Colombia free trade agreement a bad idea

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5:19 PM Monday, June 20, 2011

President Barack Obama may introduce the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Colombia. I am opposed to that.

Obama’s initial plans were not to introduce it because of the human rights problems in Colombia, especially the deaths of many union workers (the most in the world) and the impunity of those who are responsible.

Nothing has changed, so I’m not sure why he is changing his mind.

Because of the possibility of the vote on the FTA, I joined a weeklong fast, sun-up to sun-down (June 5-12). I joined about 160 Colombians and more than 50 from the United States in shining light on the problems in Colombia. The situation will worsen if the FTA is passed.

Colombians are against the agreement because of the harm it will cause many poor farmers who won’t be able to sell their crops; the prices of goods from the United States will be lower than theirs. That situation occurred in Mexico when white corn was opened to that country. Millions of farmers had to find other ways to survive.

In Colombia, many farmers would turn to growing coca, which would only exacerbate the drug problems.

Paula Ewers

Dayton

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