World Politics
Circa 1982 a friend and I were having a conversation about world politics. He was an economist, bean counter and I was an engineer. We both worked for a multinational corporation that employed close to 10,000 people in three plants in our area. Knowing nothing about economic policy, I felt fully qualified to discuss the subject of trade with him.
His stand was that since Nixon had visited China, relations with that country would thaw and we would start to have business with the Chinese. His theory was that we would try to raise the economic status of the Chinese and thus avoid conflict and lower the cold war tension and the possibilities for war. After all, a person with a full belly and change in his pocket would be less belligerent and try to make more economic gains. My theory was that he was full of condensed nonsense clear up to his eyebrows.
Since that time all three plants have been shuttered and the 10,000 jobs have disappeared and have gone to India, Mexico, and yes, China. You can decide for yourself which of us was correct.
Dal Wolf, Naples
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