North American union plan Going to Congress this Fall

A culmination of twin thrusts of practical necessity and economic ambition by those who wish to continue to profit and remain the elite of each nation, this attempt to duplicate the EU in North America is probably doomed to success. However, in neglecting to inform their Citizens, much less involve them in the process, there may be a few unanticipated developments along the way.

As an Anti-Authoritarian with no great love for Nationalism of any stripe, I don't feel as viscerally threatened by this development as many of my fellow Libs, nor do I see individual liberty as being a uniquely US phenomenon.

As far as I'm concerned, the fewer arbitrary lines and restrictions, the better. However, we should consider precedent as well, and what interests are behind these fine sounding ideas. For instance, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has little to do with free trade - save in the breech, and it's promised benefits to individual citizens of signatory nations have been - um - curtailed, shall we say, in favor of very large corporations that owe no loyalty to any nation. So before we sign on the dotted line, folks, perhaps we should re-consider the idea that another central authority would be a good idea.

It might well be better to take a far simpler approach - starting with the idea that the ideal administrative region is probably no larger than Texas. Any continental authority would have to be even more limited by charter than our federal government, with severe checks on it's ability to interfere in individual lives and in State matters. In other words, we need to reconsider the basis of the War Between the States before we agree to another layer of federalism, in light of how that worked out for us.

But if it's a proper Confederacy with due deference to the rights of the people and the rights of the various States and Provinces, I see it as possibly a positive evolution that might forestall what otherwise might become an impulse toward Balkanization.

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