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Originally Posted by pan6467
I've been saying this for 20 years. I am a strong believer that to "level" the playing field somewhat, any business doing business within the US (including ALL IMPORTS), should abide by US labor and safety laws. I believe if Nike wants to pay people overseas to make their shoes, then they should have to pay them minimum wage, have the same safety standards AND should be paying into a retirement fund similar to SS or better for those workers.
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I can't help but think of how disruptive this idea is. You're basically looking at placing a cost-intensive premium on a lot of goods. Unless I'm reading this wrong, are you suggesting that a factory operating in Asia should pay their workers an American minimum wage in addition to giving them a retirement fund? You know what that would do? Kill a large portion of American imports, which would lead to inflation. You think it's bad now? Just unroll this plan and watch China, Taiwan, etc., and all the American companies that use those places for manufacturing decide to seek out other markets. Foreign companies would say "forget it" entirely or would say "fine," making the average consumer product skyrocket. Companies such as Nike (you know, pretty much any multinational company) would likely boost their prices as a result as well. The CPI would leap off the charts, and American purchasing power would plummet.
You would essentially have to do this on an international level, such as through the WTO or something. But good luck with that. Either way? The cost of living would put even more stress on the lower classes. It would level the
global playing field perhaps (i.e. if it were done internationally, maybe through a "global minimum wage and health & safety standard), but
at the cost of the average American, not for their benefit. It would benefit the Third World mostly. It would be like making a sacrifice in your quality of life for the benefit of others, while ignoring the impact on economies of scale.
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Obama, I think wants the best for America, in his mind... BUT he has not changed ANYTHING In DC, he tried to push an extremely costly and the wrong healthcare plan down our throats and he continues to pass blame and be pessimistic, instead of being a true leader. Plus, as Bush was a puppet for the radical right and the ultra rich in many ways... Obama is a puppet for the extreme radical left and going too far in any direction is bad and will only make matters worse.
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I grow weary of this. Obama is as much a puppet for the "extreme radical left" as G. W. Bush was for the devil.
If there is an "extreme radical left" in America, they are on the fringe and they have next to no political power. Or maybe I need to keep translating some kind of "Americanspeak." "Extreme radical left" in Americanspeak means "centre-left," right? To much of the rest of the world, it means something else entirely.
Pushing a "health care plan" in the form of rules regarding the purchasing of health insurance is a far cry from universal health care as some people know it. If there is a problem with it, it's that it is too compromising to those on the right.
EDIT: Oh, and I should probably note that your above idea about making it a requirement to have U.S. labour laws, health & safety, minimum wages, and social security for anyone who exports to the U.S. is by far more "extreme radical left" thinking than anything Obama has ever come up with.