The Tragic Consequences Of Unregulated Free Trade
Piece-By-Piece, The Strongest Corporations Take Over Everything
By Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director - LoveAllPeople.org
"Free Trade" is a pretty name for the ugly economic policy of
murderous, dog-eat-dog, unregulated, cut-throat competition, in which
the most powerful profit-seeking corporations join together to crush
everyone else; and eventually, piece-by-piece, they gain ownership or
control over all the economic resources in the world.
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.
Rev. Bill McGinnis
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Rev. Bill McGinnis is an Internet Christian minister, writer, and
publisher. He is Director of LoveAllPeople.org, a small private think
tank in Alexandria, Virginia, and all of its related websites,
including InternetChurchOfChrist.org, CommitteeForTheGoldenRule.org,
CivicAmerican.com, and EssaysAndCommentaries.com. His agenda is to help
maximize the happiness and well-being of all people.
For details about this press release, please see our page at
www.loveallpeople.org/tragicfreetrade.html.
Please visit us at www.loveallpeople.org.
Please also see our website, "Big World View," which explains our
overall views on everything. It is free to download at
www.bigworldview.com.
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