In the classic golf movie "Tin Cup," Don Johnson plays pro golfer David Simms who is described as hating old people, kids and dogs.

Well, today there's a lot of news that demonstrates that the American left, while it does its best to look soft and cuddly on the outside, really hates Alzheimer's patients, needy American kids, and the poor people of the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Nicaragua.

First comes word from the New York Daily News and the Bronx News that nearly half a million dollars in grants to help poor kids and Alzheimer's patients were instead "invested" in Air America Radio. [Hat tip: Michelle Malkin.] This is, of course, illegal. It also doesn't fit the standard media storyline that "Republicans=Evil, Democrats=Good" -- so The New York Times has completely ignored the story.

Over in Congress, the vast majority of Democrats (and a few Republicans) voted against the Central American Free Trade Agreement -- showing their opposition to improving the lot of millions of poor people.

Liberals like to claim that they are not opposed to free trade, but condition their support on minimum wage and environmental laws -- condemning Third World nations to poverty.

The greatest resource these nations have is their people. These are not nations with vast reserves of oil or other valuable natural resources. Instead, cheap, non-skilled labor is the only way they can compete in the global marketplace. Minimum wage and environmental laws can stifle, and even strangle, economic growth.

Minimum wage and environmental laws come further down the road -- after workers attain skills, earn money to improve their childrens' education, and provide for basic needs. Liberals who oppose free trade would deny these people a better life, merely because it's not an American-standard-of-living life.

In the end, CAFTA narrowly passed. That's good news for those countries, and good news for ours.