Byron Dorgan: “as I walked on the floor, I heard the words ``raw, rotten protectionism'' used on the floor of the Senate. I had to…”

“as I walked on the floor, I heard the words ``raw, rotten protectionism'' used on the floor of the Senate. I had to smile because that is such an ill described position with respect to what the Senate is doing. If you were to try to misdescribe what is going on in the Senate, you could not do it more aggressively than to use terms such as ``raw, rotten protectionism.'' There is nothing protectionist about this issue. This issue is about a trade agreement called NAFTA: a terrible trade agreement that, in my judgment, sold out the interests of this country; a trade agreement that turned a very small surplus with the country of Mexico into a huge deficit; and turned a moderate deficit with Canada into a large deficit. NAFTA is a trade agreement that has not served this country's interests, and we are now told, as a part of this trade agreement, we are required as a country to allow Mexican long-haul trucks into this country. We are told that if we don't let in Mexican long-haul trucks, we are somehow guilty of violating the NAFTA trade pact. According to my colleague from Texas, if we don't allow Mexican long-haul trucks into America, Mexico intends to retaliate on the matter of corn syrup. Sometimes it is a little too confusing. Mexico is already abusing its trade policies on corn syrup by imposing the equivalent of a tariff ranging from 43 percent to 76 percent on corn syrup exported from this country to Mexico.”