S. Lerner wrote:
>>From: "David Langille, Centre for Social Justice"
>>Subject: Reflection on the attacks in New York and Washington
Since Sally has indirectly broached the topic of those horrific events,
which will unquestionably bear on the future of work, may I make a request
of list participants that, if they wish to address this topic in the context
of the future of work, they refrain (as much as possible) from digressing
onto matters of military strategy and/or moral responsibility. God knows
there is more than enough material on topic without the strategic and
morality digressions. For example, I offer the following headline and
summary as a case in point:
Fed, Treasury Act to Prop Up U.S. Economy
Policymakers on Monday launched an all out-bid [sic] to keep a wobbling U.S.
economy from toppling into recession, cutting interest rates and talking
up confidence to try to soften the impact of last week's attacks on the
World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
An "all-out bid" that consists of fiddling and talking? Astonishing. The
untold story is that wars cannot be fought on just-in-time flexible labour
practices. As Michael Moore and Paul Krugman each pointed out recently,
"airport security" is an oxymoron when security guards are paid $9.00 an
hour. If policymakers believe that fiddling with interest rates and talking
about confidence will stabilize the world economy, which was already headed
into a recession, we're in really big trouble. Let's hope they were buying
time while they figure out what to do. But we can't assume that.
Our neo-liberal, free market zealot leaders have been fiddling for years
while the world's SOCIAL-economy has been burning. "There is no
alternative," they told us time and again. If that remains their mind set,
then we have to fear that their military strategy is based on the same
solipsistic contempt for reality and we are in big trouble -- militarily,
economically and socially.
Tom Walker
Bowen Island, BC
604 947 2213
