>
>
> : Because Economists are scientists, and
who read bones and tea leaves and entrails....
>
> Cmon, John. If economics was a science, its practioners' predictions would
> be right more often than 50% of the time. As it is now, the ordinary person
> reads an economist's forecasts and says, "That's nice. Who won the ball
> games yesterday?"
>
> : Foremost among those truths are that:
> : 1) Free-trade benefits *everyone.*
>
> All I have to do to disprove this is to find one person that didn't benefit.
> I think I can do that. :-D
People in the third world trade rural poverty for urban SLUM conditions
(horrible!) when free trade brings in industries that are labor intensive
and low wage, such as sewing clothes. It's hard to point to somebody like
that as "benefiting from free trade" as long as they are unable to get out
of poverty. but the countryside is SO poor that they see the worst urban
squalor and being exploited in factories that moved there *specifically*
to avoid having to pay a living wage or obey environmental laws (Whoopee,
we are free to pollute the river!) as upward mobility. many of these
companies are US owned. they don't pollute or exploit so much in the US,
but only because the law makes them behave themselves and they grab ANY
opportunity to get "the government off their backs." I say if it is
*morally wrong* to exploit laborers (poverty/starvation wage) in one
country it is equally wrong in another. The same goes for environmental
damage - which is even WORSE because pollution doesn't recognize borders.
how cynical! but according to free market principles, you have to be
Machiavellian, no good deed goes unpunished and no company can ever afford
to be "moral." Like, "Oh, if we raised wages the competition would eat us
alive." its probably true - but it's evil.
>
> : 2) Large-scale socialism doesn't work.
>
> Guess what, John - most European countries (and Canada) practise socalism to
> the extent that 'large scale' might be a very good description of what they
> do. Are you telling me that these countries don't work?
>
by "large scale" what do either of you mean - most countries are
privatizing state owned businesses such as electricity,
telecommunications, etc. The govt doesn't need to be in these
businesses. so yeah, "large scale" has been discredited. What I DON'T
think people in other countries will give up is what is misleadingly
called "socialized medicine" (an oversimplification - "single payer" is
more accurate) health care. Having a telephone isn't a "basic human right
that must be guaranteed to every citizen" (altho thoe phone company does
its best) but basic preventative health care IS. A scandlaous number of
people in the United States cannot afford insurance and get no medical
care whatsoever, but Americans are allergic to taxes so the situation will
not change.
Kristin
