Oh Great Just what the world needs!
A Romney Clone of Brian Mulroney in the US of A!!

Tread carefully America…and look to Canada's Example on Free Trade! Nothing is Free in this World…NOTHING!

Free trade does not equal fair trade. When America participates in free trade agreements with poor countries, the poor countries are likely to suffer economically because the producers in each nation are not on a level playing field. For example, our large subsidies on the big 5 commodities - rice, wheat, cotton, corn, and soy - allow our farmers to sell these below market price. In many developing nations, agriculture is the tool to escape poverty - but when we go in and sell these commodities below market price, the citizens of developing nations cannot even compete in their own markets. Free trade does not equal fair trade - and serves to benefit the US while continuing to hurt the participating countries.

We cannot afford more Free Trade.

The contradiction is inescapable. On the one hand, Romney wants more global free trade while simultaneously endorsing self-reliance. Which is it, Mitt? Make up your mind.

#1. He's an idiot
#2. Somebody named MITT will/should never be elected!

Free trade does not contradict self reliance. Not in the least. What economics course did you hear that in?

There are thousands of products that would benefit both participating countries in free trade, naming a few exceptions does not downplay the overall effect, and the overall effect is win-win.

"'We’d like to see more agreements, not fewer, to improve the economic well-being of our neighborhood,' he said.

Romney, however, stopped short of endorsing a proposal by Isilio Arriaga, a member of his own National Hispanic Steering Committee, to lower subsidies on U.S. ethanol. Such a move could help boost Brazil’s production of sugar cane-based ethanol and reduce its competition."

Looks like Mr. Romney is looking out for his own "neighborhood", and not so much Latin America's as he claims.

And props to Mitt Hater! Hahaha. Romney's name alone should incur suspicion.

Free trade will combat Latin American poverty?? What a preposterous statement! Certainly people with Mitt Romney's net worth will benefit from free trade, but I can't for the life of me figure out how more maquiladoras are gonna help out Latin America. Or for that matter, the air quality of Texas in the summer.

More free trade, double Guantanamo, and drilling off Florida and in national wildlife reserves?? Are any of these Republicans aware that there's a general election at some point after the South Carolina primary?

Fortunately, with Mitt's track record, these positions might change just in time for the general.

The fundamentals of trade dictate that if one country has a commercial value another country wishes to utilize it is to the advantage of the latter country to purchase said commercial value from the former country rather than produce it themselves. This is the mindset that Mr. Arriaga is using when he proposes lowering subsidies which would allow Brazil to supply the United States with ethanol. Mr. Romney talks a pretty talk but he stumbles when the reality of trade slaps him in the face.

Since the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect in 1994 the American trade deficit with Mexico and Canada has increase to over $80 billion. This would appear to be a net benefit to the neighboring economies, and so it was. During the early years of NAFTA American companies movied production facilities across the border because of cheap labor. They then "imported" those products back to the United States. It was a huge benefit for these corporations. They enjoyed cheap labor costs and paid no import taxes. The net effect on the U.S. middle class was a loss of nearly 500,000 jobs.

In recent years those companies that moved across the border have found even cheaper labor in Asian countries. The manufacturing jobs left Mexico resulting in more poverty, not less. This is a lesson Mr. Romney would do well to learn if he is to be taken seriously as a world leader.

Shawnie, if you learned what you've posted in an economics class you should sue for your money back because you just made a fool of yourself.

Mitt is irrelevant.

I would appreciate if Mr. Romney can define "Free Trade" for me?

Poverty in other countries cannot be reduced simply by importing their products. Each product or service we import, Americans lose the opportunity to provide that product or service. The reason given for US jobs going overseas is cheap labor. That is half-truth, not the whole truth.

The truth is that other countries do not comply with environmental and labor laws similar to the U.S. Therefore, their cost of compliance is next to nothing. By not requiring similar compliance as we do in the U.S, not only we are losing jobs in the US, but we are also increasing poverty in other countries and hurting the environment. Just check the unemployment figures and environmental disaster in China and India. Do we want same thing to happen in our backyard?

Mr. Romney either does not know that, or he has chosen to ignore it.

Fair trade is the answer, and so is Ron Paul!

Shall we now outsource jobs to Latin America, too, on top of the millions and millions we now outsource to India, China and other countries?

America loses in free trade. Nothing is really global. Its all one way - all of our jobs and goods go out of here and NOTHING comes back. China blocks our exports. And no Americans can go work anywhere overseas without taking their lives into their hands.

Say NO to so-called "Free Trade"! Didn't we learn from the joke called NAFTA?

James K for Change nailed it.

This story demonstrates that Romney and his consultants are ignorant about social/political/economic conditions, and the new emerging leadership in South America and the caribbean.

We need to drop stupid labels, become informed, make a paradigm shift in thought, policy, and action; and support Fair Trade NOT Free Trade if one really cares about people in poverty, and American workers.

Mitt should be more concerned with poverty in America! Millions of jobs lost in America, the middle class destroyed and everywhere we look new gated "walled neighborhoods" of the rich are being constructed.

Free trade and currency evaluations have to go hand in hand. If Americans are supposed to compete with 5 cent an hour labor - why don't American Managers and CEO's work for what CEO's are paid in these cheap labor countries?

Mitt has a sharp business mind that this country could certainly use.He knows how money works. The problem is his theories on the other stuff like opening another Gitmo for instance. Too bad.

Don't worry Cliff. Flip-flop Romney will "change his mind" regarding opening another Gitmo.

It sure will help in the poverty. These "free trade agreements" are actually immigation agreements that let a certain number of people into the US each year. I'm sure as they get jobs, they'll send money back to their homeland helping to "lift" them out of poverty.

This guy is nuts… he is trying to garner support from embargo suppoting and Chavez hating right wing Republicans Cuban exiles and Venezuelan dissidents by suggesting free trade? Does he think they want to hear that? Makes no sense..

Mitt is right. All of you need to take an economics course from a non-socialist college! "Fair trade" = government regulated trade. There are organizations that help prevent illegal government subsidies. Free trade works great for all involved if all of the forces of the free market are allowed to work. For instance, should the US sell cars or rice to Japan? The answer: rice!

Ron Paul is the man for the job in '08!

Mitt is wrong!

In my tax supported state university, I learned that according to the U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 8, Clause III,

Congress shall have the power:

To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes;

Yes, it is government's (Congress's) job to see that the trade practices of some special interests do not hurt the American people and there should be balance of trade between the United States and other nations as a whole.

We need Ron Paul – the practitioner of the Constitution!