Mort got it part right yesterday in his Roll Call article.  The part where he said an "aggressive effort to fight trade cheating by China" and "combat unfair trade practices by China" is needed is correct.  However, will it be too late - now a quarter century into it - since many of us have been saying, "hey... wait a minute..."

Where Mort is wrong is where he says we need programs to soften the effects of trade 'problems' here in the U.S.  More government programs?  I don't like to see Mort bring out his moderate progressive or progressive moderate side so much.  Mort also says Walmart is not a blight but a "boon to the middle class" as trade helps to keep prices lower.  If one looks at the way companies like Walmart not only benefit from but aggressively encourage '(free) trade' by the very aggressive encouraging of the moving of manufacturing with companies like Rubbermaid to 'get the Walmart price' [for us all?].

When a country encourages trade with tyrants they are encouraging tyranny for their people - however vicariously.  The leaders in this country - both parties - have done just that with their active participation in lobbying for manufacture of our goods with 'comparative advantage' involving slave and impoverished labor.

Many of us have been saying since the 70s, when this juggernaught to free tread began, that one of Morts bright ideas in his column yesterday would not only be a good idea but essential.  That is the other part where Mr. Kondracke is right.  We need labor and environmental standard for trade partners shipping here.  Period.  Bottom line.

We shall if it's too little too late, as China is (found recently to have been) tracking our carriers (as the deal on the trade we've allowed their military factories behind their closed doors to build with! changes?) our president galivants all over inviting everyone into the North Atlantic Organization, WTO, and Iraq; and we are seeing the dollar in free fall - not many counting on us at this time it seems.

Now with the passing of Milton Friedman can we put the emphasis on where it belongs please?

I went to the Grand Theatre [here in Tacoma, Washington] today to see The Queen.   There was a guy there with an anti WTO shirt on... and a lot of other interesting types.  Then I saw the people working there, and noticed a sign for 'volunteers'... to work at the Grand Theatre.  Now it that had a been a corporation asking for 'volunteers' it would have been perceived as "very bad" I'm certain.  But since it was the local liberal cinema it was okay.  Like it's okay if the elitists control things and throw a few bones to the poor and middle class.  It's even okay if they are rich.  Who gets the money at the Grand Theatre when the employees volunteer?  The media enterprises producing the pictures?  Very well heeled from what I could read... and the stars are well set and rich I would think.  Most all of them anyway - very famous ones most.

Now lets look at the other side of the coin - where the other side "lives".  I have said for a long time in my newsletters, etc. that we should [and very well could have] set up trade oversight committes or some such to be sure laborers were taken care of properly - and we might actually see the result of the coming together of ideologies instead of Chinese military factories producing so much behind completely closed doors - with full intent upon destroying what we stand for and anything even related to our ideals as a nation.

NO - instead they riotagainst WTO, and provide only stringent trade deals with no sanctions related to what they should be related to. 

The labor movement was something that may well have saved us from a tyranny similar to the proletariat movement in the Soviet Union.  Free market enterprise that has gotten too big and out of hand, in bed with the same kind and similar managing as the corporations - just as the two major parties have .... and too cozy with corporate lobbyists - running too much now for far too long.

Both parties and both sides would rather lob their stones at each other - not get along, close each other out, and offer only extreme solutions rather than work together and compromise. 

It's time for change.                         NT71           Tacoma, WA            email at niktesla.com