For the first time Fortune magazine listed 400 BILLIONAIRES this year. I see this as largely a result of globalization.

Some say this is not a zero sum game — They are probably among the 400.

When I started my own business with a wife and two young children on borrowed money, several friends remarked that it must have been a scary time. Not really. The country was growing, businesses were expanding and the first year I was out of debt (except for my house mortgage) and doubled my income.

The U.S. was a creditor nation.

My last ten years before reaching the Social Security life boat were the most frustrating and stressful of my forty years in business. Most of my client contacts were fired or pushed into early retirement. Forget quality, service or past performance — all that mattered was price.

Everyone downsized, right-sized and globalized. Mergers and bankruptcies along with outsourcing to foreign countries put our area of the middle west into an unemployment debacle which is still higher than six percent.

Only top management and big stockholders have benefited.

Now the U.S. is the largest debtor nation. We have a new record trade deficit. Record bankruptcies. The lowest savings rate ever.

In my mind NAFTA stands for Not A Fine Thing America. (The only people hurting worse are the Mexicans. It was supposed to help them too.)

Above I wrote my views on some of what we have lost to Globalization. Here is a bit of what we got in return for the job losses…
---------------------------------
Saturday, October 14, 2006
FDA: Test of food warnings failed often By Libby Quaid THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — A warning system meant to alert food companies in the event of a food poisoning outbreak failed one-third of the time in a recent government test.
--------------------------------
Last month it was E Coli flavored spinach, last week it was lettuce. Each time you bite into a salad think about the sound bite “cheaper for consumers.”

From the same article: “ The FDA couldn’t be sure it had reached emergency contacts because people didn’t speak English in 1 percent of U.S. facilities and 9 percent of foreign ones.”

Could this be an incentive for English as an official language — at least when buying food and drugs?

Ah, yes, drugs. The counterfeiting of prescription drugs is now a $Billion dollar global enterprise. I don’t know about you, but at my age and daily intake it gives pause. So far my only complaint is that my asthma inhalers (a 3M product which is foreign produced) often runs short of the 200 puffs and this spring was totally out of stock for 2 weeks. I was able to send a message only by e-mail (no phone contact) — still waiting for any reply.

Oh, yeah...phones!

I kept my business number listed for several years after retiring so I could refer any business to my son. This spring after only getting calls from insurance or other phone companies, I decided to cancel it.

First I attempted to reach my phone provider, McLeodUSA, by e-mail, but it no longer recognized my password. Customer Support took me directly to India where, after being unable to get answers from two polite, but incompetent women (Linda and her supervisor) I asked to be transferred to someone in the U.S.

“We can’t do that.” was the reply.  A company with USA as part of its name and I could not talk to anyone here.

Our X-rays are being read by people in India. Our tax returns also — who is reading YOUR private financial info? Think about ID theft. Think about Homeland Security. Think about the college tuition for your kids and grandkids and the odds that they will be able to under-bid the foreign Visa holder competition and still pay off those loans.

Think about the folks in Washington and Wall Street telling us “how good globalization is.”

WTH—back to THE subject on which we mostly agree. Well, agree on the symptoms-- still looking for some cures…

I am an RN. I have three daughters. Fortunately I taught them to be best friends and love each other because when the oldest was a freshmen in college, and the youngest 2 were in elementary school, their father and I divorced.
I was a new nurse in 1990 . My starting salary was $17@hr. I had to work 60 hrs a week to support us.
My girls spent a lot of time together. When I was in school we all studied together, ate dinner together, etc and they continued on while I worked.
It was hard but not not half as hard as the CNAs, (Certified Nursing Assistants). Most of them started between $7.50 and $9.00 @ hour. Most of them were single mom’s with 2-3 children and I don’t know how the hell they survived as most of them had to work 7 days a week, just for the basics.
When I hear that 400 people are billionaires, I know how hard I had to work for a middle class life and how hard these other women worked to live in the part of Philadelphia, PA which is comparable to a third world country.

I wonder how these embarassing wealthy can sleep at nights.

I know that I and my CNAs can’t !!!

Hi Frog,

Sorry about my last comments to you — I was pretty much a wise ass — it was a bad day around here right then. I couldn’t get back into that discussion to apologize.

I don’t know if people are getting fed up with the squeeze where you are, but I think the economy will get much worse here before enough people get serious about change.

-------------------
gglodoe,

Sorry to hear about your situation. I have a good friend who at 46 is switching into the med field. She was in graphic design as I was, but that is a dead end today. She is working at a nursing home, (a physically intense job) taking classes (hard after so long away from classes) and keeping house for her husband and son in high school. Her husband is an engineer and the company he works for has been sold — a very nervous situation.

This excuses nothing, but I have talked with a lot of people who have retired from management positions and genuinely have not a clue how tough the job situation has become. The economic reports are so full of BS that I can’t stand to listen and watch. (I should say my wife is tired of my talking to the TV and hates choice of words.)

You are still young and have a long haul ahead. About the only thing encouraging I can think of is, at least you have no foreign competition and we will always need you. Hang in there and best wishes.

HECK
Good to see you ....

One serious suggestion to escape madness IS to ration ones’ intake of propaganda .( otherwise known as “news” programmes) .

The squeeze is on here too, of course, but slightly more mitigated by government interventions than stateside.  As with your politicians, if they are all saying the same thing, repeated blabla by the Press, strong odds they are all wrong .

What is the use of “Economic Growth”, if associated with vastly increasing numbers of working (and nonworking) poor ? 

Have you read Byron Dorgan yet, ?  I meant to order, but got busy. with me gardens . 

gglodoe-- looks like it is all about distribution of incomes ? My friend is a single mum CNA, whose 2 are now adult but still studying, but she does make enough to live on without working 7days a week.

That would be illegal here.

Sun’s out-- off to work.

Dear Frog et al,
Thanks for your support. Two things I did not mention is that I am now 55 and on disability (not much) due to contracting Hepatitia from a major blood spill.
I have been sick for awhile but am getting better every day. My plans are to complete college in a different field and start a new job in a new field as I am no longer employable as a nurse. I’m a survivor and will be okay. I vowed many years ago that I would never eat dog or cat food as I have found some of my homebound patients doing!
My concern is for the thousands of people who are unenployed but no longer counted as unemployed as they are no longer on unemployment . Those who see no future for themselves, have worked for many years, and gotten fired a few months before being eligable for a pension and now have no resources, are in their late 50’s & 60’s, considered unemployable except for minimum wage by fast food restaurants and are now hitting a brick wall. For those who never had a chance in the first place and the people who don’t have the support of a strong but disabled husband and an encouraging family.
What can we do too make the picture clear to them?  How can we help them?
Any ideas?
gglodoe

Frog,

I haven’t read Dorgan’s book. After his ITT article I read the description and all the professional and readers’ reviews and decided I already know enough of what is happening. I have read all of the following within the last few years. (I may have sent you this before, but I don’t think so.)

The best thing about Dorgan is that he is conscientious and has the guts to speak his mind. Too few legislators care about anything except perpetuating their cushy jobs.

In our local paper yesterday an unemployed machinist’s letter to the editor was printed. Lately there has been a lot of talk about a shortage of qualified machinists — he sets the record straight. The reason employers can’t find enough is they are not willing to pay them. The buzz on the street is that we will need to import foreign machinists.

Ten years ago I spoke with a man who was operating his own machine shop from his farm. It was a struggle getting started and he told me, “If I can’t get more business I can always go back to my old employer at $40 per hour.” Now nobody will pay that much which would still be less due to inflation.

Here’s my list along with a short personal comment on each.

“Global Squeeze,” by Richard C. Longworth, of the Chicago Tribune, 1998, gives, what is in my opinion, the best assessment of how globalization is affecting the U.S.

For a much more optimistic view I recommend “The Lexus and the Olive Tree,” by Thomas L. Friedman.  His goal appears to favor a one-world government. (Before totally buying into his ideas you should consider that he invested in Russian bonds and lost a bundle.)

For an economist’s picture of what’s going on there is “Independently Wealthy,” by Robert Goodman.  He states that the markets are not moral and we must keep that in mind.  (Talk about understatement.)

Another pro account is “A Future Perfect,” by Micklethwait and Woolridge.  This one seems to me to be the least well thought out view and I would have to switch the tense to “Past Perfect.”

“Maestro,” by Bob Woodward is a testimony to the media homage given to an ordinary guy in a position of extraordinary power.  Fed Chairman Greenspan’s fascination with and profound belief in increasing productivity is echoed almost daily by those who think our present economy is good and can only improve from here.  (Note: Foreign labor is not expensed in these glowing gains.  ie: Subassemblies produced in Asia or Mexico and installed in the U.S. count only the U.S. installation time.)

“Who will tell the people?” by William Greider A depressing account of how little an individual can do about the fate of America.  A real downer, because it rings so true. What this has done to the Mexican worker is sickening.

“Perfectly Legal,” by David Cay Johnston How business, lawyers and our congressmen have developed a system to favor the rich and powerful.

“Running on Empty,” by Peter Peterson — While very concerned about the indebtedness of the US and individuals, he avoids proposing any realistic solution to Social Security. (Like maybe taxing income other than just wages and salaries.  How about including ALL income — stock options, bonuses, gratuities like apartments, cars, etc.

--------
This next one stands apart do to its personal nature.  The specifics of how ordinary every day, minor events become major problems when the freedom provided by financial adequacy is missing.

“Nickel and Dimed,” by Barbara Ehrenreich What is it like for a middle aged woman trying to get by on low end employment.  Compressed in its 200 pages is a world of anxiety, embarrassment and futility.  A first hand account of the American citizens trapped in a world of globalization.  These are people who want to work, are willing to work at thankless jobs, but are short-changed at every turn. Every politician, economist and self-satisfied person should read it.

gglodoe,

Yes, to me 55 is still young — all is relative.  Age, wealth, happiness and attitude — you score high with attitude!  Viktor Frankel, one of my all-time favorite authors was able to state after three years in Nazi concentration camps and even finding humor and beauty there, “The last of the great human freedoms is our choice of attitude.”

You asked, “What can we do too make the picture clear to them? (those who need encouraging) How can we help them?”

I would recommend Frankel’s book, “Man’s Search for Meaning.” It’s short, but powerful.

The picture needs too be made clear to congress, media, and everyone you know. I’ve been trying to do this for nearly twenty years and most people have ignored me, but I see evidence that many are coming to the same conclusion out of experience as I did.

The list of books in my e-mail to Frog makes the situation clear, but Byron Dorgan of S. Dakota is the lone truly vocal congressional advocate so far as I know.

The best above due to the personal rather than theoretical basis is “Nickel and Dimed,” by Barbara Ehrenreich. It has now been made into a play which my wife and I saw this summer. I heard a lot of comment on the way out from people who had not had any idea what is happening to so many In our “Great Economy” before the play.

My son is among the “no longer counted” as I was.  He used his unemployment four years ago and has been mostly working part time since. To requalify in our state he must work full time for the same employer for one year. Sinnce I was self employed I was never counted. Now people who are doing handyman work are counted as entrepreneurs which are “new job” additions.

My other son is a statistician — and what passes for governmental data makes him sick.

Hi Heck

With a reading-list like that i guess you will SOON be waiting for Wiley, gglodoe, Rabbit an’ me in the GWB- Halliburton Rehabililtation Facility.

What times we’ll have while they decide if we are really Terrists .

Here in frogland you can work for any number of employers for (i think 6mos) which then gives a good six mos ‘decreasing’ benefit starting from 56% of previous earnings.

At the end of benef, you move over to a RMI--- minimum income--- so you get SOMETHING, until somebody can prove you ain’t “trying”.  .

Interesting you selected Ehrenreich as your favourite, ------- ME TOO .
SHE went there, did it.

I know dozens of people here in my provincial backwater who have been “short-changed.”

Just back from the pub where the regional shortage of floor- tilers was refered to . “” Of course there is a shortage, who is going to do THAT (hard) job at the MINIMUM WAGE ? “

Immigrants would ! But then the usual probs..........................

As with your machinist, very skilled and somewhat less-skilled jobs have lost their differenttiation from the completely unskilled.

Sometimes exported, sometimes redefined, diluted or downgraded, the jobs in the middle have BEEN evaporated.

I notice how you repeatedly refer to how so many retired middleclass people you know are UNAWARE of what is happening. It is just so fast .

YOU are, one reason being that you have a son in there, affected.  I also am quite aware, knowing the abrupt change from exec to worker.

Lexus and Olive Tree -------------- AAAAAAgHHHH !
I thought I read a third of it before giving up, but have forgotten it all, so maybe it was deservedly FORGETTABLE ?

Better to go back and read a very little HD Thoreau than waste life on TL Friedman.

One is a world classic, the other a potboiler.

Injustice an inequality call out for “adjustment”..................... both on the local NATIONAL level, and the INTERNATIONAL one,

and soonerorlater,

ITS GOTTA HAPPEN !
“

400 billionaires + 7,700,000 millionaires = leaving 292,000,000 heirs to the national debt - currently at $172,000 each. look at the numbers. globalization, military spending, a crumbling infrustructure, and crushing debt are good for the economy. how could one see it otherwise?

Frog, Hourglass…

Whoa! What do we have here — an agreement on something? I’m usually odd man out around here, but the three of us have found common ground.

Wouldn’t it be ironic if Globalization (the golden goose of the globalrich) turned out to be the catalyst for a coalition of ordinary, middle class, to actually demand some meaningful changes for the good of all?

With mid term elections coming next month I find this interesting:

In my neighborhood there are many yard signs — candidates for all local, county and state offices have one thing in common — Party affiliation is conspicuously absent from ALL of them. No donkeys, no elephants, no party ID of any kind.

Hello All.
Whattheheck, I had the opportunity to spend 2 yrs, many yrs ago, at U. of Pa. No one has given me a reading list as intense as yours since that time. I read Man’s Search For Meaning”, many years ago. I remember it had quite an impact on me at the time but I don’t recall the material.
As I mentioned earlier, I have 3 daughters. All in College. 1going for MS in Women’s Studies at Bryn Mawr,her goal is to work with impoverished women and help them have more fulfilling lives. The next one will graduate with honors from Temple in May, an economist with a heart, dedicated to getting the U.S. to forgive debt to 3rd world countries and my youngest is studying Physics. Her goal is to become part of a ‘think tank” as she believes Global Warming can be stopped/reversed to a small degree if people who want to survive apply themselves.
We used to read a children’s book, Miss Rumphius” when they were young. Miss Rumphius Uncle ‘admonished’ her that we each had to leave the world a better place.
I am looking forward to a new adult reading list.

Frog,
I was unable to find the Douglas book but an afternoon on line and I will probably find all the books. In one of your letters you mentioned that the political signs you saw did not declare a party. The same thing is happening here. I called both parties about a week ago and was told by both of them that this election is about getting the best senator, congressman, etc., for the people.However the mudslinging and lies continue to fly.
I have always felt that the only thing that will change things is the redistribution of wealth. Not Socialism, as that seems to only hurt the rich and not really help the poor.
People need to have tangible goals. They need to be able to profit from their work. To occasionally have enough money left, after paying their bills to do something special.
On the other end, I have often asked myself, how many million or bilions of dollars can a person spend in their lifetime? 

ggldoe

ggldoe,

Your daughters are exceptional, intelligent, hard workers and with noble goals. As their parents, you must be very proud and should take a lot of credit as well.

It’s encouraging to hear one daughter has chosen economics. Most economists, are still sticking with textbook views of… comparative advantage, the customer controls the markets and “free markets uber alles!”

One of my best friends majored in econ, ran his own audio business and is convinced of all the above. He is now 83 and actually benefited from the lower priced Asian imports.  He bought me “The Lexus and the Olive Tree” by Friedman, insisted I read it and was disappointed in my assessment.

A few years ago when my business first began to show the effects of globalization he gave me the classic theory, “In the long run the free market rules.” — I gave him a cartoon with two guys in front of a firing squad captioned, “Cheer up, Ivan. In seventy years or so they will see we were right.” (Post NAFTA my income had dropped by two-thirds in only two years.)

I just came across this Albert Einstein quote, “In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice they are different.”

IMO globalization has made nearly all economic theories we believed — “different.” She will have an opportunity to observe and develop a whole new approach.

It’s not a matter of top-down OR bottom-up — it can be both.  Instead of Free Trade we need Fair Trade and fair treatment. Sounds simple, but just try communicating this to a representative.

In my economic reading, I found two very different views on globalization: Those who see it as a basic good for people and those who see a massive disruption into a two class society.  Primarily the pro-globalists accept government data. (They either truly believe it or see how they can benefit personally.) They like to cite stats, financial data and “Success Stories” like Jack Welch and others. (They don’t mention Enron much anymore.)

The others realize how numbers have been skewed (CPI,PPI,GDP, Indexes, etc.) here and in other countries. Their books tend to include more personal reports of how globalization is stressing individuals, industries and entire towns. Such anecdotal evidence is largely discounted by the theorists.

I believe the best way to redistribute the wealth is for people to have the opportunity to work for a fair wage or, better still, a fair share of the profits from their labor. We hear proponents’ clichés of, “Rising Tides Lift All Boats” OR “Trickle-Down” — theories, but it should be both.

The best thing we could expect from our government is prevention of unfair business practices. We had a good start: child labor laws, minimum wage, overtime pay, personal benefits, retirement plans based on years of service, anti-trust laws, copyright and patent protection, food and drug inspection/protection...many are now ignored or circumvented by off-shoring jobs and catering to foreign markets.

My kids are the first generation in our family who do not have it better than our ancestors. Many other people younger than I (69) have told me the same.

Now if they go to college the costs weigh them down for years and some of the best entry level jobs are filled by cheaper imported workers.

I have serious doubts humans are capable of developing any form of government to deal with large populations without the kind of favoritism and corruption we see today.  I hope I‘m wrong.

Dear Whattheheck,

I am enjoying corresponding with you and Frog very much. You remind me of a Civics teacher I idolized in high school. It wasn’t a physical thing but he was the first man I ever encountered who treated everyone as equals, and encouraged us to study the Declaration of independence and U S Constitution so that we could protect ourselves from our own gov’t. I was fortunate to have Mr. Kershaw as a teacher for 2 years He then retired at approximately age 75 and died several years later.
He never taught us that any particular economic or political system was right or wrong. He felt his job was to teach us how to think.
He was very adamant about one thing, the United States is NOT a Democracy, it is a Republic. A Democracy is mob rule, subject to the whims of the people at that moment, laws are made by politicians who’s main goal is to get re-elected and as such, is very unstable. A republic is supposedly governed by elected officials, who vote for what is best with the future in mind and get re-elected for their integrity because our country is balanced and has tangible, realistic goals.
As I put this in my own words, I don’t know what kind of government we have but having just reread the Constitution and Declaration of Independence I think I could be incarcerated and considered a terrorist if I were to repeat parts of them here!
I am sure of one thing, our founding fathers never intended for us to live under the quasi martial law that we presently have. We live under a reign of fear, not just from the terrorists but from our own leaders.
I am reminded of what Benjamin Franklin said, “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” Goodnight

gglodoe,

I also had some teachers who stand out in my memory. The toughest/best was Elizabeth McGuire (called “Mugsy” but not to her face) Senior English. I went from straight As all through high school English to a C+ my first grade from her.

Memorization: lines from Beowolf, Chaucer, Shakespeare (100 lines from Macbeth) — I still remember much of it. 20 new spelling/vocabulary words per week.  Friday’s spelling test:  any 20 words from compounding list — her definition, one in your own words, used in a sentence, in ink, no cross outs. First word on her list: undulating, moving in waves Her second word: sartorial, pertaining to clothes… we learned a lot more than we ever thought we could.

You mentioned the distinction between democracy and republic and I wonder if this is even taught now. I wonder how many teachers know the difference. According to David McCullough, (“John Adams,” “1776,”) it is now possible to become a teacher of history (or anything) without a major by taking classes in “teaching methods.” (I hope this doesn’t extend to the medical profession.)

We now have computerized voting and the possibility of taking a vote on all issues. Picture majority rule (even if no manipulation - oh, sure!).  Scary?
Fortunately I have found while things are seldom as good as they could be, they are hardly ever as bad as we fear. I would apply this to today’s news which constantly bombards us with information, but very little wisdom.
Your comment, “I am sure of one thing, our founding fathers never intended for us to live under the quasi martial law that we presently have. We live under a reign of fear, not just from the terrorists but from our own leaders.”
I think a lot of this “fear” that we are losing our rights is due to a couple of things…

1. GWB has a total lack of communication skills, a misplaced sense loyalty and no evaluation and adjustment of policies.

2. The constant media repetition of information without perspective
------------------
Following is a list of WW2 government involvement in American’s daily lives.

—————————————————————————————————————————
FDR and Winston Churchill not only were great communicators, they had a declaration of war, rationed items such as gasoline, asked people to be involved in the “war effort” for the “duration” and rallied their nations to unite.

Bush has no lasting congressional declaration, urged us to NOT change our lifestyle and allowed the media to define our involvement for over two years without making a convincing case to the American public or the rest of the free nations.

Is it any wonder things are in a mess?
----------------------------
(Some of this I remember – recruiters in theaters, ration cards, paper and scrap drives, German POWs working on roads.)

Wartime powers in the U.S. during World War ll

• Propaganda
Many top Hollywood actors participated. Director John Ford (MGM) made movies for OSS to use purely for propaganda.  A mix of actual battle footage (battle of Midway shot by Ford) patriot music and narration added (easy on the horror) increased enlistments (recruiters in theater lobbies. 

• Censorship
Dec. 8,1941—FDR gave FBI Director Hoover emergency control authority to censor and control all communications going into or out of the country.

Dec. 18,1941—National Association of Broadcasters published its own wartime guide:

-No ad lib broadcasts
-No personal observations on weather conditions
-No casualty lists

• Feb. 20, 1942—Press Codes issued by the federal Office of Censorship NO reports:

-of troop movements or ship sinkings
-of air raids
-civil, military, financial, or economic plans of U.S. or allies
-No criticism of equipment, appearance, physical condition or morale of the armed forces
-of any other matter which might bring aid or comfort to the enemy, interfere with the national effort, or disparage relations between U.S. and its allies including stories of any atrocities

• In search of subversion — domestic surveillance of American citizens whose political activity might lead them to serve opposing nations - FBI authorized to use virtually any method to track down U.S. citizens and foreign nationals even if only “encouraging opposing ideologies”

•Internment—25,655 non-citizens were interned or deported, including 11,229 Japanese, 10,905 Germans, 3,278 Italians, 52 Hungarians, 25 Romanians, 5 Bulgarians and 161 other foreign nationals.

The Supreme Court held (1950) The resident alien is constitutionally subject to summary arrest, internment and deportation whenever a “declared war” exists. The court also stated that people ethnically connected to the war-makers are more likely to support them than are others.

• Restrictions on free speech—WWl, thousands were prosecuted for making disloyal or abusive statements about government, as many as thirty thousand during the Civil War. In WWll there were only about 200, including members of fascist and socialist organizations, as well as black Muslims and Jehovah’s Witnesses (for not letting children recite Pledge of Allegiance)

Justice Felix Frankfurter wrote: “National unity is the basis of national security.”
--------------------------
“The West’s Last Chance” by Tony Blankley
(Chap 6, Saving Democracy, 1940s Style) (pp114-131)

Skeptically, I continue to listen to the rhetoric by the pro-globilisation pundits but I still can’t help thinking that the little guy will never benefit in all this.  There may be some positive effects of globalisation but I fear I will never see them.  Most people on this planet will probably never reap the benefits; according to some hard core capitalists, it has to filter down from the top first.  To me, this is like the ignorant peasant listening to the priest’s advice in more primitive times; the unread are kept in the dark and fed lies so those in power stay in power. 

The First Era of Globalization began after WWI and slowly but surely big business has made so many gains through global mergers and acquisitions that today it is finally affecting all of us – it has social effects causing debt burdens in developing nations and seems to do the opposite of encouraging competition and ensuring freedom of choice for individuals.  Who is Free Trade for? It seems to be for the mega-corporations who are threatening competition and freedom of choice. 

Corporations have always had an inclination, unless controlled, to run roughshod over the rights of individuals to determine their future.  This increasing inequality has also led to increasing poverty.  “Free trade” is great if you have the financial leverage (always at the expense of the poor).  But is globalization only economic?  I think not.  There are darker implications for the individual (unless we don’t want to remain individuals anymore).  There should be, at the same time, a “globalization of people” an injection of more humanity into capitalistic systems – or something in between - at least.

The financial clout of big corporations today seem now more than ever in a position to erode the regulatory powers of nations, as well as to determine who they influence (who gets elected as President), to the products consumers buy, and ultimately, how the individual perceives himself.

The impact on the US economy also effects the economies in Europe.  We are all of us vulnerable to the agendas of powerful administrations, mega corporations, and institutions like the WTO.  History, if it is to be believed, and not read as fiction, shows the lives of most humans as brutish and short, even in this age of high-tech.

da vinci,

You mentioned the clout of big corporations — Some of them are have larger sales/profits than the entire GDP of many countries. We are in the midst of a shift from nationalism to international corporatism. I believe the VISA charge card was the first corporation to have no national headquarters about twenty years ago.

It is nearly impossible to know which economists are pushing globalization out of greed and who are doing it from ignorance. Our local district congressman is, I believe, convinced it is a matter of necessity rather than choice, but he is willing to accept the word of the “experts” and considers personal experiences of constituents as aberrations.

I am seeing many more articles and books similar to this recent article.

The Next Job Outsourced to India Could Be Yours —

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_gilbert t&sid=aFjNtSubzJXg

I hold out little hope that globalization will be slowed or reversed until there is rioting in the streets. By then the world will have completely reverted to just two classes — the super rich and the rest of us.

Hi Heck

good article on Lane Evans this issue—heck country.

“Wartime powers” become permanent loss of freedoms when war becomes the permanent state of affairs, as with the Bush Long War against ........... whatever it was ?

I’d also disagree strongly that the bushproblem is one of poor presentation --- to me lousy analysis and policies, which even a better “Presenter” like Tony Blair cannot win on for ever, are still----lousy .

Busy here, freezing nights, sunny days, so cutting those trees that shade my windows in winter --- gotta let the old Sun through, it makes a great difference .....................

HECK

good stuff from molly !

Did my bit this morning, out with my State Rep distributing leaflets for a meeting on friday AGAINST the privatisation of our national Gas Utility.

Some people in the street reacted by saying “No point in fighting them, they have the Power”, to which I replied “ The Bolivians kicked out SUEZ privatised Water” . ...............( a french company)

The City of Cherbourg took years of legal battles to take back their water supply from the Capitalist Mothers, and immediately reduced the price to consumers; there are many other examples of french municipalities doing the same.

Your point about economists (or Congressmen) acting from greed or IGNORANCE is a very good one.  A good question.

From my own experience, I notice that State and Regional Reps here are SO taken up with commitee meetings etc that they have very little time to do what you and I do, which is to research and ‘think’ .

Never having been a party member myself, I see my job as educating those Reps, introducing them gently to Reality.

Most of them just have not invested the TIME in thinking through just about everything. Or anything !
buzzflash
I’m following your elections thru Buzzflash and informationclearinghouse.ICH

HECK

You (americans) have the same problem as the rest of us.

Arcane discussions about the difference between a ‘democracy’ and a ‘ republic’ are all very well, but the facts on the ground are what count.

You and I could have walked the streets safely under Saddam, bought rare books in the souk, but now we could not even get into the country.

The bookshops in Baghdad are now dead.  And now Condi and Co are applauding the death sentence on one of their oldest and most faithful allies.

As the MAFIA say - in the films—“""" this is not personal, this is BUSINESS”.

banana republic voting bordel (which is french for ‘brothel’)

I don’t think you have to go much further than last month’s newspaper, Business section. Article after article reporting on X-mas shopping - is it up or down? What does it mean? What does it say about the state of the economy? Etc, etc, ad naseaum. Every article mentions the contribution to retailers overall income for the year - I don’t remember, unfortunately, the statistic but I believe the holiday season accounts for any profits a retailer may have for the year. I guess they only break even plus or minus a small amount, if you take out holiday revenue.
Then they turn around and manage to sell us on “supply-side economics” ? !  It’s pretty simple - if you have millions, $100K more from a tax cut isn’t going to make much of a difference to you or the economy. If you are living paycheck to paycheck, even $25/check more can make a huge difference.

I would love to see some economics students do a study, comparing the current economy to what it may have been, had the bushtaxcuts for the rich instead been given to workers at the lower end of the economic scale. For that matter, I would love to see some modeling going back 30 years, looking at today had all the changes Reagan started (that go far beyond just tax cuts for the wealthy) not occured.

If one wants to see an example of government spending vs the “Market”, look at the steady reduction in government spending on affordable housing programs, as well as spending on direct housing assistance. Compare it to the rise in homelessness and then tell me there isn’t a direct link!

gglodoe - it isn’t a question of how many millions one can spend. I guarantee you, even you and I could easily spend that kind of money if we have more than one home, travel frequently, hire caretakers for ourselves, our children and our homes. Spending is easy. What can’t be justifed is paying anyone that much money! No one, let alone a CEO, is worth the kind of money that the billionaires and millionaires are getting. (I just read about some CEO who was paid $52M - this after a previous company had fired him!) How much is the CEO of GM getting every year? And they lost how much during his tenure? The only exceptions are actors and athletes - they actually generate revenue - although I feel they are also overcompensated.