[PLUG-TALK] Concern about Walmart on Frontline last night...

Jeme A Brelin jeme at brelin.net
Wed Nov 17 20:27:43 UTC 2004


On Wed, 17 Nov 2004, Darkhorse wrote:
> Aren't there laws against American companies taking advantage of
> underpaid workers in China by buying under market value goods and
> selling them here?

No.  As a matter of fact, there are international treaties that prevent
the enforcement of such laws even if they could be passed (say, WTO).
Such treaties also prevent the enforcement of laws that would put
requirements on the environmental impact of production of goods brought
into the USA.

> On the other hand, how much more would goods at Wal-Mart cost if China
> had to pay it's workforce better and offer reasonable benefits?

Um, if China paid its workforce better (or, indeed, at all -- in some
cases chinese goods are made with unpaid prison labor) and offered
reasonable benefits, you would likely negate the value of shipping the
goods across the largest body of water in the world to bring them to
market in the USA (which has serious environmental impact, of course).
This is almost certainly true in cases where raw materials are shipped to
china for production into consumer trinkets for the USA.

> Both Clinton and Bush are guilty of supporting enormous trade deficits.
> Frontline says we have a 12 to 1 trade deficit with China.  Is it right
> to lower the benefits and pay required for certain professions?  How are
> American workers supposed to get skilled in areas that outsourcing can't
> wipe out?  For a few pennies less at Wal-Mart, are we paying more than
> we can afford?

Welcome to corporate feudalism, serf.

> Some fine trade organization the WTO is, what is it's purpose again?

Its purpose is to drive down the cost of production (including wages and
benefits) and make it possible to exploit international markets.
Understand that bringing down the cost of production often means
externalizing the cost of production so that the producer doesn't pay it,
but the public does.  This is what happens in the realm of healthcare and
environmental costs -- the cost is passed on to the public so that the
manufacturer can get higher profits made entirely out of tax money.

J.
-- 
   -----------------
     Jeme A Brelin
    jeme at brelin.net
   -----------------
 [cc] counter-copyright
 http://www.openlaw.org



More information about the PLUG-talk mailing list