Soldier4Christ
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« on: June 06, 2007, 10:04:10 AM » |
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U.S. taxpayers to pay for Mexican repairs Federal documents reveal 'physical infrastructure' fix-up plan
U.S. taxpayers soon could be paying for, among other things, improvements to Mexico's infrastructure, according to documents revealed by Judicial Watch.
The public interest organization that investigates and prosecutes government corruption said it obtained the documentation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Freedom of Information Act regarding the agency's "involvement with the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America."
The SPP, according to its own description, "was launched in March of 2005 as a trilateral effort to increase security and enhance prosperity among the United States, Canada and Mexico through greater cooperation and information sharing."
While federal officials up to and including the White House say the plan doesn't and won't infringe on U.S. sovereignty, because it is just a dialogue among the nations, documents uncovered by WND show otherwise.
For example, a State Department cable released to WND shows Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez has been pressing to implement major trilateral initiatives to help "capture the vision of North American integration."
Judicial Watch said among the documents it obtained was a 10-page partnership "Work Plan for the Financial Services Working Group," which details 24 specific "deliverables" by officials from the U.S. Treasury, Finance Canada, BANXICO, the Federal Research Board-Atlanta, and regulatory agencies.
"The deliverables include 'cross-border' cooperation in the areas of car insurance, Social Security totalization for Mexico, banking, and the Federal Reserve's 'Directo a Mexico' remittance program," Judicial Watch said.
As WND also has reported, the "totalization" program that earlier was revealed by the TREA Senior Citizens League shows the plan would allow any Mexican worker who has as little as 18 months of employment history in the United States to end up qualifying for Social Security retirement benefits, a cost that quickly could reach into the billions.
"Among the specific deliverables outlined in the 'work plan' is a taxpayer-supported program to improve Mexico's infrastructure: 'Improve North America's competitiveness by enhancing Mexico's competitive position through the establishment of a grant fund for development with U.S. and Canadian resources to finance the development of physical infrastructure in Mexico.' The objective has a timeline for completion of 6-18 months," Judicial Watch said.
"If U.S. tax dollars are going to be used to fund Mexico's economic development, the American people ought to know about it," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "Judicial Watch remains committed to ensuring that this process is open and transparent."
Judicial Watch said the records also include planning documents and notes summarizing a SPP "technical meeting" held in Ottawa from Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2006 and titled, "Enhancing Preparedness Plans and Mutual Assistance for Pandemic Influenza and Other Emerging Public Health Threats in North America." The meeting did not include representatives from Mexico – a fact the summary notes acknowledge and suggest will "require contacts at the national level first."
The documents also identify HHS personnel assigned to various SPP working groups. The designated working groups include: communications, legal, foreign nationals, epidemiology, and travel and border issues.
"These documents are of particular interest given the recent scandal of the tuberculosis-infected American who recently traveled over the U.S.-Canadian border unimpeded by border authorities," Judicial Watch said.
About a dozen state legislatures already have worked on proposals that would demand the United States withdraw from any participation in the SPP, and in Idaho, lawmakers already have approved the plan.
Among other states where the issue has been discussed in statehouses are Arizona, Illinois, Georgia, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.
The Idaho plan noted that "actions taken by the SPP to coordinate border security by eliminating obstacles to migration between Mexico and United States actually makes the United States-Mexico border less secure and more vulnerable to possible terrorist activities, and Mexico is the primary source of illegal immigrants, illegal drug entry and illegal human smuggling into the United States."
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