Call Your U.S. House Rep.:

NO TO FAST-TRACK

Vote will probably be within the next 4 weeks

Call Toll-Free: 1-877-611-0063 (courtesy of the AFL-CIO)
Congressional Switchboard: 1-202-225-3121

Local and other contact #

(the following text as a PDF Flyer)

FAST-TRACK gives authority to the President to negotiate trade agreements. Congress gives up its right to thoroughly debate, amend, or otherwise alter those trade agreements. Congress can only vote "yes" or "no" on the whole agreement.

Fast-Track is Undemocratic by Its Very Nature: The checks and balances in our democratic process are eliminated when a President is handed FAST-TRACK AUTHORITY by Congress. Our elected representatives CANNOT CHANGE any part of the trade agreement the President has negotiated. Congress CANNOT GET RID OF parts that hurt working people while benefiting transnational corporations. Congress CANNOT IMPROVE the agreement to make it better for the majority of people. Like all other Congressional legislation, trade agreements should be amended, debated, and put through committee scrutiny (i.e. holding hearings for public input).

The last Congressional authorization of Fast-Track was for 1992-1995. Since it lapsed in 1995, Congress has since refused to renew it (see side-bar). One of the worst results of the 1992-1995 Fast-Track was NAFTA's Chapter 11. Not widely known by the public is the fact that Chapter 11 allows multinational corporations to sue our government for the purpose of negating our democratically enacted laws. The result is that our elected officials are more and more fearful of enacting protective laws (see op-ed on reverse side). NAFTA and WTO, negotiated under Fast-Track, work well for corporations, but not for real people and communities. We are moving toward corporate rule and away from democratic governance!

We have one last chance to stop President Bush using Fastrack for undebated acceptance of Trojan horses similar to NAFTA’s Chapter 11. The House of Representatives will be voting soon, probably before July 20th, on the combined House/Senate version of Fast-Track. A few minutes of your time and a free phone call may make a huge difference to the future of this country.

First, call your own U.S. Rep., then call the four wavering WA Congressional Reps. and tell them to OPPOSE FAST-TRACK. Call Toll-Free: 1-877-611-0063 (courtesy of the AFL-CIO)

WA Congressional House members who are wavering:

• Brian Baird (4th),
• Adam Smith (9th),
• Jay Inslee (1st)
• Rick Larsen (2nd).

Tell them: DO NOT HAND OVER CONGRESS’ CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY TO BUSH. VOTE ‘NO’ ON FAST TRACK.
(Other states call congressional switch board: 1-202-225-3121).

A Short History of Fast-Track

1973 to 1992 - When Congress gave Pres. Nixon Fast-Track in 1973, trade agreements were, and historically had been, limited to tariffs and quotas on goods. It was used during 1973-92 to pass several trade agreements in this traditional sense.

1992 - Pres. Clinton was granted Fast-Track by Congress (expiring in 1995) to pass NAFTA and WTO. In these agreements, however, the boundaries of what was included in trade agreements exploded. NAFTA and WTO required the reshaping of our domestic laws on food inspection, service sector regulations and intellectual property. NAFTA and WTO also established unelected-tribunals that now enforce their rulings through multi-million dollar penalties, paid with taxpayer-dollars, to corporations.

1997 & 1998 - In 1997, Pres. Clinton asked Congress for Fast-Track again, but due to the catastrophic reality of the four-year NAFTA record, he was afraid to call for a vote. In 1998, Clinton made another attempt, but Fast Track was voted down overwhelmingly in Congress.

2001-2 - Pres. Bush is currently asking Congress for Fast-Track to expand NAFTA to the entire Western Hemisphere. The U.S. House approved Fast-Track by one vote in December, 2001 and the Senate approved Fast-Track in May, 2002. Because the House and Senate bills are different, they will be reconciled in a “Conference Report”. That version of Fast-Track will be voted on again in both the House and the Senate, possibly before July 4th.

Other things you can do:

• Call, Fax, E-mail your U.S. Congressman and tell him or her to oppose the upcomming House/Senate reconciled version of Fast-Track
  
  
• Bill Moyer’s special on NAFTA in your community, "Trading Democracy: How NAFTA Allows Corporations to Fight Laws that Protect the Public" is very good. Call your local PBS station (in Western WA that's KCTS-PBS (206) 443-6677) and ask them to show it again. Or arrange a showing and discussion in your community (call People For Fair Trade about borrowing the video, 206-7872-8292)
  

More on Chapter 11, Fast Track and NAFTA

• David Kortan's book review of Thomas Friedman's "The Lexus and The Olive Tree" on economic globalization
  

WTO

• The World Trade Organization - A Citizen's Guide exerpt of book by Steven Shrybman

Links to other Organizations' stop Fast-Track efforts:

Write or call your elected officials to express your concern

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For more information or to volunteer your time,

e-mail: info@peopleforfairtrade.org

Sally Soriano: 206-782-8292

People For Fair Trade, 2343 NW 100th, Seattle, WA, 98177 USA