Panama Canal

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Taxpayers Scorecard
A Periodic Bulletin from Howard Phillips, Chairman of The Conservative Caucus
450 Maple Avenue East, Vienna, Virginia 22180 703-938-9626

ABANDONMENT OF PANAMA BASES COULD BRING RETALIATION AT THE POLLS

Members of Congress who fail to support efforts to keep U.S. troops in Panama may face problems on election day in 1998, according to a survey conducted by The Conservative Caucus, Inc. (TCC) of Vienna, Virginia.

Survey results were tabulated from more than 4,000 respondents, 97% of whom said they would "withhold their votes in 1998 from U.S. Senators and Representatives in Congress who fail to support efforts to block the Red Chinese takeover of the strategically crucial Panamanian isthmus".

Conservative Caucus Chairman Howard Phillips has pointed out that, "although the 1978 Carter-Torrijos Panama Canal Treaties permit negotiation of an extension of the U.S. military presence after December 31, 1999, Congress has, thus far, failed to include funding for a U.S. military presence in its Fiscal Year 2000 budget plan. Moreover, funds assigned to Panama have been used to prematurely revert U.S. facilities well before the December 31, 1999 deadline set forth in the treaty.

"Nor has Congress," Phillips continued, "indicated a readiness to offer to provide a lease payment for continued use of Panamanian facilities, a consideration which most observers feel would be necessary to prevent Communist China, and others, from filling the vacuum created by an American withdrawal.

"With a Chinese-controlled corporation now leasing ports on both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the Panama Canal, retention of U.S. bases is more important than ever," Phillips asserted.

Phillips added that "sound policy is also good politics. Those Congressmen who vote to facilitate the U.S. withdrawal as Communist China is moving in will have to answer for their action on election day."

The Conservative Caucus is a non-profit, public policy action organization founded in 1974, and committed to promoting limited, Constitutional government.