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Subject: Senate Bill 3622: "North American Investment Fund" Canadian & U.S. taxpayers to fund Mexican development
Date: Thu, 13 Jul 2006 01:08:05 -0600
Cornyn wants U.S. taxpayers to fund Mexican development
'North American Investment Fund' billed as answer to illegal alien
influx
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Senate Bill 3622, co-sponsored by Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn.,
specifically authorizes the president to "negotiate the creation of a
North American Investment Fund between the governments of Canada, of
Mexico, and of the U.S.
Posted: July 13, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51036By Joseph Farah
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
PHOTO: Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas
WASHINGTON – Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, has quietly introduced a bill
to create a "North American Investment Fund" that would tap U.S. and
Canadian taxpayers for the development of public works projects in
Mexico.
Despite assurances this week from White House press secretary Tony
Snow that President Bush opposes the idea of a European Union
superstate for North America, the effort, by one of the president's
loyal supporters in the Senate, is sure to spark new questions about
negotiations between the leaders of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico on
issues ranging from security to the economy.
"Currently, a significant development gap exists between Mexico and
the United States and Canada," Cornyn said. "I believe it is in our
best interests to find creative ways to bridge this development gap."
Cornyn introduced the bill just before the July 4 holiday – admitting
in his introductory comments that Congress is not likely to adopt his
plan quickly. In fact, Cornyn previously attempted to create the new
international fund in legislation he introduced in 1994. It soon
thereafter died in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where the
latest version is headed.
Senate Bill 3622, co-sponsored by Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn.,
specifically authorizes the president to "negotiate the creation of a
North American Investment Fund between the governments of Canada, of
Mexico, and of the U.S. to increase the economic competitiveness of
North America in a global economy."
The fund, if it is ever created, won't just cost U.S. and Candian
taxpayers more, it will also cost Mexican taxpayers a lot more.
Cornyn's bill requires the government of Mexico to raise tax revenue
to 18 percent of the gross national product. The current tax rate is
approximately 9 percent.
"The purpose of this fund is to reinforce efforts already underway in
Mexico to ensure their (sic) own economic development," Cornyn said.
"The funding would make grants available for projects to construct
roads in Mexico, to facilitate trade, to develop and expand their
education programs, to build infrastructure for the deployment of
communications services and to improve job training and workforce
development for high-growth industries."
As WND reported recently, opposition is mounting to similar programs,
including President Bush's North American Security and Prosperity
Partnership.
Plans by government agencies and private foundations alike promoting
deeper cooperation between the three countries – including even a plan
for a common currency called the "amero" – are getting more scrutiny
in the media, by activists and by public officials.
Lou Dobbs of CNN – a frequent critic of Bush's immigration policies –
has been most outspoken.
CNN's Lou Dobbs
"A regional prosperity and security program?" he asked rhetorically in
a recent cablecast. "This is absolute ignorance. And the fact that we
are – we reported this, we should point out, when it was signed. But,
as we watch this thing progress, these working groups are continuing.
They're intensifying. What in the world are these people thinking
about? You know, I was asked the other day about whether or not I
really thought the American people had the stomach to stand up and
stop this nonsense, this direction from a group of elites, an absolute
contravention of our law, of our Constitution, every national value.
And I hope, I pray that I'm right when I said yes. But this is – I
mean, this is beyond belief."
Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo.
Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., the chairman of the House Immigration
Reform Caucus as well as author of the new book, "In Mortal Danger,"
may be the only elected official to challenge openly the plans for the
new superstate.
Responding to a WorldNetDaily report, Tancredo is demanding the Bush
administration fully disclose the activities of the government office
implementing the trilateral agreement that has no authorization from
Congress.
Tancredo wants to know the membership of the Security and Prosperity
Partnership groups along with their various trilateral memoranda of
understanding and other agreements reached with counterparts in Mexico
and Canada.
Jim Gilchrist, co-founder of the Minutemen, welcomed Tancredo's
efforts.
"It's time for the Bush administration to come clean," Gilchrist said.
"If President Bush's agenda is to establish a new North American union
government to supersede the sovereignty of the United States, then the
president has an obligation to tell this to the American people
directly. The American public has a right to know."
Geri Word, who heads the SPP office, told WND the work had not been
disclosed because, "We did not want to get the contact people of the
working groups distracted by calls from the public."
WND can find no specific congressional legislation authorizing the SPP
working groups nor any congressional committees taking charge of
oversight.
Many SPP working groups appear to be working toward achieving specific
objectives as defined by a May 2005 Council on Foreign Relations task
force report, which presented a blueprint for expanding the SPP
agreement into a North American union that would merge the U.S.,
Canada and Mexico into a new governmental form.
But presidential spokesman Snow ruled out any consideration of a North
American superstate a la the European Union.
WND White House correspondent Les Kinsolving asked if the president
would categorically deny any interest in building a European
Union-style superstate in North America.
"Of course, no," said Snow. "We're not interested. There is not going
to be an EU in the U.S."
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