Christine Lagarde. the head of the International Monetary Fund, wrote recently that the global economy is improving and should be stronger in 2017. She notes however that there are losers in the international struggle for wealth because “technological progress and winner-take-all markets are widening income inequality within many countries, even as global incomes are converging. In major advanced economies over the past two decades, the top 10 percent of earners’ incomes increased by 40 percent, while incomes for those at the bottom grew only modestly.” She does not say that the global actions of multinational corporations are beyond the control of any one state government but it is implicit it her reasoning because she does say “that there are several steps countries can take to address inequality”. In other words, the free global money-making operations of multinational corporations are good for the rich but since they are beyond any government’s control, governments must individually do several things to help the situation anyway. States should “increase their direct support for lower-skill workers...affected by automation and outsourcing”. State governments “should increase their public investments in health care services, education and skills training”. States should provide “ lifelong education to prepare current and future generations for fast-changing technologies”. She also cites the need for “affordable child care, parental leave, access to health care,,,, workplace flexibility...tax reforms and legal minimum wages to support lower income earners...etc”. Madame Lagarde, a French national, is absolutely right. The states are the only defense possible against the negative influences of economic globalism. If only the states around the world had plenty of money there would be no problem! The foxes could break into any chicken coop they wished and there would always be someone there fighting to protect the chickens! It doesn’t work like that. She is right that the states should provide welfare for their citizens bur states as they are now structured have too many obligations and responsibilities for their taxes besides providing welfare. They need to restructure themselves by joining politically with other states to get rid of most of their present governmental responsibilities. States need to help one another if they are to become lean and mean enough to fight successfully the greed and inhumanity of multinational corporations.
Daniel McNeill
Click on the URL to read “Young in the 40s and 50s in Somerville and Boston”: www.usoftheworld.com/autobiography
Click on the URL for a display of Daniel McNeill’s books: www.amazon.com/author/graceisall
No comments:
Post a Comment