The reason the “economics” work so well with outsourcing jobs to China is because China is run by an atheist Communist government who routinely deny their citizens even the basics of human rights. They notoriously martyr christians of all sects and have forced the Christian churches in China underground.
I agree with some of your observations on China, but I think outsourcing in general is getting a bit off topic. You make some interesting points, though. Of course, outsourcing also creates US jobs and wealth, but not in same sectors it removes the jobs. This also begs the question are some industries simply doomed to die in the US? If so, what can we do better than the competion? Perhaps we should do less whining about outsourcing and find things we can do better than the off-shore competition. Also, would those foreign workers be working at all without the presence of the outsourcing? Are you equating all sweathops with outsourcing? I know when I call my internet provider, for example, I am likely to have someone from India answering my call. While this may annoy me for issues of clarity and communication, I don’t think I have any reason to suspect that they are indeed in a sweatshop. Maybe I should ask them next time my e-mail dies?
The entire reason for this thread, I thought, was that you said they were “Wal-Mart Bashing at Church” in your child’s youth group, right? You didn’t think it was the proper topic for a church youth group to discuss, right?
It seems like my last post was never read. Are you equating all outsourcing with sweatshops? I asked for verifiable and non-biased reports detailing the alleged sweatshops by Wal-Mart alone, but no one has posted anything. You’re re-hashing previous posts, but not responding to the substance of the response. No one is saying sweatshops are a good thing, we’re simply asking for evidence or a demonstrated link to support the sensational statements and allegations Wal-Mart bashers are prone to repeat…like a favorite mantra.
Not in a “church youth group” thats not allowing them thier own opinion at all, they almost always automatically assume because they learn it at church its GODS law.
John
I appreciate your suggestions… We sent a letter and a few follow-up notes to the priest and his pastoral assistant, but we never heard any response at all. We had a few minutes the other night to talk to the pastoral assistant, but there really has not been too much else in the way of acknowledgement of our concerns. I did drop an anonymous note to the Bishop’s Office and discussed it in general terms. His assistant expressed interest, but he said that more specifics were needed in order for him to have an opinion. As new Catholics, we don’t want to blow this out of proportion. We have a ministry opportunity, too, as we lead a discussion group on the CCC. If there is no further response, I’ll probably end the issue with a last letter. Anyway, thanks again for the post!
Well I think you should feel great because at least you did something, And yet it may appear nothing has happened or been done about it sometimes things work in the sidelines and out of sight,I am sure the Bishops office will get in touch with the parrish office to express a concern get the facts and maybe say next time use more caution in how you approach something of this nature, if this indeed is what happens than you were successful.
It does seem that you are out of touch with the human rights abuses that have been going on in China for decades. The whole world knows it and has known it for a very long time. These are not far-fetched ideas, they are well known historical facts.
I never defended anything going on in China. In fact, as a reader of the Voice of the Martyrs, I am well aware of the horible conditions for the Christian faithful there. What I asked (repeatedly) was verification that Wal-Mart alone has sweatshops in Asia. No one has provided verifiable sources indicating this, so I must conclude the possibility of simple rumor or fiction.
I will post one more comment and then I am going to unsubscribe to this thread because I don’t see any point in trying to convince someone of an injustice who simply does not want to be convinced.
Is Wal-Mart the only retailer purchasing clothes from China, or just the easiest target to go after? Last I checked clothing tags (not a pass time I like to engage in for too long), most of them say “Made in China”. In fact most everything says “Made in China”. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a tag somewhere on me that reads in block letters “Made in China”. Do you check the country of origin on all goods you buy? While that does sound entertaining, what are you accomplishing? What if it is made in the USA, but the parent company is in China? It seems I have heard examples of this. Anywho, I am not convinced that every single business in China is a sweatshop–maybe most, but not all.
We are already involved in an educational ministry. Thanks for the good suggestion!
Isn’t there some NT story about a guy who paid three workers different wages?
The people in China making those goods have raised their living standards considerably. They eat better, have better health care, get more education than before the recent production and trade surge.
Okay…I have another observation about the last sentence in this post. First of all, no one is saying that any kind of enslavement is a good thing, and I do believe we should be fighting against child labor abuses whenever they arise. (Again, the question is where is only Wal-Mart concealing these shops.) I also do agree that Christ has a special place in His heart for all children. (In fact, someone close to me once framed a prayer for a sick child this way before sprinkling the child with Holy Water, and the child’s pain vanished for the rest of the night.) The interesting thing here, though, is that you seem to be supporting Liberation Theology–not something supported by the current pope or his predecessor, as far as I am aware. Ephesians 6:5-9, Colosians 3:22, and 1 Peter 2:13 all seem to encourage the slave to not oppose his situation. I have to admit a degree of confusion about this. To a westerner, it is a kind of mystery. I suppose the bottom line, though, is to disregard one’s self and carry our cross in the same way Christ carried his up the hill. We don’t know what Jesus would exactly do in the situation to which you refer, because verses like those above make it clear that (to a significant extent, at least) our focus should be directed on things eternal and not temporal. Of course, that doesn’t mean we ignore wrongs, but I think it should give us reason to pause and consider with care before we make simple and questionable statements regarding what Christ would and would not do about our given laundry list of causes du jour.
Thanks for the kind words… Yes, I agree that our moral and religious principles should not be dependent upon a popular vote. Kind of reminds me of the “everyone else is doing it” argument.Writer, I just want to commend you on your patience with Seabird and you haven’t even addressed the statement about “60 million being right”. What? Just because someone says it is right does not make it right, look at all our separated Brethren, there are far more than 60 million of them and they are for sure wrong, or more accurately only have part of the Truth
Let us not use this argument to bolster our claims. I too have been waiting for the trusted source statistics on this subject and have seen none forthcoming.
Brenda V.
I just noticed the substance of this earlier post again and had to post a comment, or two. The idea that we should boycott Wal-Mart just because of the fact that some of its employees are on public assistance is pretty silly and leads to spurious conclusions regarding economics and the purpose of government. For example, when I began working for Oregon State government nearly a decade below, I also would have been eligible for public assistance, if I had chosen to apply for it. So what? In fact, SEIU (or one of its earlier incarnations), told us about how to apply for public assistance or wanted to hear from us if we were trying to do so, if I recall correctly. Guess what… SEIU is a supporter of this movie. Surprised? I’m not. I left the union recently after being sick and tried with their vitriolic drivel. The idea that state governments should require companies to have specific kinds of healthcare coverage might be okay in the long run, but it reminds me of communism just a bit. Here is a quote from the National Review article I mentioned a couple times.