In a message dated 6/19/2006 8:30:14 A.M. Central Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
>Of course, the ideal situation would be for everyone to keep their >business in their home country, wouldn't it? My opinion of a more ideal situation is for everyone involved to have free choice. There are more everyones involved here than just the businesses. Another large set of everyones are the consumers, who should also be free to purchase whatever they want to purchase from anywhere on earth where they might want to purchase it. Employees should also have as much free choice as possible in picking employers. This is the nature of free competition. Unfortunately, free competition is a concept that exists only in the dictionary. Big businesses connive with governments to restrict competition and favor themselves in as many different ways as conceivable or necessary. End users and employees are unable to compete with big businesses in the bribing legislators due to the economy of scale that big businesses have. So employees and consumers always get it in the neck. >Nike, Chrysler, GM, Ford, ad nauseum, have all moved process outside the >country of origin to save money. And the ultimate origin of their need to do so was probably that decades earlier consumers began purchasing competitive products made in other countries so that they (the consumers) could save money. If customers can freely offshore their purchases, why then cannot businesses freely offshore their businesses? Freedom is a two-way street, it hurts when everybody has the same amount, and thus never lasts very long. Only the truly stout of heart want freedom for everybody. Most of us want freedom only for ourselves and limits on everyone else. >And the answer is: We have an obligation to the stockholders. >I guess that means employees are like furniture and are expendable? Yes it does, as long as we are willing to continue with the current corporate law and stock owning structures. They were not found underneath Planck's Constant, and they can be changed if necessary. Bill Fairchild ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
