The Case for Fair Trade By Bacchus

[Demeter]

OpEdNews

Original Content at http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_bacchus_070824_the_case_for_fair_tr.htm


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August 25, 2007








The theory of 'Globalization' is based upon the premise that there are three practices which are necessary to ensure optimal worldwide trade. They consist of 'free trade(the trading of goods and services with no duties, quotas, or other hindrances), free flow of capital, and the free flow of labor...this 'free movement of labor' is a flagrant and serious betrayal of the working classes by the U.S. government in that it is in violation of the spirit and intent of all law relating to the governments responsibility to provide suitable and maximum employment for American workers, enacted over the past century. It is in violation of the Fair Employment Act of 1941, the Employment Act of 1946, and of the spirit of numerous legislation in the sixties and seventies including the Civil Rights Bill of 1965. These Acts all stipulated that the government had the responsibility to support in every way employment of U.S. citizens. These laws have been flagrantly abused, and Globalization has completely invalidated them.

As a matter of practicality, even if a U.S. worker could work overseas, somewhat like many Filipinos,Turkish, and South Koreans workers do currently, leaving their families behind to live off their foreign remittances, how could these remittances possibly pay for American workers normal current outlays such as for mortgages payments, health care expenses, and the provision of a college fund for their children? Overseas workers salaries are, for the most part, at best $4 or $5 per hour, which allow these workers, if they share quarters at the work site with 5 or 10 other foreign workers, to remit to their families perhaps $400 or $500 per month. This could hardly cover the expenses of an American family stateside. The only way to successfully effect this 'free movement of labor'would be for the worker, along with his entire family, to move overseas. This is absolutely the only way for the 'free movement of labor'to succeed considering the current worldwide wage scales....

Just as a side issue, the U.S. government has done absolutely nothing to facilitate the securing of work overseas by U.S. workers, even if they had the the desire and finances to do so. While tons of foreign workers in certain select professions are flooding into the U.S., their counterparts from the U.S. are denied access to jobs overseas in the same countries whose citizens are acquiring work here. Their governments, or corporations(with the acquiescence of their governments) routinely prevent Americans from working there because they are intent on preserving the jobs for their own citizens. Of course, that is exactly what every government should be doing. The U.S. government, at the least, should be requiring reciprocity from these foreign governments. They are not making any attempt to do so.

A "Fair Trade" program can be effected by three policy changes. First, 'free trade'should be modified to allow a true float of the dollar and the establishment of an international minimum wage rate. This will prevent wage rate discrepancies to develop and the tendency of all production work to go to the 'lowest bidder'( the most poverty stricken and beaten down). Secondly, the free flow of capital should be regulated to prevent capital flight from destroying the money supplies of countries suffering from chronic trade deficits. For the LDCs in particular, this has caused an unwarranted and unfair drop in an already ultra-low prevailing wage rate. Thirdly, the free movement of labor should be limited to only those cases where trained workers are unavailable(not just highly paid!), and immigration policies should ensure this. All workers should have the opportunity to pursue their chosen profession in a fair competitive environment within their own country.


Authors Website: http://uncensoredops.blogspot.com

Authors Bio: Richard Backus is a journalist specializing in economics and politics.He has degrees in physics and engineering, and considerable experience in computer systems development. He is single, a good bridge player, and a lousy but enthusiastic tennis player.

[crikkett]

1. ...by Richard Backus. Bacchus is the Roman God of Wine who would probably say, "just give it away"

(but his wife won't let him).