policies lowers the price of goods. However, if inflation (aka. the price of goods) is outpacing average wages (aka. how much workers get paid), that means on the whole workers are losing out in the deal.” Read more.
Motorists Crossing Border For Cheaper Gas.
KTLA, June 14, 2008 - “Despite violence in the streets and long waits at the border, some California motorists are heading to Tijuana to fill up their tanks and save 45 percent on the cost of gas, and 56 percent on diesel. Pemex, the nationally-owned monopoly, subsidizes the cost of gas and oil at gas pumps across the Republic of Mexico. One gallon of regular-grade gasoline, 87 octane, sells for about $2.54 in Tijuana, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.” Read more.
NAFTA: America’s Energy Solution.
Huffington Post, June 13, 2008 - “Canada’s oil sands projects are an open pit mining operation the size of the state of Rhode Island and in a decade, Canada will be able to increase oil exports to the U.S. from one million barrels a day to four million, equal to what Iran produces. The vast operations are currently the world’s biggest construction site with 50,000 people moving earth, building refineries, pipelines and expanding power generation transmission lines and roads. The oil-laced territory is in a remote, hostile region located four hours by plane north of northerly Edmonton and workers are housed in mining camps.” Read more.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Pew’s Claussen assesses state of congressional climate talks, looks ahead to 2009.
E&ETV, June 10, 2008 - “Was last week’s Senate climate debate a wasted opportunity? Did the Senate further the climate discussion and lay the groundwork for passage of a bill in 2009? During today’s OnPoint, Eileen Claussen, president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, gives her take on last week’s Senate debate on the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act.” Click here to view video.
NAMI publishes a monthly e-newsletter of trinational and organizational news. If you would like to keep up with NAMI, trinational issues and NAMI's exclusive events, click here to sign up today.
