The More They Get, the More They Want

You're right that free trade works better in theory than it does in the real world, but a lot of things are like that. I remember that Fred Sears, back at old Gage Park high, was all excited about free trade when the idea was first getting started. He predicted that there would be some disruptions in the beginning, but that it would all level out eventually, and maybe it will. People who have nothing generally don't aspire to much but, when they get a little taste of something, they soon want more and more of it. Fred Sears called it "The Revolution of Rising Expectations". Like I said yesterday, the Japanese wage scale is already approaching parity with ours, and I understand that the German wage scale has already surpassed ours. I have heard on the news a couple of times that the Chinese wage scale, while it still has a long way to go, has been creeping upward for some time. All these wage scales wouldn't have to match ours, they would just need to close the gap enough so that it no longer made up for the cost of transportation. The rising cost of energy can only help bring this about sooner.

Buying American is more easily said than done. In some product lines, like electronics, you just can't find anything made in American anymore. Toyota has been advertising lately that some of their models are the most American made cars on the market. I assume that they mean that they have more American made parts in them than Fords, Chevys, and Chryslers. The other day I saw on the news that Toyota had yet another recall. They said that these particular cars were made in South Korea by General Motors, although they were sold in the U.S. as Toyotas. All things considered, I think the ship has already sailed on this global economy thing, and it's unlikely to return to port anytime soon. We're stuck with it, for better or for worse, so we might as well learn how to live with it.

Nobody is going to pay a living wage out of the goodness of their heart. They will pay what is necessary to attract and retain whatever quality of employees that they need to conduct their business profitably, and not a penny more. You can pass minimum wage laws, which I, unlike many of my conservative colleagues, think is not such a bad idea. To make these laws really effective, however, they would have to be global rather than national. That would require a global government, which I am not yet willing to accept. What we really need is a global labor union, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

The European Common Market was probably a good idea, but the present European Union goes way beyond that. People have been dreaming about a United States of Europe for a long time, and they've almost got it now. Whether or not they can hold it together remains to be seen. Some Europeans swear by it, and others swear at it. Watch this space for further developments.

The super rich are unlikely to voluntarily contribute money to reduce the national debt, because a substantial part of that debt is owed to them. Why should they give their money to Uncle Sam when they can loan it to him and collect the interest?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that your ideas are without merit, it's just that they are unlikely to be implemented anytime soon. That's okay, though, at least it shows that you're thinking. Have a nice weekend.