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	The Connection	By Patrick Osio

A Special Interest Casualty Phony arguments wreck a working cross-border trucking program Mexico has retaliated against the United States by imposing tariffs on 90 products — including toilet paper — due to President Obama’s canceling a one- year study allowing Mexican trucks to deliver cargo beyond the pre-NAFTA 20 mile commercial border zone. A NAFTA clause calls for allowing the three partner nations commercial truck access into each others country. Canadian trucks were given immediate access to U.S. highways, but in the case of Mexico, as is all too often the case, it was denied equal access through accusations of inferior safety trucking and driver standards. Both Canadian and Mexican trucks would have access to deliver goods to specific destinations only, and either return empty or pick up from those specific destinations. This is not an open invitation to compete with local haulers. Yet fear is a powerful tool. It is used very effectively against Mexico by special interests groups fearing loss of competitive advantages enjoyed at the expense of consumers or simply by nativists who cringe at the words Mexican or Mexico. The accusation finds guilt without necessity of proof. This is what happened here. None of the accusations on what would happen during the one year study proved correct. Those who claimed “American men, women and children will be killed by Mexican trucks” and “They have no laws and have inferior equipment placing Americans in harms way” were proved wrong. This left both extreme right wing nativists and those dependent on union wages or political contributions fuming. But it wasn’t enough to keep the program going. So once again, the U.S. breaks its word, feeding fuel to those throughout Latin America who see the nation as a bully. Mexico is hailed for standing up to the “bully” by imposing tariffs on many products as it is allowed under the NAFTA agreement. The trucking issue was never truly a safety issue. The California Highway Patrol opened state of the art facilities at commercial ports of entry to inspect trucks. The CHP is harsh on trucks and drivers not in compliance, be they Mexican or not. The safety record of Mexican trucks in the program surpassed those of domestic carriers. While some suggest Mexican trucks got off easier, that is both a lie and an insult to the CHP. The California program is a model for other states. The sad part is that there are bona fide reasons for the United States to sit with Mexico and discuss legitimate concerns regarding allowing Mexican trucks on U.S. highways. The potential for both human and drug smuggling from Mexico, and drugs from Canada (oh yes, they also come in from there), is very real. The issue begged for a cooperative approach. Already there are agreements in place allowing for inspection of trucks at points of departures. So how could these agreements be further expanded? The United States could have worked with Mexico to enhance the flow of goods between our two countries with added safety measures. Unfortunately when policy is dictated by special interests and accusations flow with no points of fact, both nations lose. It is not in the best interest of the United States, nor for its national security, to have adversary relationships with our next door neighbor. It is not in Mexico’s interest to have an adversary relationship with the United States, the world’s leading economy. Sadly our country’s special interest groups don’t care, so long as their interests are protected. Hopefully, this month’s visit to Mexico by President Obama, following up on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s trip, can bring about a long lasting solution and improvement in our bilateral relationship with Mexico. Who cares what the special interest groups think of that. Patrick Osio Jr. can be reached at posiojr@aol.com. The veteran consultant has participated on writing scripts for documentaries on Baja California real estate, medical services, and retirement information at TransBorderCommunications.com. This article first appeared on the April 2009 issue of the San Diego Metropolitan Magazine.
Patrick Osio, Jr. has written a short but intensive manual on the Mexican perspective on numerous issues between our two countries. The manual is an in depth primer on the culture and protocol for better understanding Mexicans that in turn allows establishing personal and business relationships, and how to avoid the most common faux pas that can ruin relationships and business deals. About the author Table of Contents Excerpts from the manual The manual is available through Electronic delivery for $9.95 making it possible to download the manual for save on your hard drive, printing its entirety or particular sections while reaping considerable savings over printed copies.