The Age of Atlantica: As Goes Mexico, so Goes the US and Canada

[Joanne98]

The End of Sovereignty and Democracy Tolls for Upstate New York, Northern New England, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces, and, Soon, for Boston and NYC Too


By Al Giordano
Special to The Narco News Bulletin
June 6, 2007
http://www.narconews.com/Issue46/article2691.html
Workers and farmers in the United States and Canada have been largely kept in the dark about the tragedy unleashed on their counterparts in Mexico with the 1994 entrance of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). But the same all-out screwing is about to happen to them.

An alliance of big business owners is openly plotting the economic Mexicanization of an important region of the Northeast US and Eastern Canada. They call their new world “Atlantica,” and have imposed their borders around it as if drawing a new “country” on a Risk game board. Here’s the map of “their” new country, not one founded upon democratic decisions, but with orders barked from an unelected elite of corporate flunkies whose only law is to maximize profits for the owners. Maybe you can see your house or job, or that of family members and friends, on their map:

If you live or work there, you will soon no longer be a Mainer, a Vermonter, an upstate New Yorker, a Québécois, a Nova Scotian, a Newfoundlander, a Prince Edward Islander or a citizen of New Brunswick or New Hampshire. You have been conscripted into a new kind of citizenship that comes without any of the freedoms that you thought were your birthright. You shall be – by big business decree – an “Atlantican.”


Democracy’s End Game

“Atlantica exists,” claims Charles Cirtwill, president of the Atlantic Institute of Market Studies (or AIMS, the business-backed ideological architect of the Atlantica scheme), “whether we want it or not.”

Cirtwill, in his column last month in the Halifax daily Chronicle-Herald, insisted, “there is no referendum to vote down, no constitutional convention to refuse to hold. Atlantica is not a call for provinces to spend money, so there are no cheques not to write, no bills not to pay.”

Yet Cirtwill’s own Institute’s website contradicts the man’s claim: Atlantica does need, badly, to cripple each state government in the way for its flag to supplant theirs, and that will require radical legislation – or the signing of international agreements – by national governments to destroy them. In the geek-speak of the Atlantican post-nationalists, there are five “public policy distress factors” that must be reduced for Atlantica to be born:


Size of government relative to the economy (a measure of the burden the public sector places on the private economy)
Government employment as a percentage of total state/provincial employment (a measure of public sector efficiency)
Total government revenue from own sources as a percentage of GDP (a measure of dependence)
Minimum wage legislation (a measure of labour market flexibility)
Union density (a measure of labour market flexibility)

More at link...

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[Joanne98]

1. kick

[conspirator]

2. I say it will have to be a bloody revolution, to give the land back to the people nt

[WinkyDink]

5. Like we took to the streets after the 2000 coup d'etat? Let's face it; Americans are decadent.

[Marrah_G]

13. Because it hadn't effected them yet

Now it is, and people are beginning to get angry. They are beginning to realize how right the loud left voices were.

[WinkyDink]

3. Wow! This is a brilliant, and well-supported article that ought to be READ BY ALL.

[leftchick]

4. this is of course assuming

a quarter of these cities even exist after global sea levels rise.

[JohnyCanuck]

6. Council of Canadians: "Help us Sink Atlantica".

Help us sink Atlantica

Atlantica is a fictional place, a corporate dream of the Atlantic Provinces Chambers of Commerce (APCC) and the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS) to integrate the easternmost provinces with northeastern New England and Upper-State New York. These big business lobbies claim that the only way to boost individual provincial economies is to take provinces out of the picture completely. They want to do this by creating a massive bi-national trading bloc where wages are lower, unions are smaller, and the regulations protecting our health and environment are much weaker.

Unfortunately, while Atlantica doesn’t really exist, the small group of elites who want it to are gaining political allies in the Maritimes and in Ottawa. The Policy Research Initiative (PRI), a Government of Canada think tank biased toward deep integration and regulatory harmonization between Canada and the United States, hails “cross-border regions” like Atlantica as, “a key feature of North American integration.” The PRI even links them to the Security and Prosperity Partnership, suggesting that, “the SPP may provide the political push needed to kick-start further cross-border collaborations.”

Strangely, despite being so positive about Atlantica and the deep integration agenda behind it, the PRI admits that such “cross-border” regions “remain fuzzy entities” whose shape and size depends “on the interest and dimensions considered.”

Clearly, the only interests being considered by the corporate proponents of Atlantica are those of the big business lobby. The public, unions and other civil society groups have been excluded from closed-door meetings to discuss Atlantica. But we continue to make our voice heard in other ways. We were there last June when AIMS and the APCC met in private in St. John. And we will be there when they meet again in Halifax from June 14 to 16, 2007.

Keep checking the Council of Canadians' website ( www.canadians.org ) for updates on actions around Atlantica. Together we can help sink this corporate dream of deep integration that can only hurt the public interest for the sake of very limited corporate interests.

Check out any of the resources below for more information about Atlantica.

http://www.canadians.org/DI/issues/atlantica/index.html

[JDPriestly]

7. Before the corporate takeover of our institutions,

our government was funded to a great extent by tariff.s

There are two sides to the history of tariffs in the economic history of the United States and the role they have played in U.S. trade policy. In the first place, it was the single most important source of federal revenue from the 1790s to the eve of World War I, when it was finally surpassed by income taxes. So essential was this revenue source, and so easy was it to collect at the major ports, that all sides agreed that the nation should have a tariff for revenue purposes. In practice, that was an average tax of about 20% of the value of some imported goods. (Imports that were not taxed were "free".)

The Tariff Act of 1789 imposed the first national source of revenue for the newly formed United States. The new Constitution allowed only the federal government to levy tariffs, so the old system of state rates disappeared. The new law taxed all imports at rates from 5 to 15 percent. These modest rates were primarily designed to generate revenue to pay the national debt and annual expenses of the federal government. In his Report on Manufactures Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton proposed a far-reaching scheme to use protective tariffs as a lever for rapid industrialization. His proposals were not adopted.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tariff_in_American_history

I have heard that George Washington prided himself on wearing only clothing made in the U.S. to his inauguration. I would like to see the next U.S. president attempt that show of loyalty and pride to the U.S. There is nothing "free" about "free trade." I suggest everyone read the book, China, Inc. by Ted C. Fishman. It is terrifying. Among other things, he explains how the Chinese virtually enslave their working class and then peg their currency to ours -- thus preventing our goods from ever competing in their markets. "Free trade" with China is a travesty. They do not respect our patents and trademarks. They abuse their workers. They are the worst of capitalism and the worst of communism all rolled into one horrible mess. It is a shame because the Chinese people are creative and hardworking. The Chinese people are no more to blame than the Mexicans ---- OR US. It's the policy. It's the greed of the big corporations. It has been said that humans have no enemy in nature that humans cannot figure out to defeat. I guess that is somewhat true if you don't consider viruses and bacteria. Anyway, true or not, we sure have created an enemy in the multinational corporation -- and allowed it to prey on us while we pet and nurture it.

I'm all for capitalism. I don't believe in monopolies --- or megamultinational corporations that can buy governments as they please. Let's reinstate tariffs, give working people a tax break and end these ridiculous "free trade" agreements. We have had them since when -- Nixon, Reagan? We don't need them anymore. We need to wean ourselves from depending on other countries. We need to build infrastructure, industry and take care of our people in this country.

[Marrah_G]

8. Not gonna happen

They will find the Nor'easters are the sort of storm they do NOT want to mess with. I can say with all honesty I believe this country is going to split. It's really beginning to snowball and the divide between the different regions and their social values and cultures grows wider every day. People make a mistake in thinking people here are snotty, rich elitests. The people here are tough as nails and have been since the day the Mayflower landed.

[smirkymonkey]

11. It's happening. At least the elimination of the middle class part.

I live in New York City and my well educated friends and I - many of us with pretty good jobs (although we aren't filty rich investment bankers, hedge fund managers, corporate lawyers, CEO's or trust fund babies) are finding that we are making in the 60k - 100k range and are still scraping by. Yes - scraping by!

I am making almost 75k and I live almost paycheck to paycheck after paying rent, bills, insurance, public transport, and necessities. (I put money into a 401k, and can sometimes put a tiny bit into savings and that's it) I don't shop for clothes or other luxury items such as makeup, perfume, etc. My only luxuries are buying my lunch out occassionally, going out to dinner once or twice a week, getting a Starbucks coffee once a day (maybe 5x week) and going to a movie or getting a massage every once in while. I have a graduate degree and am hugely in debt from it. At this rate I will never pay it off, I can barely keep up with the interest. Many people I know are in the same boat. Decades ago, we would have been affluent, with families, 2 cars and second homes (not that I necessarily want those things) - today, we can barely take care of ourselves.

The American dream is gone. I don't want to sound ungrateful, because I know I am a lot better off than a lot of people, but many of us have made a huge investment in our futures by taking out massive educational loans and they haven't paid off. Our salaries just don't keep pace with our expenses. I want to chuck it all and move someplace cheaper, but I know that even though the expenses will be less, so will my salary - it always seems proportional. There doesn't seem to be a place where you can make decent money and find reasonable housing/living prices.

[Marrah_G]

12. I just think the time is coming when people here will stand up and say enough

[smirkymonkey]

14. I'm Ready!

:mad:

[snappyturtle]

15. I am so sorry. You sound like my "kids".....all I can tell them is that

it's harder today....what I don't tell them is that I don't think it's going to get better anytime soon. I graduated in '69 with a teaching degree and my husband with a MBA...in eighteen months we were buying our first house, both had new vehicles, we were saving even though my husband had a student loan at 1% interest and eventually I bought a beautiful summer home!. I watch my kids with degrees struggling....I am too...for an assortment of reasons, but my life is not like my mother's either...I've worked harder and longer by far and will never really retire short of winning the lottery! When I think of the straits of our educational system today I can't imagine what it must be like not to be able to go on to colloge or another form of further education. It's got to be pure hell.

You don't sound ungrateful; you sound realistic to me. The proportional salary/expense issue is true..at least I've found it to be. They say there's comfort in numbers...at least we have that and I have hope.....I hope I can earn enough to help make a difference in my "kids" lives....I'd just love that!

[Alexia Wheaton]

17. I would not have minded being born a dozen years earlier.

[smirkymonkey]

19. Thanks! My parents seem to be the last generation of the

American dream, doing much better than their parents (however, some of my siblings have done quite well for themselves, but that's because they had scholarships although some are carrying debt like I am.)

Retirement seems hopeless to me. In fact, paying off my student loan seems hopeless to me unless someone leaves me a big inheritance or I win the lottery :) Sometimes it really gets me down, but then I just try to live a day at a time. I have a feeling that I'm going to end up living in one of my sibling's spare bedrooms once I get too old to be "marketable" - that's what is getting scary these days too. Older, more "expensive" workers are going to be thrown over for younger, cheaper workers even in jobs that require more education and experience.

I guess the Bush years have made me a bit cynical and not very hopeful about the future. I wish you and your children the best of luck :hi:

[snappyturtle]

24. I wish you the best too!

One point you made started toward the middle of my ex's career. He worked for Monsanto and when they bought Nutrasweet from Searle with just a few years left on the patent to make hay many, many employees in divisions other than that of Nutrasweet lost their jobs. By that time I had quit teaching to have our kids and be an at home mom. Fortunately, I had started an at home business and it nursed us through years of my ex getting another job that was "worth" taking. He had a couple that were not. You see, even then, the older more experienced and more expensive employees were being left in the wings for younger, cheaper employees. It was also in the early years of de-regulation...when the big wigs got that they saw the sea of fortune laid at their feet and took advantage of it. So we had that happening and now you "kids" have outsourcing and insourcing of cheaper labor keeping salaries down and "good" jobs more elusive. I also have seen legacy employment. Those hiring their own, qualified or not.

Because I feel cynical too this is my plan: Having had a wholesale business selling my artwork through an agent for fifteen years and getting way below market value (largely because of cheap China knockoffs and pure thief) I have decided to up my prices! I have been watching certain Ebay items, handmade,that make a decent living.....there is money out there and the rich will buy....in the past I always tried, when retailing, to keep my items within easy reach of all, well, unfortunately, I will have to abandon that principle...but I will earn money. I won't wholesale anymore as I had in the past. Although I made enough to finish buying my home, that summer place, help my kids through school, buy a Honda Civic or two,health insurance (I have none now) I was working 13 hours a day seven days a week. I can't do that anymore....I'm older and burned out. So
I am going to try the online marketing strategy and build a line in the meantime to license...hopefully, both will work to some degree.

Thanks for listening to my rant. Bottom line: try to figure out something that's unique for you to do. Maybe it's just a twist on your present job or repackaged but we're being conned out of our rightful share. We're being used and we must find ways to turn the tables. imho :hi:

[Morgana LaFey]

20. Why not follow your inner promptings?

I don't believe it's so terrible elsewhere, and you might do better than you expect salary-wise elsewhere. Worth exploring, eh?

[smirkymonkey]

23. Yes - I am going to stay with some friend up at a camp in the

Adirondacks for a week and hopefully clear my head and get some perspective. I hope to get some distance from the madness of my life in New York so I can have some clarity about the sitution and decide what to do next. I know it's not working, I just haven't had the peace of mind or the space to calmly and rationally come up with plan B. I don't want to just run from the fire to the frying pan, this time I want to really think about who I am, and what my heart really needs and wants and then make a decision from there.

Thanks :hi:

[Morgana LaFey]

28. You are way ahead of me, and boy am I glad

Sounds fabulous. Remember: you don't have to have all the answers all at once or before you follow your heart. You just have to know the next step, that's all. Good luck! Keep me posted, will ya? (I love these stories.)

[monktonman]

16. I agree

Imagine a Vermonter putting down his gun and giving up his freedom.
Not gonna happen.

[Marrah_G]

18. Yup, you get it

[Canuckistanian]

21. Newfoundlanders would have a thing or two to say, too

They barely agreed to become part of Canada in 1948.

[JDPriestly]

9. Deleted dup.

[BlooInBloo]

10. Um, is this allowed?

[On the Road]

22. How Exactly

is this group planning to overcome multiple local, state and federal labor and wage laws?

God knows, some of that area can use investment. There's almost nothing in St. Barbe except a fish processing plant. And across the strait in Newfoundland, there are hardly even any roads.

Certainly, it's not worth rolling back the entire legal system in favor of an East-India-Company-like corporate government. But how exactly is that supposed to happen?

[Systematic Chaos]

25. Really could have used less of the nuclear fear bullshit.

Other than that it was interesting, maybe even remotely possible.

[Zookeeper]

26. This would be a terrible threat to the Great Lakes....

The idea of tapping the Great Lakes, diverting them or selling the water is already being addressed and fought. For example, there was a scheme to sell water to China by freighter, that was defeated a few years ago. Even agreements like NAFTA are a threat.

There is an agreement that has yet to be signed by all of the states and provinces of the Great Lakes region, that would help protect the Lakes. Inevitably, a corporate-controlled "Atlantica" would view the Lakes as nothing more than another resource to economically exploit and ruin. I've heard the Great Lakes region called the "Saudi Arabia of water," only our Lakes are a fragile resource.

Thanks for posting this, Joanne. I don't know if this scheme is an immediate threat, but it's certainly something to keep an eye on and totally new to me.

[Joanne98]

27. Narco News doesn't care about copyright rules!