Posted on 09/18/2005 9:19:51 AM PDT by Willie Green
Angel Mills worked at GST AutoLeather in Williamsport, Md., most of her adult life. She cut, inspected, packed and shipped leather upholstery until she was laid off in June 2003 as the company scaled back local operations and shifted production to Mexico.
"It's sad. It's scary. I've been a factory worker all my life, and I didn't know what I wanted to do," said Ms. Mills, a 38-year-old Williamsport resident with a teenage son.
But by March 2004 she was taking a half-year course to become a state-licensed massage therapist. A federal program that helps workers who lose jobs owing to foreign competition paid for her training and offered extended unemployment benefits.
In July, she started working at Venetian Salon and Spa in Hagerstown, Md.
~~~SNIP~~~
Mr. Thomas said that for all trade adjustment program workers passing through the consortium, the average wage was $14.36 an hour before the layoffs, while after retraining it was $11.87 an hour, a decline that is common for factory workers who have to restart their lives.
U.S. Labor Department figures indicate that among the retrained, those that find new jobs end up making only 70 percent to 80 percent of their old wages on average.
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
I am sick and tired of being told that because I believe in free markets that I am a partisan of Adam Smith.
Smith did a lot of good economic work, but he was also wrong about a lot of things too.
If one supports economic freedom they have to reject parts of Smith's analysis.
The teaching of Christ is in harmony with the whole teaching of His Church including the teachings of the Old Testament and Christian doctrine developed in the following centuries under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So yes, Jesus was/is both of government intervention and at the same time for personal responsibility and freedom. It is up to us to balance these things. That is why traditional Christian doctrine is opposed both to the Freemarketeerism (Liberalism in strict sense) and Communism (Socialism).
Free market ideology contains the grain of truth but in isolation from other parts of truth - this is the essence of heresy. Greek word áéñåóéò, hairesis means choice like in "pick and chose", heretics stubbornly pick one aspect of truth while denying the others. Heretics deny the catholicity (wholeness/integrity) of the truth and depart from the proper belief/worship ortho-doxy.
Love of money, trust in accumulated worldly treasures, taking advantage of the neighbors whether through the lawful contracts or not, contempt for the poor, is condemned several times in the Holy Scriptures and the other parts of Christian tradition.
Do you see any difference between WWII and the conflicts of today? How many Maytag plants were nationalized as a result of Iraq II, and what are they producing?
So is accusing your ideological "opponents" of practising any of the above when it is not the case.
Yet they cost more!
A 2500 sq ft three bedroom with central heating and insulating windows should cost the same as a 1600 sq ft two bedroom with radiators and wood-framed glass!
A Toyota Civic with a 6-disc changer, power steering, antilock brakes, dual air and RKE should cost the same as an '81 Datsun!
Prosciutto should cost the same as bologna!
I'm sceptical. I'm leaning more toward the opinion that it's newspeak. Heck, type "free trade is socialism" a few hundred times and you might begin to believe it. Personally, I can't type it without bursting out in laughter, but that's just me.
Nike set up a plant overseas but my Air Force 1's still cost $240.00! WAAAAH!
Is not the case? Really? I often see "trust in accumulated worldly treasures" and "contempt for the poor", justifying the usury etc, displayed by the Freemarketeers here and in other places.
Have you priced an Atari 800 recently? They don't even make them anymore!
BS. What you see are exceptionally weak strawman arguments by your colleagues.
No advocate of economic freedom has "contempt for the poor" since poor people in an economically free society can become rich people quite quickly and vice versa. Socialists view poverty as an identity, while free men view poverty as a phase.
And I have no idea what usury you're talking about.
Incidentally, I don't mind being called a partisan of Adam Smith (although Milton Friedman is more my type). Most of the time, the raving anti-Smith types are so unfamiliar with his work that they are unable to find anything he wrote that is disagreeable.
When people brag about how they secured the good retirement through their ingenuity they dsiplay "trust in accumulated worldly treasures"
The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.
And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
(St. Luke 12:17-20)
No advocate of economic freedom has "contempt for the poor" since poor people in an economically free society can become rich people quite quickly and vice versa.
So you see the poverty or especially persistent poverty as a fault of the poor. This is a form of contempt.
And I have no idea what usury you're talking about.
I see the Freemaketeers defending the usurious practices of credit card companies which charge interests of 30% and more. This defence is based on the contract ("they should have read the small print").
We agree. How about we continue from this agreement and talk about what the Teachings tell us about commerce. Maybe you can tell me if there's some particular part that you use as a guide when you talk commerce. If there's no part in particular that you can think of then that's ok too. What ever we do, let's agree on the Truth and move forward together..
Maytag Aircraft Corporation is a Pentagon subcontractor that provides logistical assistance (aircraft refueling, air terminal and ground handling) services, base operating support services) in Kuwait.
Good grief. Where? I take back what I said about your colleagues that engage in strawman arguments. You are doing it yourself.
Is this a joke? Please tell me this new career of hers is a joke.
Oh, well, perhaps manipulating skins is the general category.
I don't understand.
Oh, and a one-world government administered by the UN.
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