Posted on 06/11/2002 12:04:12 PM PDT by RJCogburn
Except for U.S. workers who lose their jobs, or see their income stagnate.
But free trade is good for business, which is why business-funded Cato Institute supports free trade.
Fortunately, there was no one at that time "enlightened" enough to tell us that what WE needed was an entrenched bureaucracy and unlimited handouts from our sugar-daddies in Europe. As a result, we're the most prosperous nation in the history of the world.
What a coincidence.
Despite all your pansy whining, Americans are doing just fine, thank you. The average American WORKER (as opposed to those who pretend to work while whining all the while about how much better then next guy has it--looked in the mirror lately?) has the highest standard of living BY FAR of any nation on earth.
In contrast, look at Sweden (home of Myrdahl) which adopted the sort of "compassionate, caring" government-run economy decades ago, and has seen its standard of living go into the toilet. American blacks have a higher standard of living than the average Swede.
Sorry, pal, but your place is reserved in the dustbin of history. Why not go ahead and jump in, and save yourself the further embarrassment of being noticed for the cretin you are?
Excellent post. I wish more people were so unafraid of speaking the naked truth.
How do you define "standard of living".
BTW - The typical European worker gets around 8 weeks vacation, not a bad "standard of living".
From prior posts, Tuco seems to prefer the Soviet style of employment as summed up by one of its commisars. "They pretend to work and we pretend to pay them."
"The average American WORKER (as opposed to those who pretend to work while whining..."
I believe Illbay defined his "Standard of Living" quite adequately.
Static observations about a dynamic process will always yield incomplete analysis and and forever doom solutions based therein to following not leading. Jobs lost to unneeded products (ever notice how the world's just not making as many Spanish galleons as we did in 1588?) or services free workers to perform valued work enhancing both the wealth of a society and the esteem of the worker. Progress requires it. Jump on board cause if you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes.
Myrdal and Galbraith, fools that they were, didn't restrict their damage to the third world. Myrdal's ideas bankrupt the Swedes and Great Society types like Galbraith sentenced two generations of African Americans to poverty as wards of the state. These men and their ideas should be forever enshrined in the same Hall of Infamy with the perpetrators of 9/11, Pearl Harbor, and other atrocities.
Such as shoes, garments, steel, and now IT sofware and engineering.
Boeing is outsourcing their commercial engineering to Russia, financial companies (i.e., Merrill Lynch, Bear Sterns), are outsourcing their IT work to India, etc.
And I believe you don't know what you are posting about!
Very well said.
This should be made into posters and put up in every public school in the country.
It discusses the failures of state planned economies seen in the last century.
The entire documentary in three parts is now on their website:
Commanding Heights
I have found it to be very informative about economic issues.
Quite right you are. Needed products produced inefficiently expose those who produce them to the buffeting winds of change. I believe the first census in 1790 showed 90% of the population were farmers. Today, it's what? 2% or so? Oh dear, what are all those non-farmers doing? Congress needs to investigate. What did the Oracle Marx have to say about this insufferable injustice?
You know what his big pitch was? "We have liberal vacation and sick leave, and a GREAT retirement system!"
In other words, "come work as little as possible for us, and look forward to the time when you don't have to work at all."
If we ever get to the point in this country where the majority are salivating over the chance to have eight weeks' vacation every year, it will be all over for the American Dream.
Everyone wants the deal for themselves when they spend the money, whether it's on a car, a stereo, the toaster, a loaf of bread. But they can't seem understand why an employeer wants to pay as little for labor as possible. If the only thing you can do is shovel dirt, well there are a lot of people who can meet that minimum criteria, and they may just want the work more than you do.
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