Fw: Continuing our debate

P.S. 

Paul, I just wanted to add to this a little secret I found out  (BUT
PLEASE DON'T LET ANYONE ELSE KNOW THIS) by reading 'Whose Trade
Organization - Corporate Globalization and the Erosion of Democracy' by
Lori Wallach and Michelle Sforza of Public Citizen, with a note on the
back from Ralph Nader which reads:

'If local or state decisions can be jeopradized by a foreign country's
mere charge that their standards are a non-tariff trade barrier, if a
country must pay a tribute in trade sanctions to maintain laws ruled to
be trade barriers by closed and autocratic foreign tribunals, if a
company's claim that the burden that important citizen safeguards would
impose causes them to pick up their sakes and move abroad, then standards
of living and the all-important underlying standards of justice worldwide
will continue to spiral downward.  This is what happens when democratic
values are subjugated to the imperatives of international trade.

The thing is, that the LAWCAPS, who put things together like the WTO R&Rs
or the GATT and NAFTA, do so in such a complex manner as to ensure
themselves work in settling the lawsuits between nations and other
entities for decades to come.  There is no such thing as writing out
simple laws that could be understood by all.  Definitely a 'no-no' in the
world of greed capitalism.   

See if we're going to fight amongst ourselves (speaking of countries and
corporations) then the LAWCAPS want to ensure that they are there to
argue the dispute and get paid these big fat multi-million dollar checks
for doing so. So they draft up these provisions that nobody but they can
understand. And, we the people, gladly pick up the checks while they help
us understand their R&Rs.   My Gawd! what would life be like without a
LAWCAP?  

Probably about as bad as a day in a U.S.er's life without a Mexican.  

marguerite   

Marguerite had previously written:   

So, Paul, as to your suggestion that I think about why we should keep the
WTO -- I can't really think of one. The WTO is just one more result of
mind-masturbation by people who have nothing better to do than try to
manipulate and control others through more rules and regulations, and,
that, I feel, we have all had enough of.  Let's get on with something
really constructive, shall we?     

marguerite