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free trade

Where are the Security Checkpoints for Money and Capital? by: k9disc Wed Dec 30, 2009 at 13:05:31 PST (6:00PM EST - promoted by Nightprowlkitty) xposted As People are faced with more and more restrictions and invasions of privacy what about the funding of terrorism? Why is it that the rights of People are so easily trampled upon and limited, while the rights of money and capital are completely liberated? There's More... :: (3 Comments, 210 words in story)

Would YOU work for $3000 a year? by: jamess Sat Dec 05, 2009 at 19:06:00 PST (10 am. - promoted by ek hornbeck) Apparently many workers in China would -- for how much longer though is not entirely clear.  You see the Chinese, want to make more, improve the Standard of Living for their families -- just like Americans and Europeans do. http://iws.punahou.edu/user/JS... 8-12% Raises in Minimum Wages across China, in 2005!? Apparently, Workers around the World, AREN'T Working just for the Fun of it! This new trend toward leveling the the Global playing field, doesn't bode well for the Wal-Marts of the world, who rely on such "captured cheap labor markets" -- to remain quiet, dutiful, and happy with a pittance. Afterall Billions of Dollars (and Euros) are at stake -- those Foreign Workers must not upset that Apple cart. They should just be happy they have a Job! Shouldn't they? There's More... :: (13 Comments, 1551 words in story)

The real reason for the economic crisis by: gjohnsit Sat Oct 24, 2009 at 13:20:01 PDT ( - promoted by buhdydharma )   The economic crisis has the country flailing. That's not a controversial statement. Since early 2008 the federal government has been trying various, and expensive methods, of jump-starting the economy and propping up the housing market. Since December 2007 the Federal Reserve has created an alphabet soup of programs to stabilize the credit markets.  So far all of these attempts to stabilize the economy have had mixed results at best. Trillions of dollars have been spent and yet the economy is still crippled. Why?  The problem is that the people in charge are asking the wrong question. They are asking, "How do we get back to where we were before this crisis?" The question they should be asking is, "How did this happen?"   Unless we understand what happened and why, we will never be able to fix the economy. There's More... :: (24 Comments, 2513 words in story)

Sacrificing the Economy to the Volcano God by: gjohnsit Sat Oct 24, 2009 at 13:13:17 PDT (9 am. - promoted by ek hornbeck)   Hundreds of years ago the Incas would sacrifice virgins to appease their Volcano God.   The Gods and methods of sacrifice may have changed, but the tradition remains.   Like the Incas of old, we find ourselves helpless against forces we do not understand. The foundations of our economy shake and falter in terrifying ways.  In our desperation for answers we turn to High Priests of Economics who tell us these evils have befallen us because of our sins. We must sacrifice the innocent to the Volcano God or it will destroy us all.   The High Priests of Economics never explain exactly how these sacrifices will fix the economy, nor do they mention that the sins in question might be their own. Yet we still rush to offer up our children's futures through unpayable debts while never considering that there might be better alternatives. There's More... :: (3 Comments, 1844 words in story)

Why England is NOT our ally by: FreeSociety Fri Oct 16, 2009 at 17:13:56 PDT In modern times, we have been raised to believe that England is a wonderful Country, that is our ally, and our good friend. The fact that both the Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812 were about obtaining autonomy, independence, and separation from the British oligarchy, that wished to dominate us and control us, is conveniently forgotten. What follows here is a video documentary that shows the origins of the decline of the American experiment, and the on going power struggle that continued to remain between the British oligarchy and American people, which is responsible for that decline. It reveals that the Civil War (that followed in the mid-1800s) was, in fact, about much more than just simply "Slavery".  It reveals the origins of so-called "Free Trade" agreements (which are aggressively promoted today) that have hollowed out American manufacturing, and depressed the wages of American workers. It shows how Franklin Roosevelt came close to outmanuvering the European Establishment, and embarked upon a strategy that would have strengthened, not only the prosperity of America, but of the whole World.  Tragically, Roosevelt's health failed him before he could see any of that through. Finally, the video also reveals, in the end, what a tool   Harry "Orwellian National Security State" Truman was, who sowed the seeds of our modern ruthless American Empire, and our current disintegration. This is, unfortunately, a long video (over 1 hour), but it is well worth it to watch all the way through (the last 30 minutes are the best part). Documentary: Lincoln and FDR and the British Empire There's More... :: (1 Comments, 195 words in story)

The Week in Editorial Cartoons - International and Domestic Wingnuts by: JekyllnHyde Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 13:37:44 PDT ( - promoted by buhdydharma ) Crossposted from Daily Kos THE WEEK IN EDITORIAL CARTOONS This weekly diary takes a look at the past week's important news stories from the perspective of our leading editorial cartoonists (including a few foreign ones) with analysis and commentary added in by me. When evaluating a cartoon, ask yourself these questions: 1. Does a cartoon add to my existing knowledge base and help crystallize my thinking about the issue depicted? 2. Does the cartoonist have any obvious biases that distort reality? 3. Is the cartoonist reflecting prevailing public opinion or trying to shape it? The answers will help determine the effectiveness of the cartoonist's message. :: :: Mahmoud, Hugo, and Muammar... Meet Rush, Glenn, and Sean Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune There's More... :: (6 Comments, 4119 words in story)

Upset about the massacre of Peruvian indigenous people? by: Sagebrush Bob Tue Jun 09, 2009 at 00:48:24 PDT Upset about the massacre of Peruvian indigenous people? Please consider voting at progressive.org to have this question asked at their next Q&A session: What do you intend to do about the massacre of Peruvian indigenous people? What do you intend to do regarding the Peruvian Free Trade Agreement which is being used as justification for the massacre indigenous protestors who have been protesting the oil and mining projects in the northern Peruvian province of Bagua. With the Peruvian Free Trade Agreement as excuse, the Peruvian government is now taking away indigenous rights and creating a threat to the Amazon rainforest by taking away land from indigenous people and allowing that land, rainforest, to be reclassified as agricultural land so that biofuel companies can move in with plantations and to allow oil companies and mining companies to be able to work in the area without having to negotiate or speak to the local communities before using THEIR lands. How can we stand by and allow this to happen in the name of "free trade?" If enough people vote for this question, it will be answered on the floor of the House of Representatives by members of the Progressive Caucus live on C-SPAN and also be recorded as part of the official Congressional Record. Admittedly it's a small step, but IMO anything that adds visibility to this issue is a good thing. Discuss :: (4 Comments)

G-20 Faith in Free Trade Remains Unbroken by: Magnifico Sat Apr 04, 2009 at 05:00:00 PDT (@ noon - promoted by NLinStPaul)   The absolutism of the key tenets of neo-liberalism: privatisation, deregulation, balanced budgets have all been rejected by all but the most dogmatic. Apart from one that is: the primacy of free trade. So writes Noreena Hertz, economist and author, in her op-ed at Spiegel Online: "Is Protectionism Really All that Bad?" Despite the nationalization of banks, calls for increased regulation, and massive trillion dollar deficits amassed, the status of free trade remains "basically sacrosanct", she writes. "'Free trade is good' continues to be presented as a totemic truth, ring-fenced from debate or interrogation." An examination of the G-20 communiqué (pdf) from this week's meeting seems to confirm Hertz's assertion. The G-20 leaders stated: "We believe that the only sure foundation for sustainable globalisation and rising prosperity for all is an open world economy based on market principles, effective regulation, and strong global institutions." There's More... :: (2 Comments, 823 words in story)

The U.S. Economy in Decline: What Stagflation Tells Us by: Geenius at Wrok Mon Nov 24, 2008 at 04:42:29 PST ( - promoted by buhdydharma ) (Cross-posted from Daily Kos) Our economic situation has been all over the news. Banks are failing, credit is contracting, the auto industry is crying for a bailout. Clearly, the U.S. economy has gotten derailed, and we're now faced with the unenviable task of getting it back on track. The trouble is, we don't know which track is the right track. Or do we? Suppose there exists a valid interpretation of economic forces and outcomes, one that explains our current situation, yet one that no one will acknowledge, even to knock down. About 12 years ago I picked up Cities and the Wealth of Nations: Principles of Economic Life by Jane Jacobs (better known as the author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities) at a used bookstore in upstate New York. Jacobs wrote this book in 1983, in response the emergence of stagflation. As an informed and educated layperson, she examined economic history with a critical eye and an urbanist's heart, looking for the laws that explained what was going on -- which the economic theories of the time did not.   There's More... :: (5 Comments, 3160 words in story)

From the Lists by: Lasthorseman Mon Sep 15, 2008 at 19:49:45 PDT Current pivotal dates are September 30 then October 9 to the 13th.  I do plan on extracting as much cash as humanly possible once the severance check hits the bank. Anybody who knows what that limit is before setting off the bells and whistles at the FBI please let me know.  I do have to talk to my daughter about how after my employment termination I access my own money(direct depostit) via the computer I have not built yet.  She and apparently the entire world knows how to look at my finances but I do not.   Hopefully we have until spring of 2009 before the nukes(not from missles BTW) start taking out major cities. http://www.projectcamelot.org/... Now why do I have to search the internet to find interesting people reportedly coming from high places.  Well the cognitive dissonance of corporate America that I have experienced is massive and I hope to write the Naomi Klein type of book documenting all of it.  My personal and up close history of me, the first generation to be born outside of the family farm.  That means in only a single generation a shining nation and hope of the world has been erased and all of mankind slinks back into the dark ages. I reflect upon and entire career and how the stuff you buy is just not what it could be. In order to make money making something there is a pieces per hour count which must be made.  Out of that the CEO has to have a mansion in Boca Raton and bonuses for the cannibalization of the core business functions to make the bottom line look good have to be paid out. Remember those innocent days when Martha Stewart had to go to jail simply for lying to the Feds?  Well these days anyone can rape and pillage the entire village and nobody but nobody goes to jail. An Illumati salute to you all.  Stand at attention and click your heels together as the Nazis did.  Extend your right arm in a conventional military salute position but instead of bringing four fingers toward the forehead use two fingers to cover your upper lip.  You are supposed to do this mocking Hitler's moustache and the ideals he represented.  Fascism, a super race of superior humans with their manifest destiny to control all others.  Hmmm....sound strangely familiar.   In the timeline of man's history, Adolph for all the destruction he did reign upon man did not last for an extended period of time.  I can not fathom why the United States, both political parties included seeks to emulate and repeat the 1940's and 1929 concurrently.  Could we avert their bullshit by letting them know a majority of Americans know the real score?  Well I think not because there is a value to the negative powers of TeeVee and keeping the peasants occupied with below the belt issues like pigs and lipstick. Given my survival I will know after looking into your eyes if I should or should not waste my time helping you hook up twelve volt battery systems.  I do think it might become that desperate.  I started my activism with this guy and to this day it is more appropriate than ever. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G... http://www.freedomfiles.org/wa... Sorry for all the doom and gloom and let's hope the benevolent aliens and meditating monks can affect real "Change" in the world without depopulating 90% of the planet. Discuss :: (11 Comments)

Would we truly be racist if we demanded "Made in the USA"? by: Johnny Venom Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 11:50:30 PDT (8 am. - promoted by ek hornbeck) Amazingly, in the past several months I've been called a racist 3 times, more than anytime in my life!  The first time was when the Jeremiah Wright thing broke out and I defended the guy, I was called bigoted against whites.  Then, just the other I was called first "pro-Black" then "racist against whites" because I favored Barack Obama over that walking museum piece from Arizona.  Now, today, the conservative economic blog site, Carpe Diem, is labeling people like me racist for demanding things be made in this country! There's More... :: (4 Comments, 1216 words in story)

Manufacturing Monday: The so-called Big Three, and the taxpayers' money by: Johnny Venom Mon Aug 25, 2008 at 10:32:06 PDT (9:00PM EST - promoted by Nightprowlkitty) Greetings folks, the start of new week and thus we kick off another episode of Manufacturing Monday!  Never a dull moment when it comes to covering stuff that either goes into the products you buy, or the impact that that consumption leads to. Now originally, I had these other items on bio-fuels, hydrogen cars, China and oil, and a few other things.  But I see now that my section on the bailout of the US automakers is so big, that the whole thing is too long.  So, if it is OK with you, I will post those items tomorrow.   There's More... :: (7 Comments, 1793 words in story)

My Fucking career objective? by: Lasthorseman Mon Aug 18, 2008 at 17:57:42 PDT Yeah, well the main one was to do something constructive that I liked and put food on the table for my loved ones.  I had a career, a twenty two year career but the business assholianism of globalization and "free" trade is about to end all of that.  I am offered an early retirement package at the height of my skill set mainly because they can do it in China for 1/9th the cost.  People wonder why I have watched zero minutes of the Beijing Olympics and their carbon exempt smog laden air.  The seats are empty mainly because China don't like large numbers of people getting together.  Their system BTW is THE model for OUR dystopian New World Order corporate fascist future. I am almost destined to take the lump sum now and run or face the prospects of a non-existent pension from a company with a future potenial of Enron. There's More... :: (17 Comments, 322 words in story)

Why the push to failure? by: Johnny Venom Wed Jul 23, 2008 at 23:17:12 PDT Cross posted on The Economic Populist - A Community Site for Economics Freaks and Geeks Failure in war can be a bad thing.  Failure in business can be a personal loss, and in some instances a detriment to the economy.  With the recent calamity hitting the two largest mortgage lenders, not to mention other large American business concerns, it seems to a select few that failure is indeed a viable and good option. A gamble with very high stakes is being openly promoted by adherents to a free-market orthodoxy.  These individuals, gaming on anger and the perceived loss of utility of these given enterprises, are pushing the public onto this wager. There's More... :: (5 Comments, 2209 words in story)

On Trade by: Jay Elias Fri Jun 13, 2008 at 23:43:41 PDT (10:30AM EST - promoted by Nightprowlkitty) You're talking history, right? I'm talking now. Because down here, it's still "Who's your old man?" 'Til you got kids of your own and then it's, "Who's your son?" But after the horror movie I seen today... Robots! Piers full of robots! My kid'll be lucky if he's even punchin' numbers five years from now. And while it don't mean shit to me that I can't take my steak knives to Dibiago and Sons, it breaks my fucking heart that there's no future for the Sobotkas on the waterfront! ~Frank Sobotka, The Wire One of my favorite concepts in economics is the Theory of the Second Best.  While it can be a bit technical, in summary, the theory is that if, for whatever reason, the required conditions for the optimal outcome are impossible to achieve, the second best outcome may require deviating from the conditions which were required to make the optimal outcome possible.  To use an analogy, most Democrats preferred ranking of the last three candidates for President was Obama, Clinton, McCain.  But one of the required steps to the optimal outcome of Obama's election was his nomination, which made the second best outcome impossible. The second-best problem is one which has particular resonance for me as a libertarian.  Many libertarians allied themselves for years with the Republican party, to try and establish the required conditions for a libertarian state.  However, the outcome of a libertarian state is further away than ever; responsibly, a libertarian must consider which of the desired conditions for our optimal outcome are negotiable in order for us to achieve our second-best outcome.  Of course, this is hardly only true for libertarians. There's More... :: (42 Comments, 1115 words in story)

Quote for Discussion: 2.3.2008 by: Jay Elias Sat Feb 02, 2008 at 22:08:53 PST Don argues in the book and in the podcast that to point to an American steel worker put out of work by imports of Brazilian steel and say that he is "harmed by trade" is to misunderstand the nature of trade and its winners and losers. He says it's like saying that a man whose wife leaves him for another man is harmed by love. After all, the man married because of love. The man is the product of his parents who were touched by love. So it is with the steel worker. His steel job exists because of trade. His whole life is supported by trade of various kinds. So in what sense is he "harmed by trade?" It's a profound point. It forces you to see just how trade and specialization and the division of labor create the incredible lives we lead, lives of wealth and health unimagined by previous generations. But having said that, I think there is something else to add, something about the way our self-worth and pride and satisfaction are tied up in our work. An out-of-work steel worker still has a very good life compared to generations past and the success of his life up until the loss of his job is indeed due to trade (and sometimes to the protectionism that worker would like to see made stronger). But there's no denying that it's very tough on a person who has invested most of his life in a particular skill to suddenly find that there's no demand for that skill. Yes, it's the price of progress and it's a price worth paying. Yes, it's not particular to foreign trade, as Don points out, but is the result of all kinds of economic change. But there is something deeply poignant about it, nevertheless. It is a mistake to use protectionism to keep that worker from having to deal with change. But that doesn't change the potential sadness of the situation. I've argued that the real consolation for that worker who loses his job and struggles to find another that is as satisfying is knowing (if he knows any economics) that his children and grandchildren will lead better lives because we tolerate economic change. Russell Roberts, Café Hayek There's More... :: (17 Comments, 354 words in story)

Action: Tell the candidates, No More Toxic Toys! by: Populista Fri Dec 21, 2007 at 19:02:57 PST (is there such a thing as "bad santa?" holy moly! - promoted by pfiore8) Today Public Citizen released a new report "Santa's Sweatshop 'Made in DC' by Bad Trade Deals". According to the report toy safety problems have skyrocketed as major U.S. toy corporations relocated their production overseas to exploit sweatshop wages in countries where they cannot ensure the safety of the products.  Thankfully the good folks at Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch has put together a easy to use petition to the presidental candidates that simply says this: Our current imported toy safety crisis is a symptom of race-to-the-bottom globalization. We need new trade policies that protect our kids and support strong consumer safety protections - not trade deals like NAFTA and WTO that promote the relocation of toy production overseas to venues where safety cannot be ensured. The U.S. President has the power to ensure U.S. trade policy doesn't undermine the safety of children at play. Urge the candidates to oppose provisions in trade deals that provide special benefits and protections for manufacturers to produce goods in other countries and limit U.S. border inspection and imported product safety standards. Also urge the candidates to provide greater funding for domestic agencies responsible for product safety. That sound sensible to you? Join me below the fold to learn more about the issue and how to take action. There's More... :: (7 Comments, 376 words in story)

Globalization, Trade And NAFTA: A Defense of Trade Agreements by: Armando Sun Nov 25, 2007 at 09:32:22 PST Free trade is good. Does anyone disagree? Even "fair traders" agree today. We do not hear about nakedly protectionist domestic content legislation anymore. The "fair traders" argue instead for the need for a "fair playing field" on issues like environmental and labor standards. But is this new emphasis on equal labor and environmental standards really about anything but protectionism? Is there really an expectation of that countries like Peru, Mexico and the Central American countries (not to mention China and India) will meet US labor and environmental standards? the irony is of course that this would be a form of erstwhile globalization - an attempt to impost US standards on the Thrid World - if it were sincere. It is not. It is just a new way of defending an old idea - protectionism. I think the evidence of this is obvious - in no other context do we see a drive for higher labor and environmental standards in the Third World. Consider the issue of climate change: . . . George Bush pulled the US out of the Kyoto treaty, which requires 36 industrial nations to cut greenhouse emissions by at least 5 per cent from 1990 levels by 2012. The US president says Kyoto unfairly burdens rich countries while exempting developing ones such as China and India. Developing nations say rich states built up their economies without emissions restraints and argue that less-developed countries should have the same opportunity to establish their economies now. But as emissions from places such as China and India grow, environmentalists say action by the developed world alone will not be enough to stop the warming trend. Does anyone think George Bush shares the concern of environmentalists on this? Or is it an excuse? And does anyone really think Mexico, Peru and the Central American countries are comparable to China and India on this? Of course not. This is pretext for protextionism. More. There's More... :: (115 Comments, 2985 words in story)

Economic Update - The Sky is NOT Falling by: Stranger in a strange land Tue Oct 30, 2007 at 08:47:43 PDT ---------------- Your humble sleep-deprived author is back to offer a counterpoint yet again to some of the ongoing analysis we see in lefty blergsville. Two points continue to appear on the radar: 1) Our trade policies suck. Too many left-leaning financial types have bought into the myth that 'Free Trade is Both Inevitable and Good'. 2) The lower value for the US Dollar is not the end of the world. At least not for those of us who live and work here. Updates on both below the fold… There's More... :: (2 Comments, 501 words in story)