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Opinion Editorial

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OPINION EDITORIAL

CONTACT OFFICE OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

Sunday, June 1, 2008

202-482-4883

Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez
Opinion Editorial, Cincinnati Enquirer
”Pending Trade Agreements Crucial to Our Growth”

Cincinnati is a city built on trade. When Ohio was on the cusp of the American frontier, Ohio River trade built Cincinnati into one of our nation's most important cities. Today, the river has been joined by airplanes, rail lines and Internet data streams that link Cincinnati to commerce around the world.

That commitment to trade has paid off. Cincinnati has exporters big and small helping the region and Ohio grow. Ohio exported $42 billion in goods last year. That's up 42 percent from four years earlier, with more than one-fifth of all manufacturing jobs in Ohio depending on exports.

Cincinnati was one of the 20 largest exporting metropolitan areas in the nation with nearly $13 billion in exports in 2006.

American companies exported a record $1.6 trillion in 2007, more than any other country. In the first quarter of 2008 exports grew another 17.6 percent, keeping our gross domestic product growth in the black.

While recently our economy slowed somewhat, the president and Congress approved a stimulus package that is giving our economy a booster shot. Now we need similar bipartisan cooperation to keep our economy growing for the long term.

One of the best ways to do that is making our exporters more competitive by creating an even playing field for them in international markets. We have the opportunity to do that through three free trade agreements waiting for a vote by Congress.

Colombia, Panama and South Korean FTAs will further open markets of $1 trillion and 100 million consumers to American exporters such as Cincinnati Sub-Zero, which employs 250 people and has increased medical division employees involved directly in international trade by 33 percent over the past three years.

Fifteen years ago, Cincinnati Sub-Zero's Medical Division sold only a handful of advanced medical products abroad. As the company has grown, so have exports, which now account for 33 percent of total sales.

Right now Sub-Zero's patient temperature management products are subject to an 8 percent tariff - a tax that will be eliminated with the free trade agreement.

Like South Korea, Colombia is an important market for American companies. In the 556 days since the Colombia FTA was submitted to Congress, American exports have been subject to more than $1 billion in tariffs, while Colombia's exports continue to enter the U.S. duty free. The FTA will turn this one-way free trade into a two-way street.

Additionally there are vitally important national security, human rights and hemispheric security considerations that make the Colombia FTA critical. Colombia is a close ally of the United States in the war on terror. Colombia's democracy remains fragile, with powerful forces in the region seeking to destroy the tremendous progress Colombians have made. There is nothing more important we can do today to strengthen the rule of law, social justice and democratic institutions in Colombia than this agreement. And we can do all that good while helping U.S. workers and farmers export now.

Congress has refused to act on these FTAs due to narrow, partisan special interests. It's time to put politics aside, and put Ohioans first by passing these agreements. Exports are critical to our country's long-term growth, and these agreements will accelerate Cincinnati's competitiveness