Corruption in America
by Gary C. Huber
Globalization
12/31/02
As you can see by my previous articles, Falling Star and Black Hole, NAFTA is bringing down America and destroying our people's lives and families. It was supposedly for the benefit of all people and countries around the world, but if congress had reasonable time to read the fine print they would have realized the consequences we would face.
There are 20 to 30 million Americans starving today. The reason for this is most of these people have low-income jobs, have to pay rent and can't afford food. These people face eviction and eventually wind up on the street. A survey of 27 cities published in the United States Conference of Mayors' annual report dated December 2001 showed an increase of 23 percent in people asking for emergency food and an average increase of 13 percent in people asking for emergency housing relief. Of the adults asking for emergency relief, 37 percent were employed (Source: Human Rights Record of the United States in 2001(03/11/02), www.china-embassy.org).
To make up for the loss in tax revenue that would have come from these corporations, our state leaders are taking away vital programs. State funds are being cut from schools and hospitals, and clinics are shutting down. Furthermore, programs for our mentally ill children are being closed. In California alone we have 27,645 children in the national program called "3632" that provides psychological care for special education children, which is closing (Source: Mental Health Funds for Youths in Jeopardy, Los Angeles Times, 6/19/02, p. B4. .
What we should do is raise our tariffs on incoming goods from other countries and reduce or wave corporate taxes temporarily to entice them to move their plants back to America, and promote American products to keep the money here.
Anti-globalization is growing and if enough people speak out, we may be able to stop it before it destroys more lives. Don't wait until globalization hits home, your time is sure to come. For more information, visit Mobilization for Global Justice, www.globalizethis.org.
