Marxist Hacker 42's Journal: John Ratzinger on Protectionism

The star of the Travel Channel's "Made In America", more widely known as Cliff Clavin from Cheers, has sponsored on his own dime a series of town hall meetings on outsourcing manufacturing to China. He's invited the presidential candidates from both parties- "to get this issue on their radar". In response to the charge that to be against globalism is protectionist, he had this to say:

You know, I kind of enjoy that label. It's -- if you boil it down, you know, like Tip O'Neill said, all politics is local. Your family you're going to protect. Your neighborhood, you're going to protect. You might love the people in the other neighborhoods, but you protect those around you.

It's the same thing with America. This is our neighborhood. This is our family. We should protect us, because once we give it all away, I don't know what happens.

Do we become a slave nation?

Do we take our marching orders from someone else?

And it seems to be heading in that direction.

So protectionist -- I think it's a good label.

(from CNN Transcript of Lou Dobbs Tonight, 9-25-2007)

I thought he was the Pope.

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

You know - the one who still lives with his mom.

Re:

[Marxist Hacker 42]

Not Pope- Post office worker....Yep, that's the one. Although- in the later episodes his Mom moved to Florida, and he was dating a crazy lady who couldn't even keep a job with the post office....but thought she did and kept delivering mail anyway.

I thought this was Papa Razi, too

[smittyoneeach]

But capitalism is like the GPL in a way--if you don't like the outsourcing, feel free to come up with a better, cheaper, Made in the US of F'in'-A product.
Yeah, you have to steer clear of patent, copyright, and trademark law, and there are certainly some un-level aspects to the playing field, for example, cartel-like behavior in government markets (I could tell stories), but still: you can do it.
But people, like electricity, frequently follow low-resistance paths.

Re:

[Marxist Hacker 42]

But capitalism is like the GPL in a way--if you don't like the outsourcing, feel free to come up with a better, cheaper, Made in the US of F'in'-A product.

The whole point of Made In the USA, by the Henry Ford Theory of Economics, is that it is more expensive and that a larger share of the profits go to reward workers who then in turn support the other businesses in the community. In other words, building an internal, self-sufficient economy.

Yeah, you have to steer clear of patent, copyright, and tradem

Re:

[smittyoneeach]

See, it's not about destroying the standard of living in the negative sense, as much as it is about making a postive statement about freedom from materialism.
Recommend an appointment with the spin doctor.

Re:

[Marxist Hacker 42]

See, it's not about destroying the standard of living in the negative sense, as much as it is about making a positive statement about freedom from materialism.

Interesting- you see this is one of the places where I'm a heretic in Catholic terms. Or at least a hypocrite. I happen to like our high standard of living in America, materialistic though it is, and I want it spread to as many people as possible. Taking the cheap labor way out does not seem to me to be the best way to do that.

Having said that,

Re:

[smittyoneeach]

I think Maslow was right- human beings have a hierarchy of needs, and unless your lower needs are met, higher philosophical issues like spirituality and antimaterialism will simply never get addressed in your thinking.

I'm going to speak out both sides of my mouth here.
My opinion is that people have a hard-wired level of abstraction built into them by the Creator, or, as Peart put it on the last Rush record "We can only grow the way the wind blows".
(Having said that, it is completely wrong of us to judge

Re:

[Marxist Hacker 42]

I think I meant it the other way 'round more- while there are certainly plenty of non-introspective rich superficial materialists, the most influential and spiritual people seem to come from at least a moderately well off background, or at least have achieved "enough" materialism in their life to be able to afford a contemplative lifestyle.

The level of materialism that is "enough" though is pretty low if you've got a mind tuned towards it to begin with- I don't believe there is a single person who is a cit

Re:

[smittyoneeach]

I think I meant it the other way 'round more- while there are certainly plenty of non-introspective rich superficial materialists, the most influential and spiritual people seem to come from at least a moderately well off background, or at least have achieved "enough" materialism in their life to be able to afford a contemplative lifestyle.

Fair enough