Chris, Of course the New Internationalist is not automatically wrong. But it has an anti-market editorial stance, so when it discusses anything to do with the market - its editorial policy will come to the fore. I don't blame it for that. In fact it is a well constructed magazine. And it looks good.
I despair of your ability to hold a thought in your mind long enough to produce a sensible paragraph. Free trade is the absence of government interference. So you link it to the government printing money. Free trade has nothing to do with government idiocy. Government interference is your preference. You simply love this alternative to free trade. Yet, strangely enough you keep complaining about government activities. I suppose there is no way to please you. You do support the demands of a couple of hundred thousand steel workers over the desires of 280 million Americans. You are happy that all those Americans will pay higher prices so the steelworkers can live better. Of course steelworkers get high wages and excellent pensions, Like the capitalists, the socialists apparently pass out privileges to gain influence and achieve power. Those of us who are underprivileged see little difference between the two. Harry ******************************************** Henry George School of Social Science of Los Angeles Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042 Tel: 818 352-4141 -- Fax: 818 353-2242 http://haledward.home.comcast.net ******************************************** -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Christoph Reuss Sent: Monday, November 24, 2003 6:19 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: RE: [Futurework] David Ricardo, Caveman Trade vs. Modern Trade Harry Pollard wrote: > The New Internationalist is, of course, noted for its left wing > anti-market stance. I used to subscribe but got tired of its bias. Does that automatically make it wrong what they said about Ricardo? Next thing you'll say is that Pierre Pettigrew also has a leftist bias... > "export-led trade has come to dominate > the economic agenda". These are the economics of modern nation > states - apparently the economics you support). They adopt the > creed of "Export or Die" rather than the free trade position > which is import and live. If you are in a position to print the "world currency" at will (U$), then of course it's easy to "import and live" -- import all you want, de facto FOR FREE (paid with self-made paper money). FREE trade, literally! ;-} However, other countries have to actually earn that money first (IF they want to import), and this usually happens by exporting stuff. For the record, I'm not particularly supporting export-led trade, which is neither necessary nor desirable from a localization/self- sufficiency position. > A free trader wants to abolish trade restrictions in his country. > If no other country wants to free its trade, that doesn't matter. > The free trader will unilaterally free his country's trade and by > doing so will remove the corporate privileges that go with > Protectionism. If it's like this, then please act to introduce Free Trade in your country only, and get your gov't to STOP pushing FT down everyone else's throat (as in establishing FT areas all over N.+S.America and the Middle East, and bullying Europe, Asia and 3rd world into removing "trade barriers"). Good luck in doing so, Harry. > Protectionism has one raison d'etre - to protect > corporate privileges, a policy that I suppose you support (you > have already admitted you agree with Big Steel shafting the > American people). It seems you overlooked what I wrote about legitimate fees vs. obscene profits. If Big Steel is "shafting the American people" by giving obscene sums to shareholders and CEOs, then I don't agree. However, if American companies buy American steel, produced locally by paying fair wages, respecting environmental regulations and avoiding unnecessary long-distance transports, then I agree. It rather seems _you_ want to "shaft the American people" by using cheap imports, taking away their jobs. Chris ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ SpamWall: Mail to this addy is deleted unread unless it contains the keyword "igve". --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.548 / Virus Database: 341 - Release Date: 12/5/2003 _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
