Fast-Track Frenzy Is Not People-Friendly

Daniel Griswold’s “Fast-Track Is a Fiscal Jump-Start� (Commentary, Nov. 27) has led him to fast-forget how unnecessary fast-track actually is. Since it was created in 1974, it has been used only five times. President Clinton signed more than 300 trade agreements without fast-track. Congress recently passed both the Jordan and Vietnam free-trade agreements, which were negotiated without fast-track.

All fast-track does is take away the constitutional right of Congress to amend these deals and protect the interests of the people. The only reason to have fast-track is to shut Congress and the public out of the picture, making it easier to negotiate cozy deals that bend over backward for corporate interests at the expense of ordinary working people and our environment.

Adalila Zelada

National Lawyers Guild

Project for Human, Economic

and Environmental Defense

Los Angeles

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It seems that Griswold forgot some very grisly consequences of fast-track and free trade. Fast-track will put democracy and the environment on the wrong track. Fast-track and trade expansion are not just about lowering barriers to trade, they are about imposing the will of big corporations at the expense of people’s rights.

One example from NAFTA (the trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico): The U.S. is being sued by a Canadian corporation because California decided to phase out MTBE, a toxic chemical that is leaking into our drinking water. A secret panel is deciding whether the U.S. should pay Methanex $970 million just because Californians are exercising our right to protect our health and safety. No trade agreement should allow giant corporations to intimidate citizens.

Francisco Cabada

Los Angeles