Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Free, a name I call myself

Financial Times:

[D]efenders of the administration point out that Mr Obama has dropped the more protectionist elements of his campaign rhetoric, notably the promise to renegotiate the labour and environmental clauses in Nafta. They also point out that the politics of free trade would be particularly difficult during a recession.

"Free trade" is what those of us with a preponderance of influence in international markets call our own behavior. "Protectionism" applies to everyone else.

Put differently, if workers of the world and critters of every kind were in a position set the terms of debate, trade agreements which benefit them might be called "furry fucking fantastic trade," while those that ignore the welfare of the world and its inhabitants might be called "shitty."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

How does one not ignore the "welfare of the world?"

J.R. Boyd said...

How doesn't one not?