Arthur, I think that perhaps Bastiat's 'things seen and unseen' should be required reading for economists and politicians. You'll find it in "Economic Sophisms".
We don't like work. You'll recall the second assumption of Classical Political Economy: "People seek to satisfy their desires with the least exertion." Our objective is not to work but to get the things that are the result of working. Yet, our economic theory and practice is devoted to finding work for people. Modern economics is 'upside down'. The second Classical assumption is that: "People's desires are unlimited." (It's actually "Man's desires are unlimited" but I'm being politically correct.) Other than perhaps survival our desires will probably not be the same. One's objective may be to own a Cadillac, or to walk across the Appalachian Trail. But, whatever it is, the objective is not to spend 8 hours a day on the bench. It's to spend as little time as possible there. When economists start thinking like this, perhaps economics will begin to look like a science again. Harry ********************************** Henry George School of Social Science of Los Angeles. Box 655 Tujunga CA 91042 818 352-4141 ********************************** > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > Cordell, Arthur: ECOM > Sent: Friday, July 06, 2007 9:06 AM > To: Ed Weick; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Christoph Reuss > Subject: Re: [Futurework] More gloooooooom > > I think it is about trade between two entities with radically different > wage structures, environment controls, labour laws, etc. Two > entities > that have developed in different ways are now trading. There is > going > to be a problem in the developed, higher wage country. Its > inevitable. > > > Is such trade a good thing to do? It depends. On whether you are > a > worker in Detroit, in China or whether you are stockholder. It also > depends on whether over the longer term there will be sufficient > economic activity and taxes paid in the high wage country to > continue > with the range of social amenities that define a developed country. > > Arthur > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of > Ed Weick > Sent: Friday, July 6, 2007 11:34 AM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Christoph Reuss > Subject: Re: [Futurework] More gloooooooom > > Hi Chris, > > I'm not really sure that free trade plays much of a role in this. > Chrysler, > now uncoupled from Daimler, has not had a happy history > recently. Last > year > it lost nearly $700 billion dollars and its sales and market share > have > been > declining. It has to do something, and selling the ultra-inexpensive > Chinese > made Chery to, initially, Latin America and Eastern Europe, then > to > Western > Europe and North America, seems like a logical way to go. But > doing that > > could have a huge potential impact on production and jobs in the > US and > Canada. Something I read said that Chrysler is already planning to > cut > 13,000 jobs and close a plant in Delaware. And if Chrysler is > moving > production to China, it is entirely possible that General Motors and > Ford > are also thinking about it. > > Ed > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Christoph Reuss" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Friday, July 06, 2007 7:27 AM > Subject: Re: [Futurework] More gloooooooom > > > >> I would venture that Mr. Hargrove should fear less and > prepare more. > >> I am trying think of examples of job security trumping lowest > cost > > > > "Trumping" on the supply side, perhaps, but certainly not on the > demand > > side. > > > > News items like Ed's just confirm that the Free Trade insanity > has to > be > > stopped before it destroys the future of work and the > environment, > i.e. > > The Future! > > > > Chris > > > > > > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > ~~~~~~ > ~~~~ > > SpamWall: Mail to this addy is deleted unread unless it contains > the > > keyword > > "igve". > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Futurework mailing list > > Futurework@fes.uwaterloo.ca > > http://fes.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > Futurework@fes.uwaterloo.ca > http://fes.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework > > _______________________________________________ > Futurework mailing list > Futurework@fes.uwaterloo.ca > http://fes.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list Futurework@fes.uwaterloo.ca http://fes.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
