Originally posted by masqua
I wasn't being sarcastic... I was replying to DaddyBear (in the post above mine) who WAS talking about US/Mexico.
Sorry. You didnt "reply to" that post, so I assumed you were responding to the OP.
Originally posted by masqua
Here's where I disagree and why:
Whenever trade disputes happen between Canada and America, I think in terms of 10:
10x the population
10x the lawyers
10x the money
That's why we have so many trade disputes and also why it hardly ever works out to Canada's benefit.
Which is the problem, as I see it. Money should not buy governments, and policies in nations. Ideally, the public will should. Hence the whole pretense of Democracy. The timber and corn links you posted are essentially each country accusing the other of the same thing. Having taxpayers subsidize certain important crops so that the industry has a competitive edge against those without subsidies. Which begs the question, where did all those subsidies come from in the first place? Business interests lobbying governments to protect their interest, which causes other business interests to need to lobby, which causes other business interests.............
"Free trade agreements" are laughable. No business interest anywhere wants free trade. What they want is restrictions on their competitors, and none on themselves. And thats what they lobby for, and thats what we the people pay for. (And not just Americans, anyone in a country involved in "free trade.") And then we also pay for their legal battles fought through our government agencies. They are all doing the same thing. None of them want free trade. The idea that they would is ridiculous. No self interested being wants perfect competition. The beauty of a true free market is that if you can impose those conditions on the participants, it serves the general good. However when business and money can buy policy, you never have a free market, and the public good is not served.
Its way too convoluted to post every detail in a thread, but if you start tearing it all apart, and follow the costs, they always trickle down. And the profits trickle up. We are all paying for letting business interests run our governments. And if we are wise we will put an end to it. But the only way we can GET wise is to begin comparing notes, and to stop bickering with one another about which of us peons is getting the bigger crust of bread.
Im just frustrated with how easy it is to take advantage of the "lower classes." Even the educated ones. It makes me wonder sometimes if we dont really get what we deserve for being so damned stupid and petty. The same system of exploitation, using the same basic strategies has worked for thousands of years. Maybe we just arent smart enough, or cooperative enough to ever get out. Maybe this is the best it will ever get. I dont know. It frustrates the hell out of me.
Originally posted by masqua
I doubt the bill will pass too, but these are crazy times and the wagons are circling. Protectionism is rising and, whatever one thinks of it, there are going to be significant changes coming.
"Protectionism" when the little people of a country do it to protect their own livelihoods always has such a negative sound, doesnt it? When the elite do it, what is it called then? Oh, yes, "Free trade agreements," or "free market capitalism," and "deregulation." Maybe we the little guy should just do what they do, and label it something that sounds better. We just have to figure out a way to work the word "free" or "patriot" in there somehow.
I dont know. We the working class need a sudden surge in cohesiveness, and clear sightedness. Im not sure we as a collective have it in us.
