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In Reply to: Re: Staying current too---Just a few ideas posted by AG on January 30, 2004 at 17:54:36:
AG,
You make some great points. My hat is off to you for your refusing to shop at Walmart. It's a pity that most American's concern for the slave-labor conditions in China, India, and other third-world countries is forgotten when they go shopping. All that matters is who has the lowest price.
I think if more American consumers shopped with a conscience, we could turn the tide on things like sweat-shops or out-sourcing. If people started telling the software manufacturers, for example, that they refuse to buy their products if the source code wasn't written by U.S. citizens residing in the united states.
Sure, it would mean higher prices for those products, but I'm sure you can see the potential economic and social benefits. I'm more comfortable with the people using their individual economic power to influence corporations to do the right thing, rather than a heavy-handed action by governmental bureaucracies. Allowing free-enterprise and capitalism to work within some reasonable boundaries is the best economic form IMO.
Let's not forget that NAFTA was supported by both the Democrat and Republican parties. There has been a great deal of misconception regarding what NAFTA did or did not do for the U.S. economy. It has been the scapegoat of some demagogs at both ends of the political spectrum.
The primary focus of NAFTA, was to remove tarrifs and bureaucratic restrictions which hampered free trade with our neighbors to the north and south. In spite of the opposition to NAFTA by labor unions, there were in fact, some immediate benefits to union workers after NAFTA was passed. The Caterpillar company, for example, won a huge order for bulldozers and other heavy construction equipment, because once NAFTA elliminated the steep tarifs, their U.S. manufactured products became more competatively priced compared to bidders from other countries.
By the way: Thanks for the complement. I'd say you're a very bright person as well. (You'd have to be bright to earn a Phd!)
P.s. That commentary you wrote for "The Girl Who Wouldn't" was excellent.
