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  • From: "Jill Bussiere" <jdt AT itol.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [Market-farming] Globalization's Race To The Bottom
  • Date: Thu, 1 Apr 2004 20:08:00 -0600

I agree that the people of countries like the US should do what they can -
our nation wields its power around, and others pay the costs.

However, I would also like to note that people of less powerful nations know
well what is going on, and are more likely to take action - those that have
the least to lose by taking risks are the most likely to take them. Thus,
the peasant farmers in Chiapas rose up in 1994 against NAFTA, knowing well
that it would ill effect them. It has taken most of the people in this
country years to learn the same thing.

Now, when people in this country are starting to hurt from such policies,
those in the US are starting to take action against corporately negotiated
trade policies. The demonstrations in Florida against the FTAA are an
example - and the Florida police were brutal - they have some court cases
against them because of their unprovoked brutality.


Jill Bussiere, Wisconsin

-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Pat
Meadows
Sent: Thursday, April 01, 2004 4:30 PM
To: Market Farming
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Globalization's Race To The Bottom


On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 12:44:10 -0800, you wrote:

> Globalization is a nasty new form
>of capitalism which is so destructive of local infrastructure that it will
>produce economic catastrophe unless change is brought about.

<snip>
>
>Yes, we need to encourage local food production and local food consumption.
>But there are larger and deeper problems on the horizon and they are
>problems which must address how all farmers worldwide can make a fair
living
>on the land.

Here's a fairly good, very brief description of the 'race to
the bottom':

"....a destructive competition in which workers, communities
and entire countries are forced to gut social, labor and
environmental protections to attract mobile capital. Despite
the media’s focus on the flight of jobs from First to Third
World countries, just as devastating is the competition
among Third World countries desperately seeking jobs and
investment at any cost."

This is what's happening now, and it will continue to happen
at an ever-accelerating pace unless the people of the
developed countries wake up and demand that changes are made
in order to regulate and guide these changes so that they
are less destructive.

(The people of the Third World countries generally don't
have enough power to accomplish anything much, so I think
it's up to the people in the First World.)

Pat








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