View Single Post
  #7  
Old 11-02-2005, 02:34 PM
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: If John Kerry had been elected we\'d...

Another one: Fair trade. I'm not a protectionist. I know that trading with other countries is generally beneficial to both countries, on average. But it would be foolish to ignore that the globalization of trade pushes all countries into a race to the bottom for labor and environmental standards. Whichever country is willing to accept the most pollution and lowest wages can offer the lowest price, so they get the jobs. This causes permanent environmental degradation, locks workers in developing countries in poverty, and causes job losses here in the US. America can take a lead in addressing these problems by requiring that our trading partners conform to certain environmental and labor standards.

Plus our agricultural subsidies are a huge waste of money ($100 billion per year) that simultaneously cause misuse of land in the US, and screw over farmers in the developing world. The subsidies (which mostly go to giant agribusiness corporations) lower US food prices, making it uneconomical for farmers outside the country to export their excess food and create capital in those countries.
Reply With Quote