[26] in peace2
Re: WTO movement and peace
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (James in Cambridge)
Mon Jan 17 20:00:57 2000
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From: "James in Cambridge" <tompaine@hotmail.com>
To: artmacom@micron.net, karens@MIT.EDU
Cc: jlewey@brandeis.edu, peace2@MIT.EDU
Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 16:57:33 PST
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I'm not sure how I got this email message?
Can you/anyone explain?
And btw: Who -- or what -- is the "Macomber" family, anyway?
Some sort of industrial group?
jw
>From: The Macomber Family <artmacom@micron.net>
>Reply-To: artmacom@micron.net
>To: Karen Sachs <karens@MIT.EDU>
>CC: jennifer lewey <jlewey@brandeis.edu>, peace2@MIT.EDU
>Subject: Re: WTO movement and peace
>Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 06:41:14 -0700
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>From artmacom@micron.net Mon Jan 17 05:47:00 2000
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>References: <200001141705.MAA27606@m56-129-21.mit.edu>
>
>Karen, it is clear that you have no knowledge of economics, but instead of
>holding
>that against you, I would like to give you some simple reading. One book
>you would
>enjoy is the "Road to Serfdom", by F.A. Hayek and another, I can't remember
>the
>author now, is called "The Incredible Bread Machine."
>
>Both of these books echo the basics of economics, not from the government's
>view or
>some rich, white boy - as you so fondly call us - no matter how "Black or
>Hispanic
>or Asian" my true experience may be, but they outline the actual goings-on
>of folks
>who are trying to better their own lives. So, they are ground-level texts,
>easy to
>read and fun too, regardless of someone's alleged race (as seen from the
>outside...).
>
>It is interesting to me that the people of the less-developed countries
>(economically speaking, that is...) appear to want to advance economically
>but
>don't have the financial wherewithal to jump right in at the level of the
>average
>American, i.e., with all the worker protections, OSHA saftey regs, and
>minimum
>wages etc that we can afford today. From my limited perspective, it would
>appear
>that the protestors in Seattle wanted to stop third world development
>unless they
>could force development to happen according to some quite unrealistic and
>costly
>methods. I think the bottom line of the protests is that the protestors
>are
>saying, "You can't have it unless you do it our way," which is incredibly
>imperialistic to me. Talk about cultural hegemony!
>
>Now, I understand that the traditional Left in America believe that "there
>is
>enough money and resources to go around", but there is no simple way to
>accomplish
>this allocation unless you do it at the point of a gun, like Mao, who
>killed
>millions to get the economic structure just the way he wanted it - and
>China is
>still trying to figure out how to remove itself from his visions with some
>sembalance of "face." Besides, it should be clear by now, unless you
>missed the
>past one hundred years, that the peaceful exercise of private property
>rights is
>the best way to guarantee rising economic standards of living (and health
>too!) and
>when private property is blocked, then living standards go down. I could
>cite
>Russia as a start, with their losing ideas of collectivism, or go directly
>to Cuba,
>which is still a relative backwater even after decades of subsidies from
>Russia, or
>China, North Korea, or many others who frown on private property and
>liberty for
>their citizens. Also, for environmental degradation, try Eastern Europe,
>China,
>sub-Saharan Africa, or others areas where capitalism has been shunned for
>more
>"enlightened" philosophies wherein the government alleges to know the best
>way to
>manage natural resources - even tho' they have nothing to lose when they
>trash the
>place!!
>
>You know, the third world WANTS capitalism, because they see it works.
>Now, as a
>codicil, I must say that I am not supporting WTO here, in fact, they are
>merely a
>governmental club, just as unionists are, in that they are protectionists
>of their
>interests - and want to make that into law, instead of allowing free people
>to
>trade freely, they want trade agreements, which end up dictating how, when,
>where,
>at what price to trade. In this I agree with you, that they are a club
>against the
>little guy.
>
>-Art
>
>BTW, Sinclair and Zin are both very radical Leftists with a 1930's vision
>of
>economic equality, Sinclair having been there and Zin being more a creature
>of the
>Sixties, ideologically, that is. If you want to find out economies really
>work, at
>the human level, better to read the two books I recommended above, they are
>more
>free, but not completely free, of the ideological language and more to the
>point of
>what real people do when they get up in the morning to handle their
>choices.
>--------------------------------
>
>Karen Sachs wrote:
>
> > hi jennifer-
> >
> > i have no knowledge of economics, but it is clear to me that the problem
>with
> > the wto is NOT that it attmepts globalization. it does not. it
>attempts to
> > structure world trade in such a way that would best serve huge
>corporations,
> > and "best serve" for them translates into no concern for worker's or
> > childern's rights, no concern for the environment.
> >
> > this is why their agreements had to be made behind closed doors.
> >
> > i see it as american rich boys saying hey, why shouldn't we hook up not
>only
> > with each other, but with all the other rich boys in the world- then
>we'll
> > make even more millions.
> >
> > thw wto agreements have a "profit first" philosophy (obviously, since
>it's
> > structured by people serving these huge corporations), and so they crush
>human
> > and environmental rights.
> >
> > a different wto that adresses world trade while also addressing
>humanitary
> > issues could be a trully wonderful and unifying thing, a true attempt at
> > globalization.
> >
> > out of seattle comes a slightly different (though related) issue- one
>of
> > centrallization of power and the regard for citizen's rights in america.
> at
> > the meeting last night, the man sitting stage left (whose name i
>missed),
> > refering to the "disappearance" of one of the speakers, said something
>to the
> > effect of: in another country, this man's disappearance would have been
>for
> > good.
> >
> > how strongly we hold to the notion of our country being inherently
>different
> > from the others! after witnessing unprovoked officers of the law
>brutillizing
> > unprotected people, officers who will never be brought to justice,
>people who
> > may suffer permanent damage... can we still believe that in our country
>human
> > rights are somehow protected?
> >
> > if people are arrested and beaten in the jails, and all that interests
>the
> > government is the pr, how far away are we from "disappearances"?
> >
> > wake up and smell the stench of the government. as long as the masses
>don't
> > know, they do what they choose.
> >
> > and where's the media in all of this? busy watching a few people break
> > windows.
> >
> > i recently read Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle", describing the horrors of
> > industrial giants' complete disregard for anything but profit, and the
> > horrible resulting squalor of the workers' lives. one hundred years
>later, we
> > feel that real progress has been made. meanwhile the industrial giants
>are
> > there, working hard for a great leap backwards.
> >
> > on this optimistic note, i highly recommend to you howard zin's "a
>people's
> > history of the US" and "you can't stay neutral on a moving train", also
>by zin.
> >
> > as long as people care and are willing to sacrifice, i believe things
>can
> > change in the right direction.
> >
> > hats off to the three who came and spoke to us last night, and to all
>the
> > thousands who were with them.
> >
> > karen
>
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