[PEN-L:8939] Re: Cuba
Bill Burgess writes: they insist on the right to continue to profit wherever they like, including in Cuba where they have the advantage of no US competition. This is exactly what Jesse Helms has been saying and the justification for the Helms-Burton legislation that I, and the Canadian government, has been opposing. And I think Bill is wrong, very wrong and that the propagation of this view hurts Cuba and Canada. First, as I mentioned in my diary of the Cuba visit, I went down on an aircraft and returned on an aircraft that included at least two delegations of Canadians, funded by the Canadian government, one in medicine, the other in technical education. I took books down to add to a collection that had been started by our University. All of this was public aid and, in 2 of the 3 cases, funded by the Canadian government. As anybody who knows us knows, I am no great fan of Lloyd Axworthy (though we have appeared on the same program/ platform on occassion) but his support for technical and other aid to Cuba (his 14 points) is admirable and I don't think entirely motivated by imperialist greed as Burgess suggests. I think it is very destructive of Burgess to suggest that Canada's support of Cuba's right to self-determination is based on corporate self-interest. As indicated, this is Helms' position. But I think it is also quite incorrect. Canada may not support the revolution, but our position has always been the right for the Cubans to make their own decision. Paul Phillips, Economics, University of Manitoba
[PEN-L:8938] harry johnson, dougla hibbs and class struggle.
Douglas Hibbs began his 1987 book, The American Political Economy, with the quotation: Johnson, Harry: "The avoidance of inflation and the maintenance of full employment can be most usefully be regarded as conflicting class interests of the bourgeoisie and proletariat, respectively, the conflict being resolvable only by the test of relative political lower in society and its resolution involving no reference to an overriding concept of the social welfare." I know his was a cut above Chicago, but this seemed to be relatively honest. Does anybody know the reference? I tried to find Hibbs with Altavista, but I only found an article that he was fired from Harvard for sexual harassment. He seems to be at a Swedish Institute for Economic Research and is going to the Eastern Meetings, but no e-mail or surface mail addresses. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929 Tel. 916-898-5321 E-Mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[PEN-L:8937] Re: New SSA in place?
At 12:42 PM -0800 3/14/97, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Doug, I sure hope you didn't get the impression I was *endorsing* the WSJ newsitorial?! Because if you did, perhaps I will post a clarification. Heavens no Blair. I was reacting to the celebration of the American way of life that's all the rage. Doug Oh, good. The JOURNAL is among my favorite print media, but entirely as a source of humor. (Black humor, to be sure.) :) Blair _ Blair Sandler "If I had to choose a reductionist paradigm, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Classical Marxism is a damned good one." _ Blair, Can you give us the reference of the WSJ issue. Thanks, Fikret
[PEN-L:8936] Re: Cuba
If by "Canada" in the last paragraph below you mean the Canadian government, it seems to me this suggestion is very wrong. Ottawa plays the soft cop while Washington is hard cop. Look at Ottawa's position on the 'pilots to the rescue' incident. However, they insist on the right to continue to profit wherever they like, including in Cuba where they have the advantage of no US competition. The latter is one of the benefits of being the soft cop. I can't agree Ottawa's position on Cuba reflects any sympathy or identification with the Cuban revolution. It shows their determination to defend independent Canadian imperialist interests. Bill Burgess On Fri, 14 Mar 1997 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: I would like to thank Shawgi for posting Fidel's speech and the Granma article on the net. I would also like to point out, in furtherence of his previous posting about Walmart's decision to take Cuban made PJ's out of their Canadian stores, that the company under Canadian pressure decided to sell Cuban PJs again but that now the American government is again trying to enforce US law in Canada by pressuring (prosecuting?) Walmart's American head office. This is the most intolerable form of American imperialism that I can imagine. It disgusts me that Americans put up with such clearly anti-humane behaviour on the part of their government. I suspect that one of the major reasons why Canada has continued to support Cuba is that we would like to have the guts to stand up to the American bully, but that since we don't, we will cheer on the little guy who has the courage to do so. If this is so, "Three cheers!". Paul Phillips, Economics, University of Manitoba Bill Burgess [EMAIL PROTECTED] home (604) 255-5957 fax c/o (604) 822-6150
[PEN-L:8935] Cuba
Blair, Perhaps I was being a little extreme, but then trying to starve into submission 10 million people, depriving the sick of medicines etc., seems to me to be pretty extreme imperialism. Paul Phillips
[PEN-L:8933] Re: Marilyn Waring
Perhaps Bill Cochrane was just being sarcastic, but I don't recall seeing anyone nominate Marilyn Waring for sainthood or minor deity status. In my view, being a tory is no disqualification for having something sensible to say. Nor is being "no friend of unions or . . . other traditional left progressive organizations (OTLPOs)" an unforgivable sin. Unions and OTLPOs have often been hostile to environmental issues, 'women's' issues, and racial equality issues. Unions have often been hostile to the 'left'. For that matter, TLPOs are often hostile to OTLPOs. Unions and OTLPOs have traditionally gone along with a capitalist GDP growth model, disputing only the ultimate division of the spoils. Sometimes it takes a tory to say something sensible that 'even' the left refuses to acknowledge. In the 1970s North American left there was a lot of anxiety about 'ideological purity'. Sectlet competed with sectlet for mastery of a 'correct analysis.' Of course, some of the big wigs of some of the most rigourously pure sectlets went on to academic careers and had 'second thoughts' about their youthful radicalism, joining the already considerable ranks of ex-marxist neo-cons. This alone should serve as sufficient warning against the tenuousness of using ancestoral *ad hominem* as a criteria for dismissing or embracing ideas. Regards, Tom Walker ^^ knoW Ware Communications | Vancouver, B.C., CANADA | "Only in mediocre art [EMAIL PROTECTED] |does life unfold as fate." (604) 669-3286| ^^ The TimeWork Web: http://mindlink.net/knowware/worksite.htm
[PEN-L:8931] Re:Marilyn Waring
At 12:41 AM -0800 3/15/97, Rosenberg, Bill wrote: I suppose my view is partly coloured by the fact that New Zealand is currently a desert when looking for people who are willing to speak out with anything significantly different from the current market-is-god form of political correctness. How high is Jane Kelsey's profile in NZ? Her book, The New Zealand Experiment, is certainly at oods with the market-is-god form of PC. Doug -- Doug Henwood Left Business Observer 250 W 85 St New York NY 10024-3217 USA +1-212-874-4020 voice +1-212-874-3137 fax email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] web: http://www.panix.com/~dhenwood/LBO_home.html
[PEN-L:8932] Call for papers
March 15, 1997 Final Call for Proposals The International Law Journal of California Western School of Law is dedicating its Fall 1997 issue to a symposium dedicated to discussing New Zealand's Employment Contracts Act, 1991. Persons interested in participating in the symposium are invited to submit a proposal outlining an article addressing the ECA. It is the editors' intention that the subject be addressed from many disciplinary views. Articles are therefore not only sought from lawyers or academics. In order to create a symposium which provides a thorough and engaging discussion of the Employment Contracts Act, the International Law Journal welcomes a variety of articles on the legislation. Your submission can address any viewpoint or concern relating to the effects, implications or consequences of the statute. The law journal is also interested in analyses which compare New Zealand's Employment Contracts Act with labor statutes of other countries. If you would like to contribute an article for publication, we request that you reply to the International Law Journal by April 1, 1997. We also ask that you submit, along with that reply, a 300-500 word abstract on the topic of your article. The finished papers should be 5-25 pages in length, and they must be completed by August 1, 1997. In appropriate circumstances the Internatinal Law Journal will consider articles which have been published outside the United States. Please contact any of the following individuals if you have any questions regarding this symposium: þ Matthew Ritter, Executive Editor International Law Journal, or Kevin Travis, Lead Articles Editor International Law Journal California Western School of Law 225 Cedar Street San Diego, CA 92101 Tel: (619) 525-1481 Fax: (619) 231-6774 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] þ Professor Ellen Dannin, Professor of Law, California Western School of Law Tel: (619) 525-1449 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] We look forward to your response. Very truly yours, Matthew Ritter Kevin Travis Ellen J. Dannin Executive EditorLead Articles Editor Associate Professor of Law
[PEN-L:8930] Re:Marilyn Waring
In general I agree with Bill Cochrane's comments on Marilyn Waring. She was after all elected as a National Party member of Parliament. At that stage in its life, National was Tory in the most traditional way: socially and economically reactionary, though not yet globalist or anti-interventionist. However I wouldn't be quite as dismissive as Bill C. She does have useful and thoughtful things to say about issues such as feminism and of course the feminist economics that started this discussion. I suppose my view is partly coloured by the fact that New Zealand is currently a desert when looking for people who are willing to speak out with anything significantly different from the current market-is-god form of political correctness. I wouldn't go as far as Bill C. on Helen Clark, leader of the Labour Party. She is undoubtedly intelligent and hard working. But she is also willing to put up with central aspects of her party's policy which would negate any remnants of social democratic conscience. She was, after all, a prominent figure in the Lange/Douglas cabinet. There are equally hard working but more principled women in the Alliance I'd nominate in her place. And of course Jane Kelsey. Marilyn Waring certainly wasn't the only woman in Parliament. It's a very long time, 60 years or so, since there was only one woman in the New Zealand Parliament. She may well have been the only woman in the National Party caucus though, and being a radical woman amongst a bunch of dyed-in-the-wool tory chauvinists of the old school would have been an alienating experience to put it mildly. Bill Rosenberg Comrades I write this with some trepidation, given the view in many quarters that Marilyn Waring should be elevated to the status of at least saint, perhaps a medium league deity. Marliyn Waring is and always has been a tory, albeit of a liberal kind. She is no friend of unions or a number of other traditional "left" progressive organizations and IMHO it would be ill advised to expect much in the way of progressive, in the left wing sense, thought from this individual and even less in the way of deed, despite what some of her apologists might say. As an aside it is inaccurate to state that Ms Waring was the only women member of parliament at the time of her election and I would be interested in the source of this particular statement. If one wanted to single out a women in NZ politics who is both intelligent, capable, hard working and has at least a residual commitment to social democratic principles I would nominate the current leader of the Labour party Helen Clark. If you like academics then try Jane kelsey. I say this largely because when tory scum masquerade as progressives it makes me want to vomit. Cheers Bill Cochrane Centre for Labour and Trade Union Studies University of Waikato Hamilton New Zealand [EMAIL PROTECTED]
