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Politics

Will the North American
Free Trade Agreement
help or hinder Michigan's
business climate?

TANYA GAZDIK SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

Art by Nip Rogers

f you listen to former Chrysler
Chairman Lee Iacocca, the
North American Free Trade
Agreement will be the best
thing ever to hit the United
States. But business mogul and
former presidential hopeful
Ross Perot tells a different sto-
ry.
Opinion among local busi-
ness leaders parallels the Ia-
cocca/Perot split. Many — while
they may lean one way or the
other — are confused by the is-
sue and are still in the middle
of sorting out potential effects.
"It's one of these cases where
you're absolutely convinced af-
ter you listen to each side," said
Jason Horton, executive vice
president of Redico Corp. in
Southfield.
While Mr. Horton supports
the general principle of free
trade, he said he has some se-
rious reservations about what
effects NAFTA could have on
the local economy.
"I think clearly Michigan is
a losing state, and to the extent
that Michigan comes out a los-
ing state, it's going to mean less

development opportunities," he
said. "You've got to have a grow-
ing, expanding economy to have
that happen."
Mr. Horton worries about
making such an agreement
with Mexico — a country he be-
lieves doesn't have satisfactory
environmental regulations or
labor laws.
"Fm beginning to slowly come
to the conclusion that I'm
against NAFTA, but I'm not
there yet," he said. "Part of the
argument is whose company
we're in when we're opposed to
it."
The issue isn't so confusing
for former United Auto Work-
ers representative Rich Feld-
man, who has worked at Ford
Thick for 22 years. The Hunt-
ington Woods resident says
while the pact probably won't
affect him directly because of
his seniority, he vehemently op-
poses it.
"I think it represents a con-
tinuation of the global economy,
which is destructive to all
America," Mr. Feldman said. "I
have a deep belief that it's crit-

ical for the American people to
recognize they can no longer see
the American dream in terms
of high paying jobs, whether
they're in the United States or
if they happen to leave the
country.
"We're going to have to rede-
fine the American dream in
terms of quality of life. And
NAFTA just continues to de-
stroy jobs, destroy work," Mr.
Feldman said. "I think we need
to have an economy where peo-
ple produce locally and consume
locally."
Mr. Feldman said Ford al-
ready has moved hundreds of
jobs to Mexico, and the agree-
ment will legitimize such ac-
tivity.
"I think NAFTA is a symbol,"
Mr. Feldman said. "I don't think
it's going to dramatically change
the direction of corporate flight.
Corporations have been mov-
ing outside this country for the
last 30 years. We should have
no illusion that NAFTA is the
new green light. What it does
symbolize is the lack of control
that communities have and the

nation has over corporate deci-
sions."
What one person sees as a
curse can easily be interpret-
ed as a blessing by someone
else. Frank Mamat, an attor-
ney who specializes in labor and
employment issues, said mov-
ing some jobs to Mexico is a way
of strengthening that economy.
He believes it is good to give the
Mexican people more money to
spend on American-made
goods.
Like Mr. Horton, he's still go-
ing back and forth on deciding
which side of the issue to align
with, although he leans toward
those in favor of NAFTA.
But like Mr. Feldman, he
doesn't foresee a mass exodus
to the south if NAFTA goes into
effect.
"If General Motors wants to
build a plant in Mexico now,
there's nothing stopping them,"
Mr. Mamat said. "If American
manufacturers go south, and by
doing that raise the standard of
living in Mexico, in the long run
you're going to be increasing the
ability of these foreign nations

