Congress Revolts On Obama Plan That Would Ban ‘Buy American

Congress Revolts On Obama Plan That Would Ban ‘Buy American

A trade agreement currently under negotiation contains language that could potentially ban “Buy American” provisions, crimping American manufacturing.

Zach Carter

Zach Carter ~ zach.carter@huffingtonpost.com

WASHINGTON — A group of 68 House Democrats and one Republican sent a letter to President Barack Obama on Thursday urging him to reconsider an element of the controversial free trade agreement currently being negotiated by the administration. If approved in its current form, the pact would effectively ban “Buy American” policies in government contracting.

Although the deal, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, has received relatively little media attention in the United States, it has sparked international friction among consumer groups and environmental activists who worry that terms demanded by the Obama administration will eliminate important public protections. Domestically, however, the deal’s primary source of political tension is from a portion that could ban “Buy American” provisions — a restriction that opponents emphasize would crimp U.S. jobs.

Since the 1930s, the American government has offered preferential treatment to American producers in the awarding of federal contracts. If a domestic producer offers the government a more expensive bid than a foreign producer, it can still be awarded the contract under certain circumstances, but more recent free trade agreements have granted other nations the same negotiating status as domestic firms. The Obama administration is currently pushing to grant the several nations involved in the Trans-Pacific deal the same privileged status, according to the Thursday letter.

“We do not believe this approach is in the best interests of U.S. manufacturers and U.S. workers,” the letter reads. “Of special concern is the prospect that firms established in TPP countries, such as the many Chinese firms in Vietnam, could obtain waivers from Buy American policies. This could result in large sums of U.S. tax dollars being invested to strengthen other countries’ manufacturing sectors, rather than our own.”

The letter from members of Congress to the administration marks a rare glimpse inside the typically secretive trade negotiation process. The terms of the free trade negotiations, including the Trans-Pacific pact, are withheld from the public, even though the governments of all the countries involved have access to them. Many major U.S. corporations have access to the draft negotiation texts through their positions on advisory boards to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the White House agency which negotiates trade deals.

“Buy American” provisions do not help all U.S. firms equally. Corporations headquartered in the U.S. that offshore most of their manufacturing operations do not benefit from the system designed to promote domestic production in the way that companies with actual U.S. manufacturing operations do.

Public interest groups also worry that the same trade policies that could ban Buy American breaks will also prevent the U.S. government from making environmental or public health stipulations in federal contracts. The current language barring preferential treatment for American goods is so broad as to limit government specifications on goods to purely functional aspects. When contracting for paper, for instance, the government could specify that it wants to buy paper of the dimensions 8.5″ by 11″ — but it could not require that the paper be composed of recycled materials or use non-toxic dye.

The potential “Buy American” ban also conflicts with a top theme of Obama’s re-election campaign — boosting U.S. manufacturing. In February, the administration proposed fixing a tax loophole that has been exploited by oil and gas companies in order to provide breaks to domestic manufacturers. The tax proposal is not expected to gain any traction during an election year, however, although prospects for the trade agreement are much stronger. Last year, Congress approved three free trade deals initially negotiated by President George W. Bush that Obama had decided to support.

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The White House was not immediately available for comment.

 USTR spokeswoman Carol Guthrie told HuffPost that the administration is seeking “fair, transparent, predictable and non-discriminatory” contracting rules.

“The U.S. aim in covering government procurement under the TPP is to provide new market opportunities for U.S. goods, services, and suppliers,” Guthrie said.

Read the full letter to Obama here.

http://big.assets.huffingtonpost.com/BuyAmericanTPPLtrtoAdmin.pdf

This story has been updated to include comment from USTR.

Posted on:

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Send by Puchy ~ For Cjaronu

Decisions have consequences

Decisions have consequences

Moorad Alexanian 

Marxism is antithetical to the principles that underlie the foundation of our nation, which places great significance in individual freedom, personal responsibility, and even moral values.

In the name of caring, our government should not encourage a citizenry who do not do their share but expect to benefit from the fruits of the labor of others. The amazement of money by a central government and the power of its use to govern our lives is the real culprit of most, if not all, of our national problems.

Good people sacrifice all their life for the welfare of their children and the positive outcomes should not one day be viewed as an economic disparity vis-à-vis to others who did not do much for their own welfare nor that of their children.

Our country should not be governed by social Marxism but by responsible individuals who realize that a decision gives rise to either a good or an evil act – never a gray one.

Moorad Alexanian, Wilmington

http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20120503/ARTICLES/120509866?p=2&tc=pg

Posted by Maggie

“Sanctions and more Sanctions” by Puchy

Becoming a nuclear power under which Iran will emerge as a force to be reckoned with and a powerful leader in the Middle East Region has been the objective of Ahmadinejad from the very beginning. First order of business after being elected president in 2005, was to lift the suspension of uranium enrichment that had previously been agreed upon with the EU3; and while our own foreign policy continued to pursue openness by a misguided show of tolerance and capitulation following the model of  Obama’s childlike beliefs, that if he offers a hand in friendship the Iranian leader will be so overwhelmed by the gesture that he would fall to his knees in grateful appreciation calling a halt to his quest for nuclear weapons and supremacy in the region.

Ahmadinejad’s perspectives follow quite a different path; he feels we have become a soft and lazy nation. He has seen first hand the lack of conviction and determination shown thus far by our leader and taking full advantage of the weakness and divisiveness filtering thru our nations capital and the halls of Congress, he impudently and most boldly challenges the U.S. while systematically and methodically acquires new allies and proceeds to intensify and shape the wall of hostility and antagonism already overflowing between many Latin American countries and the U.S.A.

Ahmadinejad cultivates our enemies’ right in front of our noses, right in our own hemisphere, and what do we do, absolutely nothing, since the present administration has made a point to ignore our very  own back yard, Latin America, and to our very own peril!

New sanctions are in effect, but not under enforcement and only time will tell if they could get enough traction to be imposed. If they were to be implemented it will bar non-U.S. financial institutions from doing business in the United States if they process Iranian oil transactions. As always, experts disagree on whether the new sanctions would do the trick or not; subsequently, the matter becomes a cat and mouse ~ wait and see game, while Iran marches on in the pursuit of nuclear weapons.

Iran exports about 2.3 million barrels of crude oil per day, mostly to the European Union, China and India. China, sensing a window of opportunity is already bargaining with Iran for lower prices, while some European countries are already complaining to the U.S. that the sanctions will damage their own economy.

It’s clear to me that while the world goes to hell in a hand basket, all we seem to be able to do is pretend to posture, reprimand without resolve   and act indignant, but not determined. The Power and Might of the gallant Red, White and Blue would never be effective, or useful, if guided by the hands of a president whose doctrine centers on “Leading from behind”.

©~Puchy Guaty Lotz ~ For Cjaronu

January 26, 2012

Image: telegraph.co.uk

Oil statistics: indexmundi.com

Published by Maggie

Mensaje de Mercedes Benz a varios comentarios mios en Facebook, y mi respuesta

Mercedes-Benz                    Mercedes- Benz
Dear Central Jaronu Guaty-Marrero,
in his keynote speech at CES, Dr. Zetsche addressed the revolution in automobility enabled by new technologies, in particular those associated with connectivity. To illustrate this point, the company briefly used a photo of revolutionary Che Guevara (it was one of many images and videos in the presentation). Daimler was not condoning the life or a …ctions of this historical figure or the political philosophy he espoused. We sincerely apologize to those who took offense.
Kind regards, the Mercedes-Benz Facebook team My answer:

Central Jaronu Guaty-Marrero:  It was a very bad choice to illustrate a point with an image of a killer of Cubans, it is an outrage. I just can’t imagine Dr Zetsche using Hitler as any kind of allegory. The mere use of the Guevara’s image is very offensive to those who suffered thru that man actions.

Cuba y los elefantes

 

La realidad cubana dicha sin pelos en la lengua, no se lo pierdan, re-envielo viene con sub titulos en inglés

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCIk66EPIV4&feature=youtu.be

Ver este video directamene al final del post en el comentario.

Imágen: Web Joni el feo.

Cortesía de Yolanda Rodriguez Zayas – Bazán

Publicado por Maggie para Cjaronu

“A Glimmer of Hope”

“A Glimmer of Hope”

By: Puchy

Who would have thought back when the Tea Party Conservative Movement was nothing more than a whisper, that it would become a force to reckon with and bring Washington to its knees; toppling those individuals that for years thought to do as they pleased and ignored the will of the American people, after all, what do we know, we just don’t understand how things are done in Washington.

As the Tea Party became more widely known and started to flex its wings, the Democratic Congress degraded the very principals it stood for, they denied it could possibly be a “grass roots movement”, rejecting the idea that it was born from the heart and soul of all constitutional freedom loving Americans embracing all without exception; we came from all walks of life, creed and color and collectedly we brought down the “House” with a re-sounding and historical vote.

I can’t help but feel a new day dawning in Washington as new leaders take their seats in 2011. I admit that a glimmer of hope plays in my heart and I call upon those elected to have the fortitude to do what needs to be done to make us whole.

But most of all I pray for them to remember Abraham Lincoln’s most famous and poignant words, spoken during his Gettysburg address so very long ago. (November 19, 1863)

“That this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”.

May these words light the way and forever ring true as they endeavor to do the peoples work in the coming years.

Note:

The Gettysburg Address came to be regarded as one of the greatest Speeches in American history. President Lincoln said it all in just over two minutes.

©Puchy Guaty Lotz

~November 07, 2010 –

Image: Architect of the Capitol

For: Cjaronu Blog