Free trade blamed for host of problems

WAS, D.C., March. 3 (UPI) -- The United States' trade pact talks with Colombia, Panama and South Korea have stalled as feelings about its 1994 deal with Canada and Mexico have soured.

Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., who are both running for president, want a review of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which critics say has failed to stem the tide of illegal immigrants from Mexico and lost too many jobs for U.S. workers.

Sens. Byron L. Dorgan, D-N.D. and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, have introduced legislation requiring detailed studies on possible job losses before further trade agreements are signed.

New agreements have stalled and sentiment in Mexico has flipped to 2 to 1 against NAFTA, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.

Mexicans say NAFTA has not helped small farmers nor created enough jobs to match its growing population.

More than 40 percent of Mexicans still live in poverty, the report says.

But some analysts say blaming NAFTA is misguided as U.S. unemployment has dropped from 6.6 percent in 1994 to 4.9 percent in 2008.

"NAFTA has become symbolic of the fears and apprehensions of globalization in general," Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas told the newspaper.