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Thursday, August 8, 2002

View Rick Perry's Press Conference

Perry calls for NAFTA expansion
By Samuel Segrist
Reporter-News Staff Writer

Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday that he would like to see the North American Free Trade Agreement expanded to include all countries in the Western Hemisphere.

Standing in front of stacks of Lil Dutch Maid cookie boxes at Fehr Foods, the governor talked about increasing Texas products exported to countries south of the border.

Perry and a group of international business promoters toured the plant at 5425 N. 1st as part of his West Texas Trade Education Tour.

The team picked Fehr Foods because the company, which packages and makes cookies, has burgeoning trade with Mexico and Panama.

"You give Texas workers a level playing field, and they'll compete with anyone in the world," Perry told an applauding audience.

The group also named three other Abilene businesses involved in international commerce - Bandag Inc., a company whose Abilene plant manufactures tire retreading materials; Rentech, which makes industrial boilers; and Zoltec, which manufactures acrylic and carbon fiber products.

A director of a state business foundation said the time for small businesses to enter the international market is now.

"Exporting is no longer for the mega-corporations," said Jeff Moseley, executive director of the Texas Department of Economic Development, which provides financial assistance to emerging businesses.

Steve Fehr, president of Fehr Foods, said the governor's tour was the highlight of 10 years of business at the plant. Workers and foremen showed the governor and other visitors how the cookies were mixed, baked and packaged.

The governor has also taken tours of East Texas and the Rio Grande Valley to highlight trade successes.

After the tour, Perry answered a few questions about his campaign against Democrat Tony Sanchez. The campaign has heated up as the sides have aired accusations of corruption and ethically dubious dealings.

The Sanchez campaign has been critical of a Perry ad that raises questions about Sanchez's dealings with a savings and loan. Drug money laundering took place at Sanchez's Tesoro Savings and Loan.

"It's true and factual," Perry said, pointing out a new campaign commercial that explores more of the savings and loan issue.

Asked if it was too early in a campaign for a November election for a candidate to go negative, Perry pointed the question back at Sanchez.

"That question should've been asked about the second week of May, when he started to attack me," Perry said.