U.S. Commerce chief lauds
free trade in Extra article


The U.S. Commerce secretary prefaced his visit here with an opinion piece in El Diario Extra Friday in which he praised the benefits of free trade. The secretary, Carlos M. Gutierrez told Costa Ricans that “Democracies like ours with a history of political stability, social progress and a commitment to human rights will benefit the most from free trade and increased investment.”

Gutierrez is heading a delegation of U.S. business people who will be meeting with potential business partners here. The group is scheduled to meet with President Óscar Arias Sánchez Tuesday afternoon.  Gutierrez said that he would be visiting Intel and Wal-Mart’s Centroamerica’s Hortifruti subsidiary. He noted in his essay that U.S. investment in Costa Rica grew from $328 million in 2002 to more than $1 billion last year.

The Commerce secretary, a Cuban native, is fluent in Spanish. Among other issues, Arias will want to talk with him about another extension on approval of free trade treaty legislation. The final measure that would change Costa Rican law to conform to what the treaty requires is frozen in the legislature after a Sala IV constitutional court rebuff, and the country will not make an Oct. 1 deadline. That deadline already is the result of an extension agreed to by the six other countries in the pact.

The United States has not formally approved another extension. Gutierrez and his delegation also are visiting the Dominican Republic, a country that easily implemented the trade treaty March 1, 2007.

Canadians seem to like
 minority governments

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

We've had three years of Stephen Harper's Conservative government. While many don't like him or his party's stance, they've been content with Conservative rule because the economy has been very strong (until only recently) and his government has a minority position, meaning that they can't do anything that they want but have to govern by forging alliances and building consensus on bills and initiatives with the other parties in parliament. 

Canadians seem to like minority governments, after 25 years of back and forth swings between Liberal and Conservative majorities that keep making big changes in policy, and too many instances of corruption which comes from the arrogance of majority rule.

So, the Conservatives seem to have calculated that they're now perhaps well known enough nationally (perhaps not as scary as first portrayed), and their leader is accepted enough (but not really adored) that perhaps the time has come to try to roll the dice for a majority government. They want to desperately hold the election before a Democrat sweeps out the like-minded government in Washington in November, and before anyone notices and holds them responsible for an economy headed into the tank.   There are rumours of secret budget deficits, daily news of job loss increases, etc.  And, they're helped by the Liberal party having a leader (Stephan Dion) who's not at all charismatic in English Canada, and who has baggage in French speaking Quebec (He's from Quebec and led the Federalist charge against separation there for past governments).

Canadians are not at all like Americans politically. We're far more liberal in attitudes on a whole range of issues.  Sure both electorates vote according to their pocket book, but the other issues of importance are very different. For example, one of the biggest issues in the election is whether we should bring in a national carbon tax to help offset our national CO2 emissions and help fight climate change — a Liberal proposal.  That kind of serious initiative by one of the major parties about addressing global warming hasn't happened south of the border. We have a national Green party leader taking part in our national election debate!

My prediction is that Harper will woo almost enough voters to form a majority, but that he'll fall short again, and we'll have another minority government — bad for him, but good for the country.  In one year, his government may fall due to bad economic circumstances, and the Liberals, by then having dumped Stephan Dion for another more charismatic leader, will find themselves running another election campaign and wondering whether they'll be given a minority or a majority government.

Liberals face reversal
in Canadian elections

Dear A.M. Costa Rica:

 I am a Canadian businessman involved in both politics and business. I also have Costa Rican residency and speak fluent Spanish. As a result of the aformentioned, I am extremely busy!
 
The short take on this is that the Canadian economy is quite solid primarily because Canadians are a conservative lot. This is especially so when it comes to mortgage financing. All high ratio mortage loans MUST be insured in favour of the lending institution in the case of non-payment or foreclosure. Canadians have not used their homes as ATM machines unlike our neighbours to the south.
 
Politically, what with 20 days to go before the National Election the Conservatives, (read Republican) are favoured to win a majority. The Liberals, the other major Canadian party, (read Democrat) will suffer a dramatic reversal and be replaced by our historically third major party, the New Democratic Party, as the official government opposition.
 

Banco Central de Costa Rica photo