Posted on 05/03/2013 12:00:05 PM PDT by Sheapdog
When economic patriotism died Pat Buchanan agrees with the pope about ' the dark side of globalism'
“This is called slave labor,” said Pope Francis.
The Holy Father was referring to the $40 a month paid to apparel workers at that eight-story garment factory in Bangladesh that collapsed on top of them, killing more than 400.
“Not paying a just wage … focusing exclusively on the balance books, on financial statements, only looking at personal profit. That goes against God!”
The pope is describing the dark side of globalism.
Why is Bangladesh, after China, the second-largest producer of apparel in the world? Why are there 4,000 garment factories in that impoverished country which, a few decades ago, had almost none?
Because the Asian subcontinent is where Western brands – from Disney to Gap to Benetton – can produce cheapest. They can do so because women and children will work for $1.50 a day crammed into factories that are rickety firetraps, where health and safety regulations are nonexistent.
This is what capitalism, devoid of a conscience, will produce.
(Excerpt) Read more at wnd.com ...
Much better thank you.
Though we disagree.
I used to be in your camp, believe it or not.
Or move.
Work with me here. Hiring someone creates a job. Moving doesn't create a job. We still together on this?
That was a good-natured reference to your own situation.
:D
Sorry.
The invisible hand of the free market, including free trade, (relatively) creates opportunities and jobs that are not obvious. You can’t pinpoint the jobs that result from that freedom.
Meanwhile, a plant moving overseas creates losses that are obvious and immediate. So you pinpoint the very people impacted.
However, you have to believe in freedom to understand that in the long run, it’s going to create far more than it destroys - but creative destruction is part of every successful economy in the history of the world. There is no way around the fact that a belief in protectionism is a belief in some form of centralized planning, while a belief in liberty is the opposite.
I understand all that. I really do.
The problem is the world does not operate that way, except to a point.
America operates one way. China operates another way.
Should be, America operates in a pro-American way. While meanwhile China operates in a pro-China way.
That is not what is currently happening.
Everyone is on China’s side.
Americans. Chinese. Everyone.
The best comment on Friday. Thanks for defending American citizens.
No, your conclusion is wrong. Pro America is pro liberty - America is not “one company” so there is no “pro America” way except individual liberty. China will do what China will do, and ditto the rest of the world, and the only way to allow more Americans more prosperity and more opportunity is to maximize liberty so that American consumers, businesses and workers can react to whatever the conditions are IN TOTAL LIBERTY.
Anything else is central planning. By definition. Your flaw is that you look at America and China as monolithic competitors. It’s not nearly that simple.
except that you have a bass ackward understanding of economic patriotism. Liberty is patriotism. Anything else is central planning.
“Until you do one of those two things, I dont’ see any cred on this issue. I’ve never employed anyone over seas, but I’ve employed thousands of people in my lifetime, and I can easily see why jobs leave. I really do not think you understand why they do.”
I’ve enjoyed your book very much, as well as many of your posts. And I certainly also understand WHY jobs leave.
Where we part company is that I think off shoring labor should either be illegal or heavily taxed.
The deteriorating economic, social, and spiritual condition of our middle 3/5 is accelerating, and will destroy our society if not reversed. Men need work. Without work, they become essentially worthless and prey to many vices.
The plague that destroyed Detroit, Camden, and so many other cities is beginning to devour whites as well. When the condition of men on the middle 3/5 equals that of the men of Detroit, the nation will be unlivable.
I know all about the unions and the regulations. But they are a lesser evil than the future that globalization is going to deliver.
Sorry to disagree with someone who can write the way you do.
Hey, not me. I'm still on America's side. Thanks for your support of Americans. The bottom line of all this discussion is that almost everything you buy is made with labor somewhere else. That's was government to government free trade has done to our economy. Romney said there are 24,000,000 million Americans looking for work. And we spend trillions on people in other countries. No wonder Democrats are elected, the GOP really is the stupid party.
Thanks for your kind words.
Now where we part company is on “globalization.” Saying that globalization is costing American jobs is like saying that oxygen is costing jobs. America cannot stop globalization. We either participate, or we all lose. Another place we part company is on what will or will not cost American jobs on net. Again, the jobs lost to off shoring are obvious and can be counted by name. The jobs gained by more freedom are not namable.....but it comes down to this: you either believe that decisions made in self interests by millions of people in liberty is the best way to allocate resources, or you believe that bureaucrats in Washington can somehow hit the secret sauce recipe of centrally planned winners and losers, tariffs, taxes ,etc.
I’m sorry. I don’t think the central secret sauce has ever worked in history.
There is a third alternative.
Hang tough.
We’ll win them over yet. :D
True with how GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNMENT free trade deals are put together.
This is why no centrally planned economy EVER EVER EVER works. No planning can equal the net effect of millions and millions of hiring, firing, buying, selling, pricing, shipping, etc, decisions made by the populace.
that is a key point. this and other similar thoughts I’ve had need to be put so the regular dummy understands it . it should prove to them that government/socailism can never work .a democrat believes that a single gov beaurocrat can run the millions of real time simultaneous transactions of the free market ( see all at the same time) which a human can’t. also well I’ll repost as I am have to go.
This is why no centrally planned economy EVER EVER EVER works. No planning can equal the net effect of millions and millions of hiring, firing, buying, selling, pricing, shipping, etc, decisions made by the populace.
that is a key point. this and other similar thoughts I’ve had need to be put so the regular dummy ( an average voter)understands it . it should prove to them that government/socailism can never work .a democrat believes that a single gov beaurocrat can run the millions of real time simultaneous transactions of the free market ( see all at the same time) which a human can’t. also well I’ll repost as I am have to go.
You have a point, but in the end, that points to simpler and freer trade with less policy and less deals. When in doubt, err on the side of liberty for American workers, businesses, consumers, investors, etc.
Okay, you have my attention....
that is a key point. this and other similar thoughts I’ve had need to be put so the regular dummy ( an average voter)understands it . it should prove to them that government/socailism can never work .a democrat believes that a single gov beaurocrat can run the millions of real time simultaneous transactions of the free market ( see all at the same time) which a human can’t. also well I’ll repost as I am have to go.
And this is what the anti traders refuse to understand, that trade restrix are liberal big government central planning tenets by definition. They happen to LIKE this kind of central planning because they favor its constituency, which is the specific workers who lost jobs. It's still central planning, and like EVERY BIT OF CENTRAL PLANNING SINCE THE DAWN OF MAN it stops untold millions of opportunities from every coming about. Again, you either believe in liberty or central planning....and there's no other way around this debate. And if you believe in central planning, for whatever group's benefit, then you are an economic liberal.
I’m smoking chicken and ribs at the moment, it’ll have to wait.
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