FTAA

[Phil Wise]

Jane, do you come from the U.S.?  I'm just curious.  It is difficult to know
whether "globalisation" is or is not a myth because, I think you are right
(from way back in the thread - what, yesterday??!) it hasn't been defined in
context, i.e. when different people talk about it they may be talking at
cross purposes, inprecicely, etc.  But from the position of a Western
Democracy outside the U.S., I can kinda see what globalisation might be,
since our culture has increasingly been "Americanised", out economy appears
tied magically to America's, &etc.  America may well be a predominantly
domestic economy (still - what will it look like in 20 years after FTAA and
its successors?), but it nonetheless affects significantly many economies
around the world, and just as importantly, many cultures.

Also, another way of looking at it is that capitalism has become global -
that it is now very rare for a country to avoid the world markets.

Phil

----- Original Message -----
From: "Jane Sweet" <lycidas2 at earthlink.net>
To: <pynchon-l at waste.org>
Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2001 9:44 AM
Subject: Re: FTAA


>
>
> Teufelsdröckh wrote:
> >
> > calbert at tiac.net wrote:
> > >
> > > We anxiously await details of your alternative.......
> >
> > As you seem to be interested, here's a good overview . . .
> >
> >
<http://www.globalexchange.org/economy/rulemakers/TenWaysToDemocratize.html>
> >
> > Haff a fein viekänd,
> > Diogenes Teufelsdröckh
>
> As trade becomes more 'free,' labor unions are still
> restricted from organizing in most
> countries.
>
> The only thing I see that is global in all this are these
> essays and books, not the facts. Now, the USA has Unions,
> you can organize here, Unionize, but Unions have lost most
> of the power they worked and died for. Now, Union membership
> is around 13%, again check my numbers they might be dated.
> Why is Union membership down?  Is there a connection? What's
> that crazy man, Pat Buhcanon, isn't he the one that makes
> these arguments or the other loon, Ross Perot? Yeah, they
> do. They believe in globalization, I don't. I don't think
> it's a fact. It's propaganda. Regionalization we have. So,
> does trade with Canada and Mexico have an effect on Unions?
> What's the deal?
>