Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!watarts!cdanderson From: cdanderson@watarts.UUCP Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Re: The Joy of Starvation***New Subject, also*** Message-ID: <2082@watarts.UUCP> Date: Mon, 30-Jan-84 00:25:24 EST Article-I.D.: watarts.2082 Posted: Mon Jan 30 00:25:24 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 5-Feb-84 10:23:12 EST References: <854@ihuxl.UUCP>, <355@rayssd.UUCP>, <249@pyuxss.UUCP> rabbit.2437 Lines: 43 Ah, to jump boldly where none have gone before. One of the ways in which the U.S. in particular has been exploiting the 3'rd World (as we call it) and causing starvation is by setting up an elite to elite trading pattern in which the 3'rd world is a provider of raw materials, especially agricultural ones, and labour to supply ourselves with "luxury" goods. For example, we have turned much of Mexico into a grower of peppers and (of all necessary foodstuffs) carnations. Before, it was cotton, but a major epidemic among the crops and a soft market killed most of this, and many peasants. As well, as the 1'st world's M.N.C.'s have introduced (often under direction from the World Bank) 1'st World, i.e. capital intensive, technology into these countries, two problems have been made manifest; 1) the small-area farmers have been pushed off their land due to increasing taxation and a higher over-all expense for goods in relation to the purchasing power of the agricultural produce. This means that they usually enter the already strained "work-force" of the urban centres (witness the barrios around Mexico City and most other capitols in the 3'rd World) and starve as jobs are extremely difficult to procure and the cost of staples relatively great, in part due to a decreased supply. In this case, the taxes and land prices rise due to the greater earning potential, for some, of the land. They tend to not eat many carnations or cotton (maybe they haven't read Catch-22). 2) as the M.N.C.'s have a much better ability to provide collateral, they drain the local money markets. As was pointed out by someone earlier, they tend to extract $3 for every $1 they put in. This, as well, increases interest rates or inflation, depending on the economic model followed, to the detriment of the local farmer. It is a myth that our companies provide great infusions of capital into these areas, they merely mobilize existing monies. ************************** Regarding proceedings of the U.N. etc., this is likely a futile exercise as it will come down to the point of "Well,do you believe what was said by the U.S. or by country X?". If one takes the views of one country, and the other person, of the other, to be correct, not much is going to come of it. For example, some people beleived the U.S. when at first it denied any involvement in the Allende coup in Chile, etc. or feel, still that it had any right to invade the Phillipines, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic (to ensure a steady supply of pineapples and profit), Grenada,....Nicaragua (?),etc. Have fun, I've had lots of practice as a fire-eater, C.D. Anderson watarts!cdanderson