Sirotablog
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. David writes about political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties.
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October 8, 2007 2:18 AM
Costa Rica Update
From the Los Angeles Times:
MEXICO CITY -- Costa Rican voters gave an almost-certain thumbs up Sunday to a controversial free-trade agreement with the United States in a national referendum that had bitterly divided that Latin America nation.
With 90% of the votes counted, 52% were backing the Central American Free Trade Agreement, with 48% rejecting it, according to official results.
A recount is proceeding. Frankly, with the well-financed campaign of fear, and with the Bush administration putting the muscle of the entire U.S. government behind the "yes" campaign, I think it is remarkable that it was this close.
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About David Sirota
David Sirota is a political journalist and nationally syndicated newspaper columnist at Creators Syndicate. He is the New York Times bestselling author of Hostile Takeover. He lives in Denver, Colorado. His daily blog can be found at CREDO Action. He contributes regularly to the Denver Post's Web site, is a senior editor at In These Times magazine and is working on his second book. He has been profiled in Newsweek and the Rocky Mountain News and is widely known for his reporting on political corruption, globalization and working-class economic issues often ignored by both of America's political parties. Sirota serves as co-chair of the Progressive States Network, a 501(c)3 organization that supports state legislators and that is a partner of CREDO.
You can subscribe to Sirota's e-mail newsletter by going to davidsirota.com and signing up in the lefthand corner. To find out more about Sirota, download his official biography or see his recent media appearances. You can e-mail him at sirota@credoaction.com.
The views expressed on this blog are his own, and do not necessarily represent the views of Working Assets (publisher of CREDO Action) or the institutions Sirota works for.
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Discussion
Frankly, I do not trust the vote results. These are very powerful and ruthless people who are behind these so-called "free trade deals" and I do not think they will let things like an election get in their way. This result just reinforces to me how powerful the interests behind these deals really are. There is just too much money for them to make, to allow something like an election to get in their way. It makes you wonder if it is even possible to stop them, without anything less than a revolution.
Regards,
It wouldn't be the first time an unscrupulous government rigged an election. Look at the Bushiato's activities in Florida and Ohio.
I'd like to see what kind of lies the Costa Rican government told to get that many people to vote for this capitulation to greedy multi-national interests.
Hmmm.... public opinion polls indicated the measure was headed for defeat. Yet, it looks like it will win by the slimiest of margins, requiring a recount. Where have I heard that before...???
Isn't CAFTA really an opportunity for the Fortune 1000 to Labor Arbitrage oops I mean "Nearshore" millions more US Backoffice jobs???
A couple of years ago during the initial campaign to pass CAFTA a flood of dubious websites appeared offering "Outsourcing" consulting services for corporate managers looking to relocate the bulk of their company's accounting departments to Costa Rica. Costa Rica was being billed as the future Mumbia of Accounting Services Labor Arbitrage. There was at the time some of concern in the US among the Globalists and the pundit class that this "tacky" rush to push Nearshoring was hurting CAFTA's public image.
The problems with offshoring accounting services to India have up till now been the 11-13 hour timezone differences. Costa Rica is on a UTC +6 time zone which could easily be changed to match New York. Costa Rica unlike the rest of Central America and Mexico has a decently functioning civil service, power grid and public infastructure, a politically stable democratic history, and a realitively well educated, capitalist, entrepreneurial, tolerant and welcoming population. Therefore Costa Rica was seen as an ideal nearshoring locale.
I believe the scam is going to work like this; Costa Rica's people were being promised lots and lots of nice middle class white collar jobs that would make their country the "Singapore" of Central America. Instead the US Fortune 1000 and the politically powerful India Labor Arbitrage rackets and the intellectual management consulting allies like the notorious McKinsey & Co. have every intention of building massive corporate office park "green zones". Then setting up huge Accounting and IT cublicle farm operations staffed with low payed imported Indian indentured "nonimmigrant" helots. "Welcome to San Juan, Mr. Patel now please surrendering your passport. You will not be needing it until your 'contract' is over." And of course Costa Rica's population would soar as the impoverished from the rest of Central and South America would be attracted by the low wage service jobs that would spring up to cater to the relatively well off "White Collar" helots and of course uber rich international management class.
Under CAFTA of course the international corporations would be protected from Costa Rica raising taxes to help cope with the "unintended" "external" costs and the burdens on its public infastructure. How most average Costa Rican's would benefit as their country is turned into one massive International Labor Arbitrage crap game is in doubt.
I really do not think that Costa Rica's population had that in mind when it pasted CAFTA yesterday.
Were these guys using electronic voting machines?
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