Yeah, such a weird...dual reality it almost seems....financial doom and gloom in the papers, malls still full. don't get it. don't think a lot of people do.
Fuck NAFTA, indeed. oh god. free trade is just an excuse to give power to transnationals and prove that states don't matter, in the economic world. in the world of borders and deportations and citizenship they do, but not to the powerful.
sending you lots of good energy...peace, my friend, peace. and rest, if you can, in lots of feelings of "good" from scm...and the community of faith activists around the world.
I don't think fair trade is in itself a bad thing, as it generally encourages competition between companies, forcing the markets to offer more varied products at lower prices. Where you don't get competition, you get complacency - which is a very costly thing
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*snigger* You said /fair/ trade in your first sentence.
I really have no problem with competition, but it doesn't ensure a safe and healthy market to assume that the freedom of the market will simply allow itself to fix all problems. Example: present Wall Street.
My problems with NAFTA are more in how it consistently allows large corporations, and the US government, to pressure either Canada or small groups within Canada to bow to the will of the powerful corporations.
And there are other ways to diversify an economy than simply tearing away protective trade restrictions...
OK, so unfettered capitalism isn't all that great. But competition within a pragmatic, well thought out framework of regulation can be really, really effective at allocating resources. NAFTA clearly isn't a very well thought out framework as no-one seems to be happy with it (although those who lose out tend to shout louder than those who benefit...), so it should be altered.
But discarding it just because occasional corporate abuses take place? This is a basic problem of North American capitalism - you get a legal system skewed towards big corporations because they can throw millions of dollars at court cases. Any law, good or bad, can be twisted to their ends; it's not just about NAFTA.
'Protective' trade restrictions only really work when you're trying to set up new, 'infant' industries to diversify your economy. If they remain in place for too long they simply become 'protectionist' trade restrictions.
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Hang in there,
Bruce
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Fuck NAFTA, indeed. oh god. free trade is just an excuse to give power to transnationals and prove that states don't matter, in the economic world. in the world of borders and deportations and citizenship they do, but not to the powerful.
sending you lots of good energy...peace, my friend, peace. and rest, if you can, in lots of feelings of "good" from scm...and the community of faith activists around the world.
blessings...and call any time..ok?
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And we're going nuclear. Yippee.
I'm really looking forward to a check-in in the next couple of days.
Peace and love,
Geoff.
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I really have no problem with competition, but it doesn't ensure a safe and healthy market to assume that the freedom of the market will simply allow itself to fix all problems. Example: present Wall Street.
My problems with NAFTA are more in how it consistently allows large corporations, and the US government, to pressure either Canada or small groups within Canada to bow to the will of the powerful corporations.
And there are other ways to diversify an economy than simply tearing away protective trade restrictions...
Reply
OK, so unfettered capitalism isn't all that great. But competition within a pragmatic, well thought out framework of regulation can be really, really effective at allocating resources. NAFTA clearly isn't a very well thought out framework as no-one seems to be happy with it (although those who lose out tend to shout louder than those who benefit...), so it should be altered.
But discarding it just because occasional corporate abuses take place? This is a basic problem of North American capitalism - you get a legal system skewed towards big corporations because they can throw millions of dollars at court cases. Any law, good or bad, can be twisted to their ends; it's not just about NAFTA.
'Protective' trade restrictions only really work when you're trying to set up new, 'infant' industries to diversify your economy. If they remain in place for too long they simply become 'protectionist' trade restrictions.
Reply
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