HP: Protectionism won't save Europe's jobs

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The crux of the matter

"Doesn't seem like a recipe for building global corporations."

And there you have the essence of the objection, boiled down to a single sentence. Most people these days, for all their talk of American arrogance and unwillingness to "live in the world" and treat others as equals, are really closet nationalists. They want local, not international or even national companies (witness: Walmart). They want protection of local jobs, regardless of how much it costs the businesses (we all know that all corporations make obscene profits). They want fair dealings with Mexico but not NAFTA. They want local control but federal oversight. They want fairness but not morality.

Sorry, I guess I was rambling a bit toward the end there. The point is, scratch a Europhile and you get a nationalist. That's particularly true now, with the presidential elections coming up, and the out-party can use this as an issue against the incumbent. You can be sure that if Gore were president, this offshoring would still be happening, the Democrats would be talking about not erecting harmful trade barriers, and the Republicans would be the ones crying for protection of American jobs.

Carl Rapson

Posted by: rapson   Posted on: 01/23/04 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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