Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!ccu.umanitoba.ca!herald.usask.ca!alberta!cpsc.ucalgary.ca!news
From: mikeh@cpsc.ucalgary.ca (Michael Hoffos)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: Special Offer/Group Buying - HP Calcs !
Message-ID: <1991Jun17.200016.21088@cpsc.ucalgary.ca>
Date: 17 Jun 91 20:00:16 GMT
References: <9106141251.AA07545@lucy.UMD.EDU> <673@lysator.liu.se> <16531@life.ai.mit.edu>
Organization: U. of Calgary Computer Science
Lines: 30

In article <16531@life.ai.mit.edu> bson@rice-chex.ai.mit.edu (Jan Brittenson) writes:
>   Again, the distribution got screwed up. Someone in the U.S. picked
>this up (assuming that "$" meant U.S. $), and explained that you could
>order a calculator cheaply from a number of other sources, all in the
>U.S. of course. This message makes it to Europe, where it's a common
>notion that there is some sort of free trade agreement between the
>U.S. and Canada. There isn't, although incidentally, a partial
>agreement is under negotiation.
>
>   I hope this will straighten matters out. The offer is not a joke or
>a con scheme. Au contraire - it is both legitimate and honorable.
>
>						-- Jan Brittenson
>						   bson@ai.mit.edu


Ummm, I beg to differ with you, but there *is* a free-trade agreement
between the US and Canada.  Many items became duty-free when it went into
effect.  Of course, we still have exchange rates and import taxes to
fend with, making US mailorder mostly a losing proposition for most items.
But some stuff did get cheaper to bring up.  Certainly not calculators though.

(PS. Our last federal election was boringly fought over the issue of
     free-trade.  The supporters won, hence giving them the mandate to
     sign the agreement, which they did.  Now there are talks between the
     US, Canada, and Mexico for a huge free-trade zone.  If it is anything
     like the current free-trade agreement, few people will notice the
     difference.)

Mike Hoffos