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CAFTA: Corporate America Free Trade Agreement?

Sample Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor:

It’s interesting to note how the Bush administration continues to keep us on a “need to know” basis, particularly when they intend to abrogate their environmental responsibilities. A case in point is CAFTA, the Central American Free Trade Agreement that the administration’s trade representatives signed in May 2004. CAFTA, like NAFTA, will allow businesses to sue the U.S. government when they feel unfairly constrained by environmental and health regulations.

Among its many threats are provisions which encourage corporations to challenge natural resource regulations on oil, gas and mineral leases. In total, there are over 100 California laws at risk including those governing pesticide protections, air pollution abatements, bans on trade of endangered species, and food safety standards. The reality is that foreign interests will gain greater rights than domestic citizens, enabling them to bypass domestic courts.

California’s progressive environmental policies continue to serve as a shining beacon for our great nation. Write or call your Senators and Representatives and demand they oppose CAFTA before the light is put out.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

"Letters to the Editor" addresses for some major papers:

(Or write to another newspaper you currently read)

Newspaper Email address Postal address Fax number
Los Angeles Times letters@latimes.com Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053-9933 213.237.7679
New York Times (tips) letters@nytimes.com 229 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036 212.556.3622
Wall Street Journal wsj.ltrs@wsj.com    
Washington Post letters@washpost.com 1150 15th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20071 213.237.7679
USA Today Online feedback form 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22108-0605  
Sacramento Bee opinion@sacbee.com PO Box 15779, Sacramento, CA 95852-0779 916.321.1996
San Francisco Chronicle chronletters@sfgate.com 901 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103-2986 415.543.7708
San Jose Mercury News letters@sjmercury.com 750 Ridder Park Dr., San Jose, CA 95190 408.271.3792

Tips on writing letters to the editor

Keep it short and sweet. Letters should be brief, clear, and to the point. About two to three short paragraphs (max. 250-300 words) should be all that is needed to adequately address the issue. Short letters are much more likely to be printed than long ones due to newspaper space requirements.

Read more tips.

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