The WTO has got to go

New American, The, March 21, 2005

"The World Trade Organization, which the United States joined in 1994, has been disastrous for American sovereignty," declared Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, on February 28, in his weekly column. "A tax bill passed last year provides a vivid example of just how blatantly Congress is surrendering our sovereignty to quasi-governmental bodies like the WTO. For years, high-tax Europe has objected to how we tax American companies on their overseas earnings. The EU took its dispute to the WTO grievance board, which voted in favor of the Europeans. The WTO ruling was clear: Congress must change American law to comply with European rules."

"Make no mistake about it," says Rep. Paul, "WTO ministers tell Congress to change American laws, and Congress complies. In fact, congressional leaders obediently scrambled to make sure the corporate tax bill passed before a WTO deadline. Thousands and thousands of bills languish in committees, yet a bill ordered by the WTO was pushed to the front of the line."

If the U.S. remains a member of the WTO, warns Rep. Paul, Americans should "expect to see more of the laws we live under being dictated by international bodies." In 2000, Rep. Paul introduced H.J. Res. 90 to get us out of the WTO. When the U.S. first joined the organization in 1994, a rushed lame-duck Congress inserted a 5-year review clause to garner some last-minute votes. This clause allows members of Congress to bring a resolution every 5 years calling for a vote on our continued membership.

"Our membership in the WTO is unconstitutional, which is to say illegal," says Rep. Paul. "l plan to join with other House colleagues this year in demanding withdrawal from the WTO. Our sovereignty is a precious national asset, and the American people are tired of watching Congress sell out one constitutional principle after another."