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 ...
No one loses their job to “cheap overseas labor” in the way you think. CONSUMERS, not businesses, set the price of goods. And when the price that goods will support cannot be met, a company has to move or go out of business. Simple. ANd in the meantime, that very same worker probably contributed to the loss of others jobs by being a smart consumer.
We are all Workers/consumers - and all economic decisions have ramifications far more complex than “losing a job to overseas cheap labor.” Its not that simple. If it were, every government would plan their economy and they would all be planned properly.
BINGO! Nailed it.
don’t leave out Siemens, schneider, Mitsubishi, Hitachi, Nestle, Bayer, Phillips, Shell, Samsung, Hyundai
That is how I see it too. Of course we could force the EPA/OSHA/FDA/(pick 3 letters and repeat as needed) on them and make sure they NEVER develop and stay dirt poor FOREVER.
In that case, it doesn't matter if they're getting paid $40/month or $40,000/month.
I don’t think anyone is trying to justify the death of 400 workers as the price of a free market. Between building codes, inspectors, architects, builder and the owner there is probably more than enough blame to go around but the does not lie in the wages, the free market or “globalism.” Why try to shift the blame to where it does not belong?
There is no skipping this stage.
That is true.
I am reminded of the observations of a noted US private equity specialist last May concerning Chinese factories, the nature of the workers, their long hours, the packed conditions under which the live, the direction in which the barbed-wire fences are oriented, and, come Chinese New Year, the length of the Arbeit-macht-frei queue:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge03Sys8SdA#t=6m35s
Romney: And I remember going to—sorry just to bore you with stories—but I was, when I was back in my private equity days, we went to China to buy a factory there, employed about 20,000 people, and they were almost all young women between the ages of about 18 and 22 or 23. They were saving for potentially becoming married, and they worked in these huge factories, they made various small appliances, and as we were walking through this facility, seeing them work, the number of hours they worked per day, the pittance they earned, living in dormitories with little bathrooms at the end with maybe ten rooms. And the rooms, they had 12 girls per room, three bunk beds on top of each other. You've seen them.Audience member: Oh, yeah.
Romney: And around this factory was a fence, a huge fence with barbed wire, and guard towers. And we said, "Gosh, I can't believe that you, you know, you keep these girls in." They said, "No, no, no—this is to keep other people from coming in. Because people want so badly to come work in this factory that we have to keep them out, or they'll just come in here and start working and try and get compensated. So, we—this is to keep people out." And they said, "Actually, Chinese New Year, is the girls go home, sometimes they decide they've saved enough money and they don't come back to the factory." And he said, "And so on the weekend after Chinese New Year, there'll be a line of people hundreds long outside the factory, hoping that some girls haven't come back and they can come to the factory.
And so, as we were experiencing this for the first time, for me to see a factory like this in China some years ago, the Bain partner I was with turned to me and said, "You know, 95 percent of life is settled if you're born in America." This is an amazing land. And what we have is unique, and fortunately it is so special we're sharing it with the world. I'm concerned about the future, but also optimistic as I said, and I look forward to getting America back on track, and having people plan on bringing their ideas and their dreams to this country. We get big dreamers, by the way. Oh, I just, we didn't talk about immigration today. Gosh, I'd love to bring in more legal immigrants that have skill and [unintelligible]. I'd like to staple a green card to every Ph.D. in the world and say, "Come to America, we want you here." Instead, we make it hard for people who get educated here or elsewhere to make this their home. Unless, of course, you have no skill or experience, in which case you're welcome to cross the border and stay here for the rest of your life. [Audience laughs.] It's very strange. It's run by people who don't understand the words "global competition of ideas," and our idea has to win, but only if America reigns strong.
...and yet, he quickly started in about profits and wages......didn’t he?
Yep, he did. Thus, I acknowledge the Pope’s compassion for the collapse victims, but stand by my point that he is simply economically wrong on the other.
All the critics of Buchanan on here, cannot provide one shred of evidence that Free Trade works. Watch em go Saul Alinsky trying to defend it
So, if the American worker loses their job....how do they remain an American consumer?
You and me paying the taxes for his welfare, food stamps, SSI
You are conflating micro and macro economics. You are also thinking in a vacuum.
And you are also apparently unwilling to admit that with every economic fluctuation, there is the possibility of someone being on the losing end. Not necessarily the case, but often is.
The question you should ask is if the business cannot compete by producing products in this country, should all the jobs just go away? Or, is the American worker who loses his job a person who is not capable of ever getting employed again? What you refuse to realize is that when you “plan” an economy to protect a certain class of worker, you are no better than a Politburo central planner. Which is to say, an economic failure.
You make perfect sense
It’s like the Free Traders claiming that “Free Trade with Communist China will open them up”.......of course, Communist China still is a one party state which bans Christianity, restricts speech, jails critics of the Commie govt.....and restricts the access of many US made goods with tariffs and non trade barriers
As for Pat Buchanan being a critic of Free Trade, I would gladly take him over Free Trade supporters like Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Joe Biden, John Kerry, Barack Hussein Obama, Diane Einstein, FDR and the Godfather of the modern Free Trade era....John Maynard Keynes (go research Bretton Woods)......all great economists. /s
Really get a kick out of the Milton Friedman fans who totally ignore how much Keynesian he is on Free Trade
When we had tariffs on foriegn imports....we had Americans producing and working. And, our taxes were lower
Now that we have shipped our wealth and jobs out of the country....we have few good jobs, high taxes, and the government subsidizing many.
I always ask on these Free Trade threads.... prove to me Free Trade works. I get a lot of theory...but not any facts.
Free Trade does not work.....even Communist China....who has benefitted more from Free Trade...has major economic issues now
The loss of jobs is a bad thing, but trade is only a tiny, and I mean tiny, piece of that puzzle. Unions, taxes, regulations, cronyism, welfare benefits, etc, are all much more important. To blame the loss of jobs on trade policy is just abject economic ignorance. Its government liberalism that is running jobs offshore. To try and correct all of that thru trade policy is just absurd.
Besides, you are siding with people who base much of their case (Pat B, the Pope) on the notion that profits are bad. How in the hell can you call yourself any kind of conservative by siding with that crowd? And no, Pat B is NOT an econ conservative and never has been. Neither has the Catholic Church, which for some reason can’t even keep charity and taxation separate in their minds.
Wonder where gifts to the Catholic Church come from? Business losses? Methinks not.
Oh...and speaking about me being a “ Politburo Planner”.....
Karl Marx was also a proponent of Free Trade
Like I said....prove to me Free Trade works, and provide me facts. Don’t Alinsky me
I saw Friedman say those exact words to Phil Donahue.
I like Pat Buchanan too, but it’s no secret that he has always been a strong proponent for tariffs to protect the American worker.
First of all, I don’t know whether Marx was a free trader or not. It doesn’t matter, since it was hardly a main tenet of his and since even a stopped clock is right twice a day. Maybe this was one of those times.
Marx was not in favor of any economic liberty, and the free trade position is the liberty position. That’s why Reagan looked to Friedman, NOT BUCHANAN, on issues of economics. And if you need to be shown that liberty works, then you are on the wrong damned side of the leger. The only economies that have ever worked in world history are the freer economies, all things considered. Liberty works, and if you doubt it, begone to HuffPo and DU.
Really?
You just called me a Communist because I challenged you with facts that do not hold up with your economic “theories”
You support a theory that pushed by most of the liberal elites....but I am the Commie? If I am not mistaken, you are the one who supports Free Trade with Communist China
I think I have well proved my point that Free Trade does not work....and its supporters cannot even offer basic evidence that Free Trade works
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.