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(No, it's not from The Onion) Guest opinion: Why U.S., Arizona need free trade with Colombia

GLENN HAMER
Things are upside down in this country when the U.S. aids Hugo Chavez and hurts a Latin American ally such as Colombia.
That's what will happen if the U.S. spurns a free trade agreement with Colombia. Chavez will gain greater control of Latin America and Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will be hurt in his efforts to create greater economic and political freedom.
The real rub is that the free trade agreement with Colombia comes down to basic fairness.
Most imports from Colombia enter the U.S. market duty-free under the Andean Trade Preference Act, which Congress has renewed repeatedly with bipartisan support plus the backing of the business community and even the AFL-CIO.
By contrast, U.S. exporters face double-digit tariffs when selling goods in Colombia. This is unfair to American workers, businesses and farmers.
The U.S. Chamber calls the Colombian market "enticing," and says with the trade agreement in place, U.S. exports could rise by more than $1 billion per year.
With that kind of logic, it's hard to understand what the problem is with approving the trade.
In discussions, the U.S. House said before the agreement took effect, it would need "concrete evidence of sustained results on the ground in Colombia." One could argue the "sustained results" could not be clearer.
The Colombian murder rate is at its lowest level, kidnappings have decreased by 80 percent, and two-thirds of the country's opium production has been eliminated. In addition, the country's narco-guerrilla groups have lost legitimacy and more than 40,000 fighters have been demobilized.
The Colombian trade agreement would have a direct impact on Arizona exports. Currently, Arizona is ranked 19 among the 50 states in terms of total exports in 2007.
In 2007, Arizona's export shipments of merchandise to Colombia totaled $11.7 million, an increase of 19 percent from 2006. Look at the statistics below to see the trend of positive impacts of free trade on Arizona.
• Since the U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement took effect in 2004, Arizona's annual exports to Chile increased 59 percent.
• Since the North American Free Trade Agreement entered into force in 1994, Arizona's combined exports to Canada and Mexico have increased by 206 percent.
• Since the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement took effect in 2004, the state's exports to Singapore have jumped 123 percent.
The evidence is clear that the Colombian Free Trade Agreement will positively benefit the U.S. and Arizona specifically. It's time for Congress to approve this beneficial agreement.
Glenn Hamer is president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry (www.azchamber.com).

By static on Mar 25, 2008, 21:39 in Politics & the war.

static says on Mar 25, 2008, 21:40:

After that first sentence, I had to check to make sure that this wasn't a joke.

0 funny, 0 helpful.