Ask Me Help Desk - Congress Finally Does Something Right!

Congress finally does something right (for a change). The new $410 billion omnibus bill is on it's way to the President's desk for signing. The bill contradicts Bush's allowing of Mexican trucks to drive on America's highways.

I'm proud that Congress at least can do something right in containing the Mexican trucks to 20 miles from the border. The Mexican trucks were just accidents waiting to happen due to their not being properly maintained or inspected.

Now the US truck drivers will be able to earn a living hauling the products America needs. Without the truck drivers we would not have food, clothing, durable goods, small appliances, vehicles, housing. At one time or another virtually everything you eat or use has been on a truck or trucks.

Not all truck drivers belong to a union. A lot are working for small companies or are owner/operators just trying to feed their families.

Maybe this is a trend to stop sending our jobs out of this country or stealing jobs right from under our noses. Let's hope that this "trend" continues. Maybe they'll do something for the call centers sent over to India next.

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Originally Posted by ;

Without the truck drivers we would not have food, clothing, durable goods, small appliances, vehicles, housing. At one time or another virtually everything you eat or use has been on a truck or trucks.

This should have said a LONG time ago. I remember a show during the first oil shortage (70s) when 60 minutes stated that NY would run out of toilet paper in 3 to 4 days if the trucks stop. . The CEOs of America ARE the Truck Drivers. Just about everything you touch a truck brought. It's a hard life to. I drove tractor trailer at 18 ( no CDL ) and did Lakewood NJ and deer park NY I hauled chicken eggs. In the 80s I worked yellow docks at a break bulk. We had 120 to 150 trailers load and unload 24 seven. I find most ALL truck drivers to be extremely nice people. Sure there a little ruff around the edges. Who wouldn't be after a long haul. God thank the men and women yes women that haul. It's a hard life and at time very lonely life.

Thanks twinker for pointing that out!!

Maybe this is a trend to stop sending our jobs out of this country or stealing jobs right from under our noses. Let's hope that this "trend" continues. Maybe they'll do something for the call centers sent over to India next.

I FIRMLY believe this is what's really needed to save the U.S. Worked before and we were NO #1 and America prospered at ALL levels. Not just the corporate levels.

Signed 21 Boat

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These are the same idiots in Congress who oppose a wall . A flood of illegal goods and human traffic cross the border unimpeded... but let's stop the flow of legal goods! Makes sense to me.

The problem is that NAFTA allows it and we have been in violation of NAFTA provisions . Does anyone have truck safety records from the pilot program ? I do .

Since 2003, 1.2 percent of Mexican truck drivers operating on U.S. roads have been found to be out of compliance, compared with 7 percent of American drivers. Of Mexican trucks stopped for inspection, 21 percent are ordered out of service, compared with 23 percent of U.S. vehicles that are stopped.
http://www.etrucker.com/apps/news/article.asp?id=63371
You can be assured that Mexico will retaliate and it will hurt American jobs . As I recall we export good to Mexico also. Don't you think American truckers cross the border to deliver American good to Mexico ?

Even the pilot program was costing Americans $$ from higher transportation costs .We only allowed 55 trucks to enter beyond the 25 mile zone... and Mexico retaliated by only allowing a similar number of American trucks to operate inside their territory .

With the ban in place, trucks are required to unload their cargo into warehouses in so-called commercial zones within 25 miles of the border, only to have them reloaded onto short-haul vehicles and then onto domestic trucks for final delivery. That's 3 times the goods are handled before it reaches the market .

This inefficient system causes delays, increased pollution and added costs .Because 80 percent of U.S. trade with Mexico travels by truck, the ban on cross-border trucking imposes an additional $200 million to $400 million in transportation costs

I'll keep an open mind on this . So long as there is full inspection of trucks and goods at the border, and they comply with full safety standards that American trucks are subject to then I see no problem with Mexican trucks crossing the border.

Do we put the same restrictions on Canadian ? Let's really go radical protectionist and bar containers coming into port,and foreign airliners. Yeah that will help American jobs !

I live in a border state and I have not heard of any problems whatsoever with Mexican trucks. Seems like a silly thing for a Democratically controlled, open borders, global thinking, diversity minded, party of the people congress to do.

Did anyone catch another area in which Obama is following in Bush's footsteps though? He issued a signing statement on the bill so he can pick and choose which provisions are mere suggestions and not binding.

As I recall ,he campaigned against signing statements... just words.

I support the use of signing statements.

Given that the President does not have line item veto , I see nothing wrong with an executive statement that clarifies and defines executive authority related to the particular legislation. It is informative and I believe helps clarify any future conflicts between the branches that comes from the law.

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Originally Posted by tomder55

Given that the President does not have line item veto , I see nothing wrong with an executive statement that clarifies and defines executive authority related to the particular legislation. It is informative and I believe helps clarify any future conflicts between the branches that comes from the law.

He deftly took both sides during the campaign, criticizing Bush while reserving the right for himself.

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Originally Posted by speechlesstx

He deftly took both sides during the campaign, criticizing Bush while reserving the right for himself.

Otherwise known as 'nuanced', a gift from liberalism

I must dissent, Ms. Twinkie. Congress is reacting to trade union baloney when, in fact, not that many truckers are in unions, anyway. It will not raise a trucker's pay by one cent, and there will be a plethora of unintended consequences as stated above, and as usually results when government intervenes in the economy. Why didn't Congress have the guts to do this under the guise of border security? It just emphasizes the inconsistency of allowing illegals all over the country, on the one hand; and terminating their otherwise legal and useful activity on the other.

Well, the entire thing will probably be moot shortly as it was announced very late yesterday that Obama is going to revive the Mexican trucks back into the US. NAFTA you know. That's downright stupid if you ask me.

Well, at least Congress did try. All they did was pass something in order for it to be undone by another "committee" or whatever O's going to call it.

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Originally Posted by twinkiedooter

...Well, at least Congress did try. All they did was pass something in order for it to be undone by another "committee" or whatever O's going to call it.

Remind you of John Kerry? "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it." 'Nuanced', indeed!

I think the program should be revived and expanded. As I said ;Congress is acting like they are living on the other side of the looking glass. There are illegal products and humans crossing the border as if it is a sieve. But they would crack down on the transport of legal imports .

Isn't it time for them to take a vacation ?

Here's some Mexican 'nuance' that illustrates two fallacies: protectionism saves jobs, and protectionism saves money.
"Mexico said it would increase tariffs on 90 industrial and agricultural goods, likely to include politically sensitive farm products, after Congress last week killed a pilot programme allowing a limited number of Mexican trucks on American highways. Mexico obtained a judicial ruling in 2001 under the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) allowing it to impose such sanctions, but has held off since the US introduced the pilot scheme." FT.com / Americas - Mexico to impose sanctions on US exports
Thanks, jackass-in-chief.

Mexico retaliated to the tune of $2.4 billion in tariffs on 89 U.S. goods that had gone to Mexico duty-free since 1994. That's right... in the effort to take a handfull of Mexican trucks off the roads ,American companies will now have to pay $2.4 billion in Mexican tariffs.It could cost 40,000 U.S. jobs.
Mexico Tariffs Spare Ford, Tyson, Rile Potato Growers (Update1) - Bloomberg.com

They did their homework too. Mexico targeted goods produced in districts represented by Congress' worst trade protectionists and by industries that have powerful lobbys in Washington.

Madame Mimi ,who has a personal interest in the growing of grapes (she and her husband own 2 vineyards ) and whose district is near California's grape producers, gets hit with the highest tariff hikes, as much as 45%.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ;

Mexico retaliated to the tune of $2.4 billion in tariffs on 89 U.S. goods that had gone to Mexico duty-free since 1994. That's right ......in the effort to take a handfull of Mexican trucks off the roads ,American companies will now have to pay $2.4 billion in Mexican tariffs.It could cost 40,000 U.S. jobs.

Excellent point!! Didn't see the collateral damage here until you clarified it. Ouch!!

Signed 21 Boat

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