Profit and loss

[calbert at tiac.net]

> > "And, it is these trade policies which have been and are crippling
> > the economies of developing nations and which are the cause of the
> > immense gulf in living standards between the First and Third Worlds"
> >
> > an opinion to which jbor has every right, but which will remain
> > "received wisdom" until some analysis accompanies it.


It ain't exactly analysis, but.....

my brasilian wife has only now begun to accept the fact that in THIS 
country, the consumer has real clout. If you don't like a consumer 
product, for ANY reason, you can return such for a full refund, in 
most cases without providing a cause......Brasil only insitituted a 
"consumer protection" facility in the last two years, CONSUM, ask 
any local whether prices, product and service have improved 
since.....this shift can be attributed SOLELY to the fact that their 
market is now FAR more competitive than even 5 years ago. US 
consumer expectations are slowly emigrating to other parts of the 
world - even to purportedly 1st world nations like the UK - whose 
citizens have long been held hostage to local predatory interests. 
The effect of this shift is to LOWER  prices while INCREASING the 
quality of service....

Does anyone really believe that Pynchon would argue for the right 
of such local interests to continue to operate in such a manner 
without interference? Does anyone really believe that Pynchon is 
blind to the considerable benefit of increased competition in the 
marketplace? The man may be morally undecipherable, but he ain't 
stupid.....


love,
cfa