Neoliberal globalisation and competition.

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I went shopping with my wife and step-daughter yesterday and bought a two wheeled bike for our 3 year-old grand-daughter. It is from China and is beautiful. It cost $79. You could not even make it in Australia for that price. Even the price of the materials alone, would be more than that. In the 1960s on the canals and rivers of Europe, the Russian barges operated with charges way below what any other country's barges could offer. It seems that in communist countries, they use very strange economics and probably with an agenda. Is that really international competition ?
In Australian country towns, when a new business starts up, other established businesses often lower their prices until the new business folds, then the prices return to normal. The other thing that happens - if somebody has a new idea, other businesses pick the eyes out of it, by taking over the easy stuff and leaving the other guy to suffer.
 
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In Canada currently the fast food places are suddenly poaching each other’s products i.e. Macdonalds is promoting donuts and coffee while Timhortons is pushing burgers and fries ... some have started selling the meatless burgers etc. , lest a vendor at a farmers market gets a piece of the big boys pie .... the days of funky local coffee shops are in jeopardy ....while I don’t use the chain type food sources I do watch football on the TV ,the adds lately are either for vehicles or fast food which in NA go together for a lot of folks
 
In the US we have OSHO for worker safety the EPA for the environmental controls a minimum wage set by the government to name just a few where china has virtually none of this so all the first world country's start off at a major disadvantage. as it stands now IMHO there is no way you could call this FAIR trade.

I went shopping with my wife and step-daughter yesterday and bought a two wheeled bike for our 3 year-old grand-daughter. It is from China and is beautiful. It cost $79. You could not even make it in Australia for that price. Even the price of the materials alone, would be more
 
OSHA and EPA compliance adds about 30% to the cost of manufacturing a product in the US.

To level the field, there should be a 30% surtax on imported products if they are made using less than our standards for worker safety and environmental protection (15% each category).

Foreign mfgrs can avoid the surtax if they invite our inspectors into their plants and prove they meet the standards. If those mfgrs say "piss on you", they pay the tax. Simple.

From what I understand, Australia's and Europe's standards are stricter than our own. The same tax structure should be implemented there. China would be forced to clean up their act.

I have written my Congressmen, three times with this suggestion ...... never got a reply. Write regarding drugs, abortion, gun control, or crime and one at least gets a form letter reply. They apparantly cannot handle something simple and sensible.

Slick
 
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Simpleness and sensible will always be over run by stupidity from managers who have never done the work that is expected from their workers.
WPHS was introduced in Australia because to many workers were getting killed or seriously injured because to many bosses were taking short cuts to cut cost or time.
In China or any other 3rd world countries they don't have safety laws as we do and if you don't work you don't live and we will never know how many works get killed or injured seriously on the job over in them 3rd world countries.

Ashley
 
In Australia, the LNP represents the employer groups. If we were really smart, we would require ISO9000 etc. certifications for businesses which supply goods or services to government departments. And also make certain that the ISO standards for OHS&E and quality are called-up in our free trade agreements. I'm certain the reason many of our manufacturers go offshore is to avoid our local regulations which relate to worker safety as well as product safety, end of life issues and quality, as well as regulation of pollution. In business it is easier to make a profit, if you can act like a grub.
 
Simpleness and sensible will always be over run by stupidity from managers who have never done the work that is expected from their workers.
WPHS was introduced in Australia because to many workers were getting killed or seriously injured because to many bosses were taking short cuts to cut cost or time.
In China or any other 3rd world countries they don't have safety laws as we do and if you don't work you don't live and we will never know how many works get killed or injured seriously on the job over in them 3rd world countries.

Ashley

The trouble is that neoliberal globalisation tends to move everything towards the lowest common denominator. What we need to do is decide that we are right and the rest of the world is wrong. International Standards are the key.
 
Simpleness and sensible will always be over run by stupidity from managers who have never done the work that is expected from their workers.
WPHS was introduced in Australia because to many workers were getting killed or seriously injured because to many bosses were taking short cuts to cut cost or time.

In China or any other 3rd world countries they don't have safety laws as we do and if you don't work you don't live and we will never know how many works get killed or injured seriously on the job over in them 3rd world countries.

Ashley
The answer is lots of workers get killed, you only have to look up the amount of building workers
Who get killed in rich countries like United Arab Emirates who have a poor record of human rights and realise they don't give a hoot!
 
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