what is a free trade zone ?? By Jack Mitchell

[KMaynard]

on CNN today

 

http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/South/11/20/tra...s.ap/index.html

[TREV]

tim,

just replaced my key board,it seems all the drool has gummed up my keys waiting for your next installment post.hope all is well for you in the DR.

trevor

[crazy^millman]

Very good to see that you have done your research and show soemthing most people don't understand about America and American business espically Manufacturing and its decline in the American market place but not in the world market place. It is great to show what corperate greed and govermental indifference and lobbist underminning is all about and how it will make this superpower inslaved to the rest of the world cuase of it's inability to care about its own sovereignty and econmic stability.

 

I often think of the Book Called the Long walk where as the young Boys in this town are required to walk and the person that last the longest is the one that lives. If we allowing our food, our jobs, our ability to be a self supporting nation to keep going in the direction it is we will be the country that has been in the race the longest to only be stopped short of the finish by our lack of not keeping the strength in reserve needed to complete the jounery.

 

I also ask you to look at a company (unamed) it moves into a area and get free taxes for the frist 10 to 20 years. Which get a majority of it items from these FTZ and from overseas a matter of public record if you know where to look. It then forces all the small businesses out of business in that area and then after some time closes up move down the road to another tax free area and kills that community. The whole time they employee people at low wage and only provide about 30% of it full time working force health insurance. They dont not pay taxes and actully give the employess information on how to get healt care on your and my bill. They not only make a community bare with good small business they then suck it dry by not helping the community support all the people they even got working for them. The point if this is the FTZ are just this we have american companines not paying taxes on trillions of dollars of things they should be and then guess what folks it gets passed back on to you and me. I know of several bussiness that have propery valued at milllions of dollars and pay property taxes less then what I did on my house back in Jacksonville. It is all about what can I get right now and not about what is right or what is the best for our country.

 

Tim I tip my hat to you for being brave enough to allow yourself to be put at risk opening peoples eyes but I would watch your back becuase you might just be suprised who is watching and listening to what is being said here.

 

Crazy Millman

[cadcamjim]

Has TIM been visited by the MEN IN BLACK ??

He sure knows how to write a cliffhanger

[chopsley]

I've just about drained an ink cartridge getting this thread down in a hard copy. All 53 pages. I believe it's important enough.

 

Tim. I hope you did'nt get a visit from the men with Florshiem shoes, striped ties, and nice haircuts.

 

I hope you resurface soon and finish your talk.

Courage to tell the truth is becoming a rare virtue. Keep it coming if you can.

[Harryman]

Here's a link that seems fitting to this thread.

 

http://www.americanmachinist.com/full_story.php?WID=10970

[gms1]

You know, reading all this about the different world institutions and what they do to screw over people is fine to read about.

 

But posting HOW to go about screwing other americans out of jobs is a little out of hand. Its great that you are enjoying yourself dancing in the hacienda and making lots of money, but I plan on staying and living here with my wife and 2 small kids for the rest of my life. That is unless everyone else reading this decides to pack up shop and head down south. Then how am I going to feed my familiy? Move to DR? I dont think so.

 

So could you stop posting about where to go for help and info on how to screw over more people? thanks

 

Greg

[robk]

Greg,

 

Not sure if you have been following this thread very closely. Tim did expect people to be offended, and that is very understandable, but this thread is by request of many members including myself. If you find it offensive look somewhere else. I don't plan on moving to DR or any other country, but reading about it is very interesting. A fact is a fact wheather you like it or not...

Please Tim don't stop this great thread.

 

Rob

[TimHollis]

I'm just wrapping up a project, then I'll finish this off.

 

 

Tim H.

[TimHollis]

Part 1 of CORRUPTION.

 

 

The rumors on the streets are that key members of Hippo*s (DR’s President) cabinet were involved in Pepegate and international drug trafficking, illegal alien traffic, smuggling of weapons and money laundering, has now been confirmed by the declarations made by U.S Ambassador Hans Hertell that members of the cabinet have been denied entry into the U.S. Specifically, they were intercepted at Miami Intl. Airport, had their visas stamped "Cancelled" and shamefully return to DR.

 

 

What is even worse, is that President Bush alarmed by the situation, has now approved a plan to send 8000 troops to our border, not for a military exercise to train our troops to interdict smuggling and drugs, but to stay permanently and continue with the plan to merge both countries. The plan involves cancelling the entire foreign debt of both countries. The U.S. has given up on Haiti, a drug state where even Aristide is the angel of the pack is in trouble. The opposition to Aristide is part of the Colombian Cartel.

 

In addition, the rumor has it that the attempt on the life of a member of Hippo*s cabinet in Navarrete was directed at him (Hippo) and it was a-------hit!(better known ADC). The whole thing was worked out to happen in this town in the middle of a protest against the "apagones" to place the blame on FALPO leaders.

 

 

I doubt very much that Hippo would resign. The PRD party is now totally involved in corruption, something that even Hippo has stated himself. They are used to scandals and would not let their thirst for money and power be slowed by "minor" and "isolated" incidents", which is how they perceive it.

 

The last corrupt PRD president who resigned, used suicide, or so they say, as his way of resignation from the corrupted world that involved him. Just think...when President Antonio Guzman shot himself in disgrace, his inner ring of personal aides included such luminaries as Hipolito Mejia, Hernani Salazar, Eligio Jaquez, and the rest of the gang that now airbags Hippo himself. Hippo was involved in a scandal of his own during the Guzman administration.

 

It would take much more to have George Bush send an executive order to fire Hipolito. There are too many big people involved in all the criminality being covered up. As was described by the magazine Ahora, the construction going on in DR cannot be justified with the number of loans being issued by banks, specially the Savings and Loans Associations, which are used to avoid taxes.

 

All you have to do is look around and see that most of these luxury towers recently built have not been selling. Many have large numbers of empty apartments. They are not profitable as an income producing entity. The only answer for all this development is laundering.

 

 

-Hippo has now admitted, while in Spain, which we never doubted, about 8000 troops coming to the border to establish order is ABSOLUTELY TRUE!! But he even says there is MUCH MORE!!! and that he will explain when he gets back. For those who still doubt the U.S. efforts to merge the two countries, here is something that Hippo will tell you when he gets back.

 

Right now there are suspicious movements going around not only in the border but in the town of Azua. Yes Azua, many kilometers from the border!!! The plan is to establish another Vieques in DR. In other words, we are ready now to build a U.S. military base right in the heart of our south. But even more, the Beata Island could also be used for military and air exercises. The Naval Base at Las Calderas which is not strange to U.S. usage in the past will be a key to the whole link.

 

The occupation by U.S. forces is a fact. And the purpose will be more to facilitate Haitians into imigrating and crossing the border than stopping it. The U.S. will use the excuse of the drug traffic, money laundering, smuggling and terrorism in addition to their failure to control the situation in Haiti. Hippo will welcome lots of foreign aid which will be used to keep the PRD in power.

 

 

Tim H

 

[ 12-01-2003, 02:41 PM: Message edited by: TimHollis ]

[TREV]

+1 to rob,

i also have been following this thread and appreciate what tim is writing about.i believe all tim is showing us is out there for all to see regardless he just chose to write about it here.a while back there was a poll on wether to keep o/t topics mixed in with the rest of mc topics and the users of this forum had their say, o/t stays mixed together.i admit the truth hurts but big business has gotten to a point where it is the norm to move out of the country.am i running down to the DR? no. but i also can not fault tim for doing what he feels is best for him and his family,after all is that not what we all do.

in short keep up the writing tim and those that are ofended can read somewhere else.

waiting to read more,

trevor

[TimHollis]

I’m going to keep writing, but I want to put a few of my thoughts down here.

 

Harryman, linked the story by the American Machinist, which I think everybody here should read, it's 1 page.

 

He is the 1st post at the top of this page.

 

I was that guy!!!!

 

When I had my own place, I used to take pride in the fact that I could get the job a customer had quoted over-seas about 90% of the time, sometimes I had to walk away 10%. When I stole one from over-sea’s, it usually meant, that I would have do the mold myself, on nights and weekends, to deliver in 1st shots, in 4 weeks. By not paying the overtime, to the guys, I could still do it for a buck, (people think owners are the highest paid! Ha!!!!) There was always this burning driving desire to complete the job ahead of schedule, under budget. And spinning handles in the shop, always made me feel better about it.

 

My guys in the tool room, would be working on their OT projects, and would all be going home before 8pm. My best friend at night, was the 2nd shift Forman, he always kept filling me up on Duncan Donoughts coffee, and called me to come sit and have lunch with him. Allot of times, we would walk-out to the parking together and say goodnight, My 3rd shift Forman could never get over the fact, that he would say goodnight to me at 12:30, and see me walking back in at 7:30am.

 

When I look back on how I used to feel, instead of pride, or a sense of accomplishment, I now realize, how ignorant I really was. I really had no idea of what I was fighting, when winning that job, and keeping it from going over-seas.

 

 

When I think back, all the money I paid, to turn a company from 2 people to 80 people, in 8 years, it is mind boggling. And then to see, how my government, who does not have to worry about running at a profit or loss, who’s only source of income is through tax revenues, utilizing it the way it does outside the U.S. It made me very mad at first.

 

Then I began to research and try to understand why.

You guy’s are defiantly not going to like this one.

 

Without FTZ, certain U.S. companies, could not compete in the manufacturing area.

 

Just the cost of salaries, on 800 people, is enough of a difference to make some companies take notice. Lawsuits & Liabilities, are virtually non-existent, the cost of industrial property per SqFt, is enough to make you think twice.

 

So to compete with the Asian Rim, some companies, MUST go off shore, and set-up a Twin-Plant. Some types of manufacturing will always need to be State-side. Then there is Specialty shops, and JIT, that would not benefit from this type of operation, YET.

 

I love fresh milk, here all my milk is ultra-pasteurized, from Puerto Rico, in half gallon containers, once opened, and then it needs to be refrigerated. I never thought I would by milk by the case, usually a month’s worth. I store it in the pantry, and always keep 2 in the fridge.

things change.

 

Medical Students FROM the U.S., a huge industry by it’s self. I asked them, why they come here for their education, and the answer shocked me.

For $ 8000. U.S. dollars a year, that gets them full tuition, books, room & board.

Once they do their residency, they can take the boards back in the States. Fully funded and operated by a sub-division of Harvard Medical Schools.

 

Ok, enough of my ranting, I’m going to finish this up shortly.

 

I apologize for getting off the track.

 

Thanks

Tim H.

 

[ 12-01-2003, 06:13 PM: Message edited by: TimHollis ]