James Hoffa whose "hot air" is suspected of being a prime cause of the mythical global warming
James Hoffa came out of hiding today to respond to the OIG Final Report on FMCSA compliance with Section 350 of the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2002 and as usual, his comments were totally irrelevant, and contrary to what the report suggests. This is the type of comments we’ve come to expect and ignore from Hoffa.
As expected, Hoffa’s initial response to the report was to declare that the “inspector general report shows once and for all that the border should remain closed to unsafe Mexican trucks.”
We don’t disagree with that sentiment. All unsafe trucks, Mexican, Canadian and American, should be banished from America’s highways.
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James Hoffa – Oit of touch with reality
In a counterpoint to the excellent opinion USA TODAY offered entitled Mexican truck ban hurts U.S. exporters, consumers, Teamster’s President and chief blow hard James P. Hoffa offered his same old, tired, debunked opinions
For those new to this site, I’m going to highlight the lies, exaggerations and totally untrue claims of Hoffa.
In his counterpoint titled Keep Mexican trucks out Hoffa claims,
NAFTA is a bad trade deal for many reasons. It cost millions of U.S. jobs and lowered wages for average Americans. It has also threatened to undermine highway safety.
The Teamsters Union is strongly against opening the Mexican border to unsafe trucks.
No one can dispute that Mexico is a more dangerous place to drive than the USA is. In fact, a Feb. 20 State Department travel alert warns U.S. citizens about driving in Mexico. It’s not just that drug violence cost 7,000 lives last year, or that according to a recent article in The Washington Times, Hezbollah is smuggling drugs and people here from Mexico. It’s that Mexican trucks and drivers aren’t required to meet the same safety standards as U.S. trucks and drivers.
Mexican trucks are older, dirtier and more dangerous than American trucks. American truck drivers are taken off the road if they commit a serious traffic violation in their personal vehicle. That’s not so in Mexico. Limits on the hours a driver can spend behind the wheel are ignored in Mexico.
American truck drivers are routinely tested for drugs and alcohol using labs that meet rigorous federal standards. Mexico still has no certified lab to test specimens, and the collection and custody procedures have been called into question by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s inspector general.
The Bush administration opened the border to unsafe Mexican trucks with a pilot program in 2007. A few of the safest trucks were handpicked to participate, and reportedly $500 million was spent on the program. Even then, U.S. officials couldn’t be sure when a participating Mexican truck entered the country or where it went. So few trucks participated that the inspector general reported that no conclusions could be made about their safety record.
Congress recently shut the border to Mexican trucks, and Mexico retaliated by raising some tariffs. But it’s nonsense to claim that the U.S. is being protectionist. When NAFTA was passed in 1994, the U.S. had a $1 billion trade surplus with Mexico. Last year, our trade deficit with Mexico was $64 billion.
In 2001, a tribunal ruled that NAFTA lets the U.S. enforce safety standards. When Mexico keeps its end of the bargain by raising safety standards, we can keep ours.
James P. Hoffa is general president and blow hard of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
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In a paid press release today, James Hoffa of the Teamsters had this to say in response to the news that Mexico is in the process of making retaliatory tariff’s a reality.
As is usually the case, Hoffa has a large problem with the truth. The lies in this press release are highlighted.
Mexican Government Would Raise Tariffs Over Safety Issue
WASHINGTON, March 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa today said the Mexican government’s threat to raise tariffs on U.S. exports is an absurd overreaction to the shutdown of the unsafe cross-border trucking pilot program.
Congress ended the program as part of the recent Omnibus appropriations bill.
“The right response from Mexico would be to make sure its drivers and trucks are safe enough to use our highways without endangering our drivers,” Hoffa said. “The border must stay closed until Mexico holds up its end of the bargain.”
According to published reports, the U.S. government spent $500 million on the pilot program, which began in September 2007. Only about three Mexican trucks per day traveled beyond the border zone since then, according to the Transportation Department’s office of inspector general.
“The U.S. needs to stop agreeing to trade deals like NAFTA that allow our own safety standards to deteriorate,” Hoffa said.
The tariff’s are in response to our governments inability to uphold their obligations, instead choosing to listen to increasingly irrelevant little men like Hoffa, Todd Spencer of OOIDA and the corrupt politicos they keep in their hip pocket.
The Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General Final Report on the Cross Border Program contains absolutely NOTHING to suggest these trucks are anything other than safely maintained and safely operated.
The report showed that Mexican trucks had a lower OOS rate for both vehicles and drivers than did their US counterparts.
In other words, every word coming from Hoffa’s lips is deliberate unadulterated lies that he is fully aware of.
The American public should ignore this pathetic little person and urge President Obama to issue an Executive Order authorizing continuance of the safe and successful Cross Border Program.
If these tariff’s are allowed to take effect, the blame will sit squarely on the shoulders of Hoffa, Spencer and the corrupt politicians who did their bidding contrary to the obvious success of the program to date!
I’l ask the same question I asked about Mark Reddig of OOIDA last week! How stupid does he think people are?
This headline coming from PRNEWSWIRE, which is a pay for print news service. In other words, it doesn’t have to be the truth, but if you pay them to promote it, they will.
Hoffa Praises Proposal to Ban Unsafe Mexican Trucks
Omnibus Budget Would Stop Cross-Border Trucking Pilot Program
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa applauded the House Democratic leadership for including a ban on unsafe Mexican trucks in the omnibus appropriations bill unveiled today.
Though Congress shut down the Bush administration’s pilot program to open the border in the 2008 appropriations, the Bush administration ignored the ban, which expired at the end of the fiscal year.
“Shutting down the border is the right thing to do,” Hoffa said. “There’s no guarantee that trucks or drivers from Mexico are safe. Until there is, dangerous Mexican trucks should not be allowed to drive freely on our highways.”
Despite the bipartisan opposition to opening the border to the cross-border trucking pilot program, the U.S. Department of Transportation said last year it will extend the program for another two years.
Section 136 of the Omnibus Appropriations Bill’s Transportation Title states, “None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available under this Act may be used, directly or indirectly, to establish, implement, continue, promote, or in any way permit a cross-border motor carrier demonstration program to allow Mexican-domiciled motor carriers to operate beyond the commercial zones along the international border between the United States and Mexico.”
Same shit, different year! The trucks and drivers have proven themselves to be safe and qualified. Only Jimmy Hoffa and his gang of thugs have proven to be delusional.
So, the program gets shut down! Then what? Mexican trucks will disappear from US highways? Not in a million years!
The Mexican participants in the program have positioned themselves to continue to legally operate in the US, but without the strict oversight they have now. And the American carriers in Mexico?
They’ll be kicked out! More potential American job losses, thanks to Jimmy Hoffa!
We’ll see what we shall see! Really stupid to start a protectionist trade war while we’re in a recession!
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administrator John H. Hill responds to Jimmy Hoffa
We all know the controversial Mexican Cross Border Program was extended for two more years on August 8, under Federal guidelines concerning Pilot Programs, and as we reported, Jimmy Hoffa immediately showed his no class ignorance by continuing his boring mantra about those unsafe, dangerous and illegal Mexican trucks, a notion we have continually disproved on this site.
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"Senator Obama will stand with the Teamsters and do as I tell him to do when it comes to fighting against those mean MExican trucks," General President Jim Hoffa said
It was no surprise when FMCSA Administrator John Hill extended the Mexican Cross Border Program for another two years, thus beating the opposition at their own game.
You see, FMCSA has been calling it a “demonstration program” while the opposition called it a “pilot program” which operates under different requirements, requirements that FMCSA has met.
So John Hill, using the oppositions definition of the program, extends it to 3 years as is permitted for a “pilot program”, and Jimmy Hoffa is furious!
I’m mad as hell about it, but I’m not surprised. – Jimmy Hoffa -
What is Jimmy “mad as hell about? That all the money that has found it’s way into the hip pockets of his politicians hasn’t yielded the intended results? Maybe.
I think Jimmy is further pissed because Mexican law forbids him and his union from organizing in that country. Canada allows it and we don’t hear any objections from him about Canadian trucks.
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Has anyone ever wondered why a Senator from a nowhere state like Norht Dakota, would have such a passionate opposition to a Cross Border Truck Program that will not impact his state or constituents in the least? I have. As they say, “follow the money”!
These politicians rarely do anything for the benefit of the people out of the goodness of their heart, and this arrogant little peckerwood is no exception.
So what is his price to jump on the Teamster’s bandwagon? About $35,000.00, at least!
In 2006, The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, was the ninth largest contributor to Byron Dorgan PAC, known as the Great Plains Leadership Fund, contributing $20,000.00. Before 2006, there were few donations from the Teamsters listed.
In 2008, The Teamster’s have thus far contributed $15,000.00to his Political Action Committee. All in all, not a lot of money within the scheme of things, but the question arises why would the Teamster’s even bother to contribute to a little known Senator from a very unpopulous state? The total contributions to Dorgan by the Teamsters over the course of his career has been only $46,000.00, $35,000.00 of it occurring coincidentally with the ramping of the debate over the Mexican Cross Border Program.
But it goes further than that. This little pissant isn’t lily pure and he certainly is not one to have the right to call a Cabinet Secretary “arrogant”!
Anyone remember the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal of a couple of years back? Well, apparently Senator Byron Dorgan was butthole buddies with Mr. Abramoff until he had an “epiphany”and decided he’d better rid himself of the “contributions” muy pronto.
There are related stories to Byron Dorgans activities regarding his association with Abramoff and what he did with the more than $65,000.00 he received to help Abramoff screw American Indian tribes,including the Coushattas of Louisiana and others.
Interesting reading indeed! And we have to put up with this fool for another 2 years?
The Mexican Cross Border program was in the news the entire week after John Hill, administrator of FMCSA indicated the program might need to be extended to provide more accurate statistics. This brought out the expected firestorm from the opponents and bloggers with no connection to the trucking industry.
First out of the chute of course, was Jimbo Hoffa, continuing to confuse the issue and subvert the facts, this time with a talking head from a Washington think tank who shares Or was paid to share Hoffa’s views. If you have the stomach, you can read the opinions here.
Preceding Hoffa’s dog and pony affair, Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, held a news conference surrounded by leaders of manufacturing and agriculture. Her news conference was to make the point of the harm that would come from withdrawing from the cross border program.
OOIDA executive vice president Todd Spencer was quoted as saying he found Peters comments “humorous” and equated it to “economic fear mongering”. I find it ironic that Spencer uses this particular phrase to describe what he and his organization has been engaging in for the past year or longer.
Ambush on Capitol Hill
Tuesday, March 11, a hearing was held on Capitol Hill by what had been billed as the FULL Senate Commerce and Transportation Committee. In reality, the hearing was conducted by an arrogant and impotent little prick by the name of Senator Byron Dorgan (D) ND. He was joined by Senator Mark Pryor (D) AR whose main interest seemed to be in a bill he introduced concerning secure CDL’s and whether or not the Mexican participants would be paying Arkansas’ “Ad Volorum Tax”. Secretary Peters assured him that all Mexican trucks paid the same taxes as their American counterparts.
Senator Dorgan went on the attack against Secretary Peters who held here own well against this onslaught of criticism and sarcastic comment from the little man.
The basis for the continuance of the program hinges on the interpretation of the word “establish”, as we pointed out the day the amendment was passed. Using the “plain language meaning”, Secretary Peters believes she has the law on her side in continuing the program.
We agree. It would seem that if they really wanted to stop this program, more specific language, such as “nor implement” or “establish or continue to conduct”, would have been used. English language we all understand.
Of course, Dorgan, being his sarcastic and arrogant self, keep accusing Peters of arrogance and flaunting the law.
English proficiency was brought into play and the issue of testing English proficiency was examined. When it was brought up that one of the tests was identifying 4 traffic control signs, and the drivers are allowed to give the answer in English or Spanish, the little man zeroed in on this trying to prevent Peters from answering the question fully. The truth of the matter is, the rest of the “test” is questions and answers in English.
The also brought up Trinity Industries once again, and for the life of me, I cannot come up with the numbers that the opposition uses. What everyone seems to overlook is the fact that Trinity Industries de Mexico is a wholly owned subsidiary of Trinity Industries of Dallas Texas. Reading the inspection reports in question, the trailer inspected and found to have faults were AMERICAN REGISTERED, being brought to the Trinity Industries terminal in Eagle Pass Texas. It would seem that the Eagle Pass maintenance facility was negligent in maintaining the trailers to be pulled by American trucks. But of course, this was not mentioned.
And of course that pathetic little man Senator Dorgan, threatened Ms Peters with undisclosed “consequences”, but the truth is, there isn’t much can be done.
Even if the GOA finds fault, it is doubtful that the Attorney General would bring charges. And if he did, President Bush would pardon her at the end of his term. And exercise in futility.
Better to wait to see what the 9th Circuit has to say about this.. Whatever the result, it is assured the decision will be appealed to the Supreme Court, which probably will refuse to hear the case. But before this happens, the Cross Border Program will be at an end, and in all likelihood, the border will be open as it should be.
Monday, March 10, The Office of Inspector General for the DOT released another interim report. Contrary to what many think, it is positive towards the progress that FMCSA has made in correcting earlier deficiencies.
Jimmy Hoffa of course disagrees. Despite the fact that OIG states that the issues with databases, and other concerns have been corrected, Jimbo continues to pursue his agenda of protectionism and lies.
Funny thing is, I just returned from a trip to Boston and New York City, a bastion of Teamster shops and I have yet to see one of Hoffa’s “Fire Mary Peters” decals or bumper stickers anywhere.
Throughout this joke of a hearing, Mary Peters conducted herself with class and grace.
Oh, and did I mention the little girl Hoffa put before the commission with the sob story, unsubstantiated of course, about losing family members to a big bad “unsafe”, “illegal” Mexican truck! These assklowns are pulling out all the stops!
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