North American Free Trade Agreement

The NAFTA is something I believe is always in the people's best interests. Free trade is something we should have with every country in the world. I feel that the government should be a little more lenient when it comes to making restrictions on the imports and exports. Possible expansion and less restriction should be done throughout time because I feel that globalization is a good thing.

Free trade is in our nation's best interest due to the fact it provides economic growth and even more jobs. Restrictions should only be placed on free trade when it poses definite security risks. With free trade zones goods can cross the border in either direction without tariffs or taxes of any kind.

The NAFTA has accounted for 55% of U.S. agricultural export growth. Some other benefits of the NAFTA are that agricultural exports created around 258,000 U.S. jobs and an average annual growth of $847 million (NAFTA Overview, 2006). The NAFTA diminished trade barriers which created market integration with Canada as the #1 U.S. export market and Mexico as #2 in the U.S. export market. The U.S. is the #1 export market for both Canada and Mexico (NAFTA Overview, 2006).

The trading relationship developed through the NAFTA continues to provide benefits and opportunities for U.S. producers. The agricultural trade between the U.S. and Mexico increased 150% since the NAFTA went into effect which reached $15.7 billion in 2005 when compared to $6.3 billion in 1993 (NAFTA Overview, 2006). "Under the NAFTA, all non-tariff barriers to agricultural trade between the United States and Mexico were eliminated. In addition, many tariffs were eliminated immediately, with others being phased out over periods of 5 to 15 years. All agricultural provisions will be implemented by the year 2008. For import-sensitive industries, long transition periods and special safeguards will allow for an orderly adjustment to free