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Politics : Formerly About Applied Materials -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Katherine Derbyshire who wrote (42810)	2/28/2001 11:20:01 AM
From: Joseph Beltran	Respond to of 70976

Katherine, how can you say that?? Japan has abandoned their so called 'social contract". lifetime employment? yeah, right. have you noticed the trend in layoffs in japan over the past two years? the japanese savings rate is so high in part because the elderly have no confidence that social services will be there in years to come. the problems in japan stem from a number of causes not the least of which is that japan persists on remaining a closed, mercantilistic economy. it will ultimately find out that it cannot compete in the long term in that manner unless government continues to subsidize business with free capital. those days are gone.

To: Katherine Derbyshire who wrote (42810)	2/28/2001 12:41:18 PM
From: Ian@SI	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

They're willing to sacrifice the economy in the interest of the social contract. I'm in complete disagreement with the premise behind this statement. 1. A rising tide lifts all boats. 2. Only way to guarantee a lasting, improving social contract is through a growing economy. Any decision to deliberately sacrifice the economy is also a decision to sacrifice any pretense of a social contract whether or not the politicians realize that. Even the bottom rung of the ladder in those countries with the strongest economies have access to food, shelter, education and healthcare; and generally have access to a much higher quality of life than the majority of those living in countries with the weakest economies can aspire. Unfortunately, an increasing number of people with mental disorders are allowed to fall through the cracks in the strong economy countries blurring any distinction with those countries that just don't provide any support whatsoever for those people. Ian.