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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: frankw1900 who wrote (20295)	3/1/2002 10:44:31 AM
From: JohnM	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

I see 'free trade' as trade unencumbered by tariffs or tariff-like barriers. I don't think that's an "ideological construct." There's sometimes a lot of crap attached to the term and that's usually ideological construct. Nice post, Frank. Took a lot of time to work it all out. That sentence of mine which you draw the quote from was not too carefully constructed, obviously. When I said "free trade" is an ideological construct, I meant that the as a construct it concealed the winners and losers. I think I said that several other times in the post. I think if you look carefully at any specific legislative battle over trade agreements, you will find, and I know you know this but I'm only saying it to get a premise in, that some industries support it and some oppose it. And the supporters expect to win, the opposers to lose, should the bill pass. Nothing new here. But in that battle there is precious little political voice for the workers who lose their jobs and the small communities who lose their economic livelihood. I have in mind several such in central and northeastern Pa in the past decade or two. Now if the political debate were such that all the voices could be adequately heard and adequately weighed, then fine. But the problem is that in this specific moment, the need for huge funds for political campaigns renders the voices of certain industries much more viable, gives them access the other voices don't have. And those voices with access then turn around and use the term "free trade" to conceal their wins. John