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Alan Keyes on Free Trade

American Independent nominee for President; 2004 Republican challenger for IL Senate


We gave away portion of sovereignty when we entered WTO

I think we gave away a portion of our sovereignty that we should never have surrendered when we entered the WTO. It violates the fundamental principle of our way of life: no legislation without representation. I’m not interested in protectionism or withdrawal. But folks ought to be paying a premium price to enter this market, or else giving us something concrete in return that’s of tangible benefit to the American people.
Source: Campaign website, www.alankeyes.com, “Issues” Oct 1, 2007

One-on-one trade agreements; with tariffs for dumping

I believe we need to move away from negotiating multinational trade agreements, and ought to focus instead on cutting better deals by bargaining one-on-one with individual countries. I also believe we should impose tariffs on countries that undercut American farmers and manufacturers with cheap products.
Source: Campaign website, www.alankeyes.com, “Issues” Oct 1, 2007

North American Union Superhighway subverts sovereignty

As for denials that plans for a North American Union exist--it reminds me of that old saying: the smartest thing the devil ever did was to convince people he didn’t exist. And these people think that they’re going to convince us that nothing’s going on, so that we’ll ignore the evidence.

I think, however, we need to realize that this isn’t just about our borders. It’s not just about the Superhighway. We are in a situation where the sovereignty of the American people is being utterly subverted.

Source: Campaign website, www.alankeyes.com, “Issues” Oct 1, 2007

Free trade gives excessive authority to international groups

American “free trade” policy in recent years has increasingly involved grants of excessive authority to international organizations of questionable political legitimacy. The GATT/WTO agreement was a big mistake. The World Trade Organization undermines America’s sovereign international economic interests.

The American people must repudiate the policy of establishing unelected international bodies that act like the Supreme Court of the United States, striking down our domestic laws. We must repudiate disgraceful, profit-driven alliances with the despots in Beijing. And we must refuse to permit our representatives in Congress to volunteer for constitutional impotence by granting “fast track” authority to the president to strike back room trade deals without the advice and consent of the Senate.

Source: Campaign website, www.alankeyes.com, “Issues” Oct 1, 2007

North American Union is betrayal of our sovereignty

Q: Will you abolish all plans to promote economic integration of the North American Union?

A: The simple answer to your question is yes. I would undo it all, because I believe that it represents not just a surrender of our borders, not just something that involves us in an understanding of trade that is not fair to our workers, not fair to our people. It is the betrayal of the sovereignty of the people of the United States. And by that, I don’t just mean sovereignty along the borders and physical control. We have elites who no longer listen to us. We say that we want secure borders first, and they refuse to give them to us. We say that we want respect for the sovereignty of the people of the US, and they refuse to give it to us. Time and time again, it has become clear that somewhere along the way, we have lost control of those who are supposed to represent the sovereignty of our people.

Source: 2007 GOP Values Voter Presidential Debate Sep 17, 2007

Trade sanctions on Saudi Arabia for persecuting Christians

Q: Today, Christians are being beaten, jailed, and expelled throughout the Muslim world. In Saudi Arabia, no church buildings are permitted, yet Saudi extremist Wahhabis have built hundreds of mosques in the US with funding from Saudi Arabia. If elected, will you take action to protest these gross injustices and persecution by denying visas or imposing trade sanctions?
Source: [Xref Hunter] 2007 GOP Values Voter Presidential Debate Sep 17, 2007

China trade contingent on human rights & product safety

Q: Sarah Lu was forced to work in labor camps for six years, for the crime of being a Christian house church leader. Thousands of prisoners of conscience are forced to manufacture items that stock our American shelves. Would you make future trade with China contingent on them measurably improving their record on religious freedom & human rights?
Source: [Xref Paul] 2007 GOP Values Voter Presidential Debate Sep 17, 2007

No NAFTA Superhighway from Canada to Mexico

Q: As president, do you support the NAFTA “Superhighway” presently under construction from Mexico to Canada, portions of which shall be under foreign control?
Source: [Xref Hunter] 2007 GOP Values Voter Presidential Debate Sep 17, 2007

Entering WTO gave away part of our sovereignty

Q: What area of international policy would you change immediately? A: Our entry into the WTO. I think we gave away a portion of our sovereignty that we should never have surrendered. It violates the fundamental principle of our way of life: no legislation without representation. I’m not interested in protectionism or withdrawal. But folks ought to be paying a premium price to enter this market, or else giving us something concrete in return that’s of tangible benefit to the American people.
Source: GOP Debate on the Larry King Show Feb 15, 2000

Out of WTO: no legislation without representation

KEYES [to Forbes]: I’m very concerned with the surrender of America’s national sovereignty. Joining the WTO subjects the American people directly to decisions that will be applied without the intervention of elected representatives. Would you join me in a pledge, to withdraw from the WTO?

FORBES: If the WTO can’t get its act together, let it stay on the side & we take direct action in reducing trade barriers with our partners starting with the North Atlantic Free Trade Agreement, with Ireland & Britain. And we should do the same thing with Australia & other countries in the Pacific Rim. That way we can stop this discrimination against our products and the WTO can go its own way.

KEYES: [The WTO] violates the constitutional principle of no legislation without representation. Will you withdraw us from this unrepresentative body?

FORBES. I’m not going to withdraw us from that body. it’s supposed to be there to help reduce barriers. If it doesn’t, then we bid it goodbye.

Source: (X-ref from Keyes) GOP Debate in Manchester NH Jan 26, 2000

Separate naturalization (legal) from border patrols

Source: Vote-Smart.org 2000 NPAT Jan 13, 2000

Banks and American clout should help farmers

Q: What will you do as president to help farmers get sufficient pay for their work? A: We have to give our farmers access to the kind of capital that they need. We need to get out of this collective business of bargaining and sit down and make these countries understand. If they want access to our markets, they’re going to have to give us an exchange, something that’s of equal value. And the collectivist approach we’ve been taking hasn’t produced that result.
Source: Republican debate in West Columbia, South Carolina Jan 7, 2000

WTO allows dictators to decide our future - US out

Everybody else is busy arguing about whether China should be in the WTO. I look at an organization that is unrepresentative, elected by no one, where dictators and tyrants have the same right to send representatives to make substantive decisions that will affect our jobs & livelihood in a fashion totally contrary to our constitution. The question isn’t whether China should belong to the WTO. The question is whether the US should belong to an organization that violates our constitutional principles.
Source: Des Moines Iowa GOP Debate Dec 13, 1999

WTO is not representative; hence unconstitutional

KEYES [to Bauer]: The WTO is an unrepresentative body based on an illegitimate principle of government; it is not a body that contains entities that are based upon consent. And yet it could make decisions that affect our lives & jobs. Our Constitution says that our representative bodies are supposed to be composed of states based on republican forms of government-consent not dictatorship. How can you support our membership in the WTO without violating our constitutional liberties?

BAUER: I don’t like bureaucrats-they are out of the reach of the people. I don’t like HMO bureaucrats; I don’t like Washington bureaucrats that are trying to run the schools. And I don’t like WTO bureaucrats either. I think that when decisions are made that affect the way we live, that affect our jobs, those decisions ought to be made by people that we can reach, so if we don’t like what they’ve decided, we can get rid of them. And I believe that in the case of the WTO, it’s a system out of control.

Source: (cross-ref. to Bauer) Phoenix Arizona GOP Debate Dec 7, 1999

Tariffs make foreigners share burden of US government

The income tax should be replaced [by] taxes on things we buy and that we pay only when we decide to buy them. By restoring tariffs and duties to their proper role we will also make foreign populations who benefit from access to the US market share the burden of supporting the governmental system that guarantees its existence.
Source: HUMAN EVENTS: The National Conservative Weekly, front page Apr 17, 1998

Other candidates on Free Trade: Alan Keyes on other issues:
Nominees:
GOP: Sen.John McCain
GOP V.P.: Gov.Sarah Palin
Democrat: Sen.Barack Obama
Dem.V.P.: Sen.Joe Biden

Third Parties:
Constitution: Chuck Baldwin
Libertarian: Rep.Bob Barr
Constitution: Amb.Alan Keyes
Liberation: Gloria La Riva
Green: Rep.Cynthia McKinney
Socialist: Brian Moore
Independent: Ralph Nader
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Page last updated: Dec 07, 2008