well said, michaelr.

Brett, the impact of the US policies on the poorer workers of the world lies in its betraying the truth of what it had found. The Unions of the United States, as well as those of Europe, found the key to prosperity. By creating organizations and laws that allowed workers to share in the prosperity they created, a huge marketplace was created. The largest demographic, the workers, became the middle class. A lifestyle was created that a great deal of the world is still trying to emulate. The right move would have been to expand on this idea and spread it to other nations in the developing world. But the monied interests decided that instead of creating an ever expanding marketplace built on the idea that workers being able to buy the fruit of their labors, instead we would feed the existing markets on the backs of the poorer and more desperate workers of the world. And, sad to say, organized labor in the industrial nations of the world went to sleep. They became institutions instead of movements. They failed to reach out in solidarity with ALL workers of the world, preferring to stay at home and try to conserve what they had. Now, a new marketplace is emerging in China. Business interests have sold out any committment to the old industrial nations and its workers. Unions are scrambling to try and do something but they are a day late and a dollar short. We are saddled with unfair trade agreements that only serve to widen the gap between the richest and the poorest. Some workers in the developing world benefit, but most are just taken advantage of. And the rich keep getting richer.

Where is it all heading? Steadily towards strife, sad to say. I believe we are headed to a time when the majority will take things into its own hands. At some point the workers will rebel against the status quo. I hope it doesn't happen, but increasingly it looks like this is the way things will turn out in the years to come.

Mick