05 LC 21
8399
House
Resolution 730
By:
Representatives Franklin of the
43rd,
Williams of the
4th,
Hill of the
21st,
Coan of the
101st,
Lunsford of the
110th,
and others
A
RESOLUTION
Urging
all members of the United States Congress to vote against any agreement for the
United States to enter into a Free Trade Area of the Americas; and for other
purposes.
WHEREAS,
the United States of America has always been the world leader in pushing for
free trade, which is a hallmark of our capitalistic society; and
WHEREAS,
free trade only thrives where there is a level playing field of government
regulations between trading partners; and
WHEREAS,
the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was supposed to bring
additional prosperity to the United States and level the playing field with
Canada and Mexico, thus perpetuating free trade between our nations;
and
WHEREAS,
notwithstanding the good intentions of NAFTA, our nation has suffered the loss
of almost 900,000 jobs due to NAFTA, many of them coming in the manufacturing
sector; and
WHEREAS,
manufacturing jobs in the United States have plunged from 19.3 million in 1980
to only about 14.6 million today, in large part because of these types of trade
issues; and
WHEREAS,
the United States has gone from a trade surplus with Mexico prior to NAFTA to a
substantial trade deficit; and
WHEREAS,
the United States is a current member of the World Trade Organization (WTO),
which has been called "The United Nations of World Trade"; and
WHEREAS,
the United States consistently bows to the wishes of the WTO, only proving the
words of Texas Congressman Ron Paul to be prophetic: "The most important reason
why we should get out [of the WTO] is to maintain our nation's sovereignty. We
should never deliver to any international governing body the authority to
dictate what our laws should be. And this is precisely the kind of power that
has been given to the WTO"; and
WHEREAS,
both the WTO and NAFTA, through the use of trade tribunals, now claim the
sovereign authority to overrule decisions of American courts and make awards to
foreign businesses for violations of trade agreements; and
WHEREAS,
Abner Mikva, a former chief judge on the federal appellate bench and a former
congressman, has stated: "If Congress had known there was anything like this in
NAFTA, they never would have voted for it"; and
WHEREAS,
the United States is considering entering into a new 34-member Free Trade Area
of the Americas (FTAA) in 2005; and
WHEREAS,
based upon the experience that the United States has had with NAFTA and the WTO,
United States membership in the planned FTAA would increase manufacturing flight
in the state of Georgia and throughout the United States.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of
this body respectfully but firmly urges all members of the United States
Congress to vote against any agreement for the United States to enter into a
Free Trade Area of the Americas.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized
and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the Georgia
Congressional Delegation.