at Amazon.com.
Students of economics are usually seduced into "Free Trade" by reading the classic eighteenth century text, "Wealth Of Nations," by Adam Smith. This book describes a pleasant economic world in which each country freely chooses to produce those things which it is best suited to produce, and the benevolent "invisible hand" of supply and demand neatly regulates prices and production levels of all products, for the benefit of all people. And everyone lives happily ever after.
You can read and download "Wealth Of Nations" by clicking here => http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/3300.
But this rosy scenario does not apply today. The biggest problem with "Wealth Of Nations" for us today is that corporations barely existed when it was written, and modern industrial Capitalism was totally unforseen. In fact, the word "Capitalism" didn't yet exist. Therefore "Wealth Of Nations" may have been very useful to describe the economic realities in 1776, but it is worthless to describe these realities today. The modern-day, multi-national, profit-seeking corporation - armed with huge financial resources, instant communication, the right to free speech, the right to own property, and the right to hire and fire - totally changes the whole scene. Halliburton is a prime example. Who can stand up against them, naked, on an unregulated battlefield? Nobody can! The entire "Wealth Of Nations" free-trade scenario is altered beyond recognition. Unless these corporations can somehow be regulated, they will form alliances as needed, then win every competition they choose to enter, every battle they choose to fight,
Until very recently, the average person in the United States has not been hurt very much by unregulated "Free Trade," because we have had the benefit of some low-priced consumer goods made in other countries under slave-labor conditions, such as cheap shoes and clothing and almost everything sold at Wal-Mart. So we have smugly said to ourselves, "This is no problem for us. We are the rich beneficiaries of free trade, not the poor victims."
But now, unregulated "Free Trade" has started to turn against us, too, as our non-manufacturing jobs have begun to leave the country to join the manufacturing jobs which have already moved away. Why should anyone have ever thought that "Free Trade" would suck out only the manufacturing jobs? No! "Free Trade" will suck out any jobs which can be performed cheaper somewhere else than here. The manufacturing jobs were merely the first to go. For example, if Microsoft or any other high-tech corporation can get the computer programmers it needs from China or India, at less than half the cost of employing Americans, why wouldn't they do it? Corporations exist to make profits, not to be nice to people. They will hire and fire at their own discretion, and everyone else can go to hell.
Unless they are somehow regulated.
Blessings to you. May God help us all.
Blessings to you. May God help us all.
Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director - LoveAllPeople.org
All of our original content on all of our pages is in the Public Domain. Webmasters: you may link to all of our pages by any means you choose, including "framing."
Index of LoveAllPeople.org: - ETHICS & HUMAN RELATIONS - POLITICS & PUBLIC AFFAIRS - CHRISTIAN - AUTOMOTIVE - LAW & LEGAL SERVICES - HEALTH & FITNESS - PUBLISHING & CONSULTING - AFFILIATES & FEATURED PRODUCTS - SITE MAP - CONTACT LINK
Search all pages in The LoveAllPeople.org Network,
using the search box below . . .For list of suggested searches, click => HERE!
See what we do => On The Web and Newsgroups-1 and Newsgroups-2. To support us, please click => HERE!.
See our
Huge
selection of products
"Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to
you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the
prophets."
- Jesus, as quoted in Matthew 7:12(KJV)
LoveAllPeople.org
maintains hundreds of web pages and files, in the Public
Interest, funded by sales commissions paid to us by
Our Affiliates and by
direct
donations. We also have written and posted hundreds of
messages to the Usenet newsgroups and elsewhere.
We produce and distribute a wide range
of content, all intended to benefit many people. We try to bring
as much
helpful information to as many people as possible, free of charge. All
our pages and messages are "free to copy, free to use." And you
may
link
to our pages
any way you choose, including framing. Also, you may link
directly to any file residing on
our servers.
All of our original content is
Public Domain, so you may
cut/paste/clip/modify/decompile/republish/use it, any
way you want. Our desire is to disseminate our work, not to monopolize
or restrict it. Enjoy it! Blessings to you!
You are invited to visit and search The LoveAllPeople.org Archives, containing items from 1996 to the present, including hundreds of original web pages and posted messages in the Public Domain. Fast, efficient downloads of our pages are available from our publisher at KING JAMES PUBLISHING (TM).
BLESSINGS TO YOU! May you thrive and prosper in everything you do.
Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director
LoveAllPeople.org
bmcgin@patriot.net
"Start Each Day The Positive Way," at Internet Daily Chapel - Christian daily worship service and practical guide.
http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/idc.html