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Level the Playing Field in Trade Policy
Thursday, 15 July 2010 15:14 | 
by Stan Sorcher
One popular position on trade is to "level the playing field."
I'm not always sure what that means, but I'm in favor of it.
Any intention to level the playing field starts with a simple realization -- that rules of trade can favor one outcome over another. For instance, our current free trade policies tip the playing field steeply in favor of more imports, and movement of production to low-wage countries. This is good for multinational businesses and investors, but bad for workers and communities. Trade agreements spell out investor rights in fine detail, while pushing aside environmental conditions, labor rights, human rights and public health.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 July 2010 15:50 )
A Tale of Two Workers: IWW Haywood and BP Hayward Wednesday, 07 July 2010 09:57 |
by: Dallas Darling, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed Bill Haywood, not to be confused with Tony Hayward who oversaw the BP oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, (including the loss of eleven workers when the oil rig exploded and set on fire), opened the 1905 Industrial Workers of the World Conference (IWW) with these words: "Fellow Workers, this is the Continental Congress of the Working Class. We are here to confederate the workers of this country into a working-class movement that shall have for its purpose the emancipation of the Working Class from the slave bondage of capitalism." (1) Last Updated ( Wednesday, 07 July 2010 10:46 ) Reps from Washington State Take Money to Oppose Net Neutrality Monday, 07 June 2010 14:58 |  Author: Dan Gillespie |
CWA’s Speed Matters campaign addresses what is called “Net Neutrality.” CWA launched the Speed Matters campaign to make high-speed Internet available and affordable to all Americans as it is important to our nation's education, health care, and economic development. However, three members of our congressional delegation have decided that the money they get from the telecom industry... Verizon, ATT and Comcast (Xfinity)… means more to them than our ability to compete in the digitized world, and each has signed an industry letter, being circulated by Rep. Gene Green (D-Texas), addressed to the chairman of the FCC, Julius Genachowski. Phone and cable lobbyists are making the rounds on Capitol Hill, urging elected representatives to sign on to this letter to undermine the FCC's authority to protect an open internet and foster universal access. Doc Hastings, Rick Larsen and David Reichert do not care if Verizon, ATT and Comcast (Xfinity) practice internet throttling. Throttling lets carriers slow or block internet traffic. Last Updated ( Thursday, 15 July 2010 15:48 ) |
Invest in America's Future Tuesday, 22 June 2010 12:48 |
by Stan Sorscher We all want to create jobs and encourage economic recovery. We now have over 30 years of experience with trickle-down policies. What has worked, and what needs change? For the last few decades, the basic idea was to "make industry succeed." That principle drives our policies in trade, education, R&D, and capital investment. Policies are designed to make business competitive. We assume that as industry succeeds, workers would share in future gains. Our policies make business succeed, but workers and communities are left behind.
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 22 June 2010 13:21 ) Why Is "Free Trade" Conventional Wisdom? Thursday, 03 June 2010 01:37 |
Stan Sorscher - Legislative Director, Society for Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace (SPEEA) Trade is good; all trade is good; more trade is better than less trade; maximum possible trade. This rhetorical progression has propelled policy discussion about Ian Fletcher's new book, Free Trade Doesn't Work: In remarkably readable prose, caustically funny in places, Fletcher challenges the prevailing wisdom that additional free trade agreements and greater global economic integration are inevitable and desirable. He starts by carefully cataloging the highly idealized conditions that must apply before the benefits promised by free trade will accrue. As he rigorously demonstrates, free trade theory is a very poor description of global commerce as it is practiced today. Last Updated ( Thursday, 03 June 2010 01:47 ) |
