Plain Talk Plain Garbage But Still the Truth COLUMN BY ROB BUKSAR Capitalism is a great concept provid- ing everybody is able to participate and ben- efit by the same rules. To quote my friend Nick Staub, “As this world became more efficient because of computers and UPS and Internet and everything else, not all those links were still needed, and were eliminated with the victims screaming for mercy. That’s the beauty or curse, depending on your view of capitalism. It’s like a self- cleaning oven. If there’s an extra mouth to feed in the food chain, capitalism will terminate it… If there’s too much margin being made on something, capitalism will squeeze every last drop out that isn’t required.’ That’s a pretty good explanation Nick gave and I agree with him, but only if the playing field is level. Tragically it’s not, and most reasonable people understand this. The U.S. has embarrassed capitalism from day one. It’s a great concept and has served us well as a nation. However, sometime between then and now the ballgame changed and all sorts of things went sour. Back in the early 90s, the Republicans pushed Bill Clinton to sign the NAFTA agreement. With NAFTA, American companies by the hundreds moved their manufacturing across the border into Mexico, creating jobs that pay poverty wages even by Mexican standards and_ creating Maquilladora (slum factory) towns that are run by whole new crime families. In the name of capitalism, free market and globalization, huge U.S. companies with the financial ability to relocate their manufacturing just picked up and left. In the aftermath, countless lives and communities we’re mortally wounded and in some cases entire towns shut down. When you’re a one industry town and get swapped off for a slave labor market, everyone is headed for big time problems. Say good bye to jobs, careers and retirements, insurance, Social Security contributions, etc. The city and school systems lose their tax base, not to mention police, fire, sewer and water, and social services. In general, all are compromised. This isn’t the self-cleaning oven we heard about earlier. This is more like a crematorium at the gates of hell. In addition, big industry allowed to utilize virtually a no cost environment returns its cheap goods back into the U.S. and destroys any and all former domestic competition. Little money is left on the table. It’s mostly crumbs. I know more than a few personally who relocated to Mexico in attempts to stay competitive. They feel this was their only alternative. Now ask yourself this: doesn’t this seem just a little weird to have to make your own product in a foreign country using the next thing to slave labor in order to sell competitively in your own nation? Later in the 90s, big U.S companies were no longer satisfied with their wind- falls out of Mexico. Paying Mexicans eight bucks a day was becoming exces- sive. Henceforth, enter China and the favored nation trading agreement. This treaty only passes by a couple votes. Nevertheless it did pass in the name of progress. It also signaled the beginning of the end for American manufacturing and just about everybody who make things to sell in the United States. This includes rebuilders. By the way, remember all those guys who initially moved their factories to Mexico once NAFTA was signed? The big boys are now packing up and leav- ing Mexico en route to Asia, India and primarily China. The Mexican govern- ment is really ticked. They thought NAFTA was a little more solid than it now appears. Of course, when cheaper labor and greater profits are involved who cares about deals and agreements? That’s become the American way and the foundation for our global popularity. Bottom line rules! According to CNN a couple nights ago, in June alone we lost 54,000 manufacturing jobs. Since July 2000, 2.7 million manufacturing jobs have vaporized. Millions of jobs, millions of parts, millions of dollars and millions of skill have and are hemorrhaging out of the United States. Of course, we don’t want the guys who deliver fruit, bever- ages or construction to pay more than $129 for a new 42MT. It will lower their earnings and hurt their feelings. Good reason to wreck the entire U.S. industrial infrastructure and wipe out rebuilding so ABC Fruit Delivery can buy a $129 slave made starter instead of a $180 domestic rebuilt where lots of folks benefit from the proceeds. I have been beating this same drum for more that a few years now. It sounds negative because it is negative. I don’t have to use nay of my own reasoning either. The facts stand on their own and are irrefutable whether you like them or not. The globalization and world mar- ket that American big business initiated and the U.S. government empowered was a bad idea for the overall nation from the get-go. This avenue which is embraced by a few but very powerful, greedy, self-centered, unnationalistic misfits is compromising the national security and individual well-being of almost every Ame