Showing posts with label south korea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label south korea. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
The Washington Post editorializes against Senator Clinton for opposing a free trade agreement with South Korea. I am no economist, but incredibly wary of any "free trade" deal negotiated by the Bush administration. We always get these pie in the sky pronouncements about how this time the agreement doesn't suck. This time they are going to actually be serious about retraining workers who lost their jobs. This time environmental and labor concerns will be addressed. This time there will not be loopholes that you could drive a semi truck through.
Enough already. These free trade agreements aren't promoted for the benefit of workers but corporations. It's a trickle down philosophy. Workers may incidentally benefit in some fields from the deal, but that is not why it's being promoted. Some business interests want to exploit the market in a certain way, so the middle class American worker is being taken along for the ride with vague promises that have been empty in the past.
If there ever is a free trade agreement that workers in both countries really like, but the fortune 500 companies are squeamish about, we can talk. Opening up trade has too long been a code for making workers compete with each other for scraps in wages. Those who want support of "free trade" agreements have the onus on them by now to prove it's otherwise.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
The South Korean government is to provide free bodyguards to students who are being targeted by violent bullies.
The bodyguards, who may be police officers or security guards, will accompany students to their classroom.
"We are going to try to protect the student who is being bullied and find out who is doing the bullying" said education official Park Jung-hee.
It would be a great idea for America, but there aren't enough police officers to go around with the amount of brutalization of teen-agers done here through the hallowed hallways of our local educational establishments. We would have to dip into the security guard pool to protect every child. Let's be honest and admit school is embarassing enough without having Gary Coleman protecting you against a real life Gooch.
It's a good idea actually. There is a point when rites of passage become torture, and South Korea which has a much lower issue with bullying has decided not to let it escalate it further to becoming out of control.
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