Our Minister of Latin American Affairs zipped off to Monterrey, Mexico last weekend for a conference. The focus of the effort was the trade agreement known as NAFTA. This agreement has been in effect for almost 25 years and has matured into a viable institution that has many benefits, although many are not obvious. Since Mr. Trump has taken control of the White House, he has openly criticized the pact and has sent various announcements that this pact is not to his liking and will be altered or eliminated. This position has sent shock waves across our northern border and our southern border where businesses have bloomed as a result of the trade agreement.
Pundits from all over have turned to research that has accumulated over the years on the economic effects of this open border bond among the parties involved(3). A closer look affords a glance at how the pact was sold to Congress and how the results compare to the provisions. The actual results are mixed, with both winners and losers. Perhaps the biggest winners are corporations who moved factories south. Winners are Mexicans who found jobs closer to home. However, these jobs often pay far less than they did in the US. Is this a good thing? Depends, of course, on whether you are a worker or a corporation/stockholder.
Meanwhile, our Minister will make his report soon. He expressed his opinions privately, stating that his efforts were rewarded with timely information that can benefit Tahoma.
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