"Harmonizing" our decline: our standard of living is being deliberately undermined to merge our nation into a centrally directed global economy.(Middle Class)

As part of his September 2001 visit to the U.S., Mexican president Vicente Fox accompanied President Bush to Toledo, Ohio, where they addressed a carefully selected crowd of 8,000 people. Toledo was chosen because of its large and growing Mexican immigrant population. This changing demographic in America's heartland was presented as symbolic of the growing interdependence created by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The New York Times described how both Presidents Fox and Bush "praised the contributions of Mexican immigrants and pledged to improve their lives."

President Bush's remarks went well beyond the predictable rhetorical flourishes designed to captivate specific ethnic constituencies. "We want Mexico to grow a middle class so that the citizens of Mexico can find work and teed their families, just like the citizens of America can find work and feed their families," declared Mr. Bush. The president wisely chose not to test that applause line at a rally held earlier that day--a gathering of Toledo-area workers protesting NAFTA's impact on the local economy.

"We've had enough of it," complained Toledo city councilman Pete Gerken of the NAFTA pact. According to Gerken, NAFTA had resulted in plant closings in the U.S. as production was shifted to Mexico. USA Today pointed out that "workers at Toledo's Jeep assembly plant were angered this spring when DaimlerChrysler announced it would increase production of the hot-selling PT Cruiser at a plant in Mexico instead of in Toledo." "Why are they taking it from us and giving it to a new country?" protested Rosa Ealy, who had worked for Jeep prior to its NAFTA-inspired decision to send the work south of the border.

Although unfamiliar with the term, the angry workers in Toledo were the victims of what NAFTA supporters call "harmonization." The process is an updated version of Karl Marx's classic Communist formula: From each according to his ability, to each according to his need. In this instance, the United States imports Mexico's surplus poverty, while Mexico--because of its lower wage costs--imports America's industrial jobs. While this may result in a modest increase in the average Mexican standard of living--from near-serfdom to a higher grade…