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It's A Material World

ETS!,

Your piece on UPS and the broader labor struggle was typically insightful-- thanks. But we've got a bigger problem, one which isn't getting nearly enough attention. Most liberal and left-wing economic reporting laments the decline in real wages, standard of living, and economic security of U.S. working people. We also denounce exploitation of Third World labor. But we rarely seem to grasp the real connection between the two.

It's been a commonplace of environmentalist rhetoric for years that the middle class U.S. lifestyle is unsustainable on a global scale. We constitute 6% of the world's population, yet consume vastly more than our share of the world's (estimates vary; the figure I remember is around 35%). What this means is that, while U.S. workers may feel pinches, and suspect-- rightly--that they're being ripped off, even the exploited part-time UPS driver has a lifestyle of unimaginable wealth compared to hundreds of millions of people worldwide. It is simply not realistic to expect that everyone in the world can aspire to the material wealth that most Americans like to think of as their birthright.

Transnational corporations (TNCs), while they may not see it this way, take advantage of this fact, using the huge gap in income between First World and Third World workers to drive down labor costs. TNCs obviously don't act from concern for Third World workers, but they do perform, in a harsh and unfair way, a redistributive function, siphoning a tiny fraction of wealthy workers' income to poorer ones so as to grab a huge chunk for themselves. If, as your article suggests, we are indeed "to recognize our common struggle across...borders," we need to be realistic about what we are striving for and what we can expect. Insisting on U.S. workers' "right" to a two-car (or even one-car) lifestyle when Indonesian workers can't afford shoes simply won't cut it.

This does not mean we should give in to the TNCs' efforts to exploit the wage gap. Ultimately they will only create greater disparities of wealth and poverty, and exacerbate environmental destruction. What we need instead is a vision of how people everywhere can live comfortable and fulfilling lives without the wastefulness we practice here daily. This is a huge, even utopian, task; I just want to emphasize two essential points. First, and most difficult, we will not be able to maintain the illusion that we are entitled to more than our share of the world's wealth. Second, we will have to create real economic security by committing to the idea that everyone is entitled to certain basics--food, shelter, medical care, education, and the leisure to do what they find most rewarding. This is sustainable for everyone on the planet, if we are modest in our demands and if we can distribute our vast wealth fairly. It will strike many people as impossible to achieve--but the alternative is increasing exploitation, poverty, and ecological decay. The labor movement in this country has got to come to grips with that.

--Davis Oldham, Seattle

P.S. Re: the Bob Packwood piece--you wrote that "many (Senators) probably empathize with his fall from power." Empathy in a U.S. Senator? I'm having a hard time with that concept.

Ed. reply: Excellent points. One quibble: it's questionable whether, even inadvertently, TNCs redistribute wealth from First World to Third World workers. Many studies show that TNCs extract more money from poor countries (e.g., via government subsidies) than they bring in (through salaries, etc.) Thus, even Nike et al's claim that sweatshop-level workers are better off with their jobs than if said jobs didn't exist is open to doubt--the same resources, invested in an indigenous economy, would probably be far better spent.

Of Course, They Can Buy Cuban Cigars

The letter by Scott Reed, "Just Remove the Whole Cancer Stick," printed in ETS! #47, proposed lots of regulations on cigarettes and their advertising. But it missed the obvious. The Canadians figured it out.

Canada raised the tax on cigarettes. This resulted in a corresponding increase in their selling price. Considering the statistics that most people who smoke start smoking as teenagers, and combining that with the fact that most teens have little money, teens will be less prone to start smoking as the price increases. Enticing teens to smoke is the "seed" that fuels the cigarette industry. Unless the cigarette industry can rock the cradle, they aren't going to have a mature, adult market puffing away.

Unfortunately, cigarette lobbyists eventually got to the Canadians, and they lowered the cigarette tax (and thus the selling price of cigarettes). To no one's surprise, teen smoking increased dramatically. Hooray for the cancer sticks.

--traveler@serv.net, Seattle

A Qualified Success

Dear State-Eaters,

Thanks in part to you, Initiative 677, the Employment NonDiscrimination Act of Washington has qualified for the November ballot!

Now the citizens of Washington will have the opportunity to make job discrimination illegal. Thank you for the free publicity, and please remember to vote "Yes" on I-677!

Sincerely,

Tensor, Seattle

Ed. note: Before passing, I-677 will still need lots of volunteers and money. To help, calls Hands Off Washington at 206-323-5191.

"I Asked To Go On Prozac, But They Neutered Me Instead"

ETS!,

Caramel Pudding (aka Carmelito) is a sweet neutered male kitty, cream-colored body with apricot ears, tail and face and a few apricot patches, and the BLUEST EYES!! He is part Siamese, so he's best as the only kitty in the home. He showed up at my door in April and is driving my two kitties out of our home. He loves his human(s), purrs a lot, is litter trained, has most of his shots, and will be a great companion for you!

Call Valerie @ 206-789-5285 ASAP!!! Pass this information along to your friends whose lives are not complete without a feline purr-pal! Thanks!

--Valerie F., Seattle