FRANCESTOWN – Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee spoke at a house party in Francestown yesterday, calling for closing borders and tougher trade negotiations to strengthen the national economy.

"His answer on immigration was good," said Bruce Jackson, 23, a firefighter from Auburn. "He wants to close down the borders and track what is going on."

Jackson, and the majority of people who attended the talk at the family farm of Roger and May Pat Jackson yesterday, said that of the policies that Huckabee proposed, regulation of the borders was the most important to them.

Mary Pay Jackson said that she understood the argument for border control to be economic, and that the labor market would need to be contained to ensure quality jobs and benefits in this country. She thought Huckabee did a good job to explain the idea in a very short time.

"He was quick on his feet and knowledgeable," she said

Huckabee, 51, a republican and former Arkansas governor, said that strengthening economic prospects would additionally require tougher trade negotiations, because "there is no free trade without fair trade," he said.

The U.S., for example, granted in 2000 Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China and arguably placing the country at a disadvantage.

International competitors are not meeting the same wage structures, environmental and health and safety standards, and economic models of foreign competitors are undermining standards in this country, he said.

The companies based in the United States have to face litigation, treat workers fairly and meet ethical standards of practice. The U.S. needs tougher negotiations to ensure competitors meet these standards, and the soft power of tariffs and sanctions could be used, he said.

Roger Jackson, who is employed at Merrimack Street Volvo in Manchester, liked these ideas. He said that the domestic automobile industry is dire straights because it builds health care and retirement into the prices of its vehicles, expenses not always included in foreign vehicles.

Huckabee said that the U.S. has been a largely been a leader in setting standards for the international market, except in the area of the energy industry, and this has the making of a tragic flaw in the character of the country.

"The U.S. is being held hostage to foreign oil," he said. "The country should really seek energy independence within the decade."

The Republican candidate said that government subsidies could initially be used for starting up the alternative energy industry, however those industries should not be kept on lifelines for long.

Fred Noyes of Epson said that he liked the energy plan that Huckabee put forth, except that he saw no attention being paid to geothermal energy resources.

"I thought he failed to address geothermal resources. This country has volcanic heat beds that can be converted to steam and electricity," said Noyes who asked the candidate to consider this.

"He promised me he would look into it," he said.