I disagree with just about every point that Mr. Mooney made in his shortsighted analysis of America's shift toward globalization in the last 15 years. I especially disagree about his trying to blend moralism and economic progress.
We have the richest country in the history of mankind and yet real wages for blue-collar workers continue to fall. What kind of message of hope is that for the next generation? Now, we find that this crunch is extending to white-collar professionals. When will it end? When Americans are paid as little as Chinese?
The argument that by free trade we are creating new markets for our goods is bogus as well. We have a huge trade deficit, and the countries like China don't pay their workers enough to purchase American goods in the amount necessary to offset this imbalance.
Mr. Mooney insisted the election was about morals linked to economic theory. I could not find any examples of how he views the wholesale dismantling of certain aspects of America's manufacturing base as a good and moral thing. I counter by saying that in fact it is an immoral action.
I've heard the argument that by engaging the Chinese in an economic partnership we could gently encourage change in their society. I don't buy this. It seems to me that the government is not putting any effort into trying to moderate the autocratic leanings of the Chinese government.
I believe many people voted the way they did not out of moral values, economics, or terrorism, but out of uncertainity of the future and what it holds. The politician who presented the best pablum got elected.
I truly fear what another global depression will do to our democracy and that tying our economy to so many poor unstable Third World nations in our race to the bottom for cheap labor could help faciliate such a meltdown.
Roger W. Bradshaw
Atlanta
