Canada and EU are being more than a little hypocritical on the Buy American thing

[Hello_Kitty]

Harper Gets Hypocritical about Hypotheticals

The hysteria-fest coming out of Ottawa and Brussels over the Buy America/n provisions in the stimulus plan continues. But if Canadian PM Stephen Harper and the EU are getting so bent out of shape over our tiny domestic preferences, what's the state of theirs? As it turns out, we our products can't get the contracts benefits in their countries that they claim we will be denying them theirs here...

...While the United States (only) safeguards its preferences for domestic iron and steel used in federally funded state transportation projects, Canada simply carves out steel, motor vehicles and coal altogether (for all provinces, for all sectors), and also carves out all construction contracts issued by the Department of Transport. The EU carved out of its WTO procurement obligations all EU members’ country contracts awarded by federal governments and subfederal governments in connection with activities in the fields of drinking water, energy, transport or telecommunications.

...Translated out of trade lingo, both Canada and EU give their nations' companies products much more generous preferences than Congress is even considering giving ours. While current U.S. laws (merely extended in the stimulus bill) give U.S. iron and steel a leg up over the foreign competition for transit projects, Canada and the EU give their firms products a leg up over American companies and products on EVERY aspect of transit funding, and many other government purchases besides.

And, we’re not criticizing them for it: why SHOULD decisions by democratically elected parliaments about how to best spend tax dollars on domestic infrastructure be subject to constraints imposed by international trade agreements? There is no “protectionism”
at issue here. But, it is certainly hypocrisy -- and perhaps a bit of opportunism -- on the part of Ottawa and Brussels.

http://citizen.typepad.com/eyesontrade/2009/02/harper-gets-hypocritical-about-hypotheticals.html

Edit to add: The whole blog is an excellent resource for debunking globalism propaganda.

[applegrove]

1. I can very well see that government procurement contracts could all have a "buy at home"

clause. That makes sense. Worry is that it will escalate. I hope cooler heads prevail.

[rockymountaindem]

2. As usual, we're fighting the trade battles with one hand behind our back

We're significantly more "free" in trade than most of our industrialized competitors, who are always airing their grievances and telling us what to do nonetheless. If you want to know more about these issues and why we got where we are, read "Take This Job and Ship It" by Sen. Byron Dorgan. It's a good book, but it'll leave you frustrated.

[Hello_Kitty]

3. "Protectionism" is only wrong when America does it. eom

[Idealism]

4. That reminds me once of something Chavez once said

To paraphrase: "Why is globalization only what America says it is, why is any opposing viewpoint anti-global?"

[Hello_Kitty]

5. With all due respect to the great Chavez:

Today, the question would more accurately be: Why is globalization only what multinational corporations say it is and why is any opposing viewpoint anti-global? "America" doesn't run the world. A small elite cabal of obscenely wealthy people do.

[Idealism]

6. Well his exact words were harder to translate

estados unidos imperialista de las empresas

he refers to America as "united imperialist states of corporations" instead of the USA

[Hello_Kitty]

8. Yep. That about describes it to a tee. eom

[Waiting For Everyman]

7. They lie a lot - might as well call it what it is.

Hmm... reminds me of this past election.

Thanks, Hello Kitty!

[HEyHEY]

9. Harper is being a whiny assbag about this

He's making me mad.