Tom Ricker Quotations

The problems associated with implementing CAFTA demonstrate what we've been saying all along: this agreement goes beyond trade in requiring dramatic changes in domestic laws that grant new rights to transnational corporations at the expense of working people.

The entire CAFTA process has been conducted behind closed, with corporate interests granted almost everything they desire, while basic protections for people, be it worker rights, environmental sanity, or access to essential services have been sacrificed.

Any country negotiating with the Bush Administration right now should be wary of signing an agreement, given the example of consistently shifting the finish line for CAFTA in order to appease corporate supporters. There is no reason to believe they will not pull the same stunt with Peru, Panama, Colombia, or Ecuador.