4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 7, 2004 OP/ED Ulbe Etchtim &dIu 420 MAYNARD STREET ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 letters@michigandaily.com EDITED AND MANAGED BY STUDENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SINCE 1890 LOUIE MEIZLISH Editor in Chief AUBREY HENRETTY ZAC PESKOWITZ Editorial Page Editors Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the majority of the Daily's editorial board. All other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Micpigan Daily. NOTABLE QUOTABLE It's just amazing to know that I'm going to have something new that will be a quarter my dad." - Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, on being pregnant, as reported yesterday by the website ananova.com. SAM BUTLER T'lE -SoApB x hnad z, CC r - 1+ e m h,4 -PYr~Y rX A 4 Go back to your country HUSSAIN RAHIM NARCOLEPIC INSOMNIA s someone who fancies himself an international travel- er, maybe not in actual trav- eling sense but more in spirit and hope of actually seeing most of the world one day, the events that transpired over the vacation were of great importance to my global exploits and me. While getting ready to travel shortly after the break, there was noth- ing but comforting terrorist threats and the rain- bow vision of the Homeland Security Advisory System. Watching Tom Ridge ramble in circu- lar arguments about how this could be the most dangerous time since Sept. 11 was not what I needed. Nothing gets you ready to travel like reading a report on surface-to-air shoulder mis- siles. That's grounds for a Red Alert if I've ever seen one. And to sweeten the pot, the Bush administration decides to capture Saddam after months of floundering right on the eve of my vacation, raising new heights of paranoia. All these painstaking efforts are made to assure American safety but what the result ends up providing is more anxiety for the American people and the global population as well. In fact ,since every terrorist attack has occurred over- seas since Sept. 11 we are reasonably safe here. However, keeping with my "citizen of the world" attitude this is a disturbing trend. At a time when the very concept of free trade and international relationships are continuously being questioned, the last thing needed are valid reasons for countries to retreat into an isolation- ist mindset again. The rash actions and military parading of the Bush administration are dangerous to place outside of Texas and even America. The image of American troops parading Saddam Hussein around is the kind of photo-op the shamelessly self-aggrandizing Bush administration makes no qualms in engaging in. But the myopic view of the government keeps the country engaging in ridiculously unilateral short-term solutions that only deepen this international quicksand. The number of attacks on coalition troops decreased from November to Decem- ber, but is now on the rise again for January. The short-term rallying effects and opinion- poll increases that these photo-ops create con- tinue to send folded flags back to families across America and well, since it's a "coalition force," families across the world. And there is Afghanistan, the orphan child that sits in the corner all but forgotten. The only coverage comes with the next mass mur- der explosion. No one really remembers what the goal was over there and this is reflected clearly through the Pentagon's recent decision. In what appears to be military minutiae, the administration has blurred the distinctions between each engagement. In rewarding our soldiers medals for their service, troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have both been given something called the Global War on Terror Expeditionary Medal. So wait, does that mean Iraq wasn't about weapons of mass destruction? Was a war on ter- ror also? (And what exactly happens when you win such a war? Is no one ever afraid again?) Anyway, this has obviously enraged military personnel since they would like to think of their efforts as individually recognized contributions and not a mass lump in the Bush imperialization squad. Even those who served in World War II received individual medals for their missions. Soldiers in the Vietnam and Korean Wars who all fought under the banner of anti-Communism in what I imagine today would be called the War on Ideology received specific accolades for their sacrifice. And the Pentagon refuses to rec- ognize any distinction between the two. Maybe because it's all a big fight against the dirty A- rabs so it doesn't seem all that different to the parties that decide it all. It might seem small but it bothers me. This is representative of the lack of definitive foresight and honest disclosure between the Bush cabal and the world public, who are really just mildly engaged participants in Bush's world-shaping game. Hopefully after graduation as I establish my roots in the post-Michigan era I can engage in some of the world touring I have planned actively throughout my undergrad and random daydreams. I can't honestly hope that the vision of our supposed leaders becomes a bit more extroverted and encompassing than what we are seeing now. This administration is utterly immutable but I can at least hope that the path we have been set down is not irreversible. Rahim can be reached at hrahim@umich.edu. VIEWPOINT Rejecting the protectionist ruse BY SUHAEL MOMIN AND ZAC PESKOWITZ Lost service jobs. Lost textile jobs. Jobless recovery. Bangalore call centers. Chinese bras. Free trade has come under increasing attack in the past several months from the political estab- lishments of both major parties. President Bush has imposed import quotas on foreign steel, a measure which was eventually repealed, and tar- iffs on textiles. More than 10 years after coura- geous bipartisan stewardship led to the establishment of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the 2004 Democratic candidates are taking a new approach to trade. After a decade of widespread international economic growth, fueled in part by globalization and international economic integration, many leading Democrats have had enough. On Jan. 4, Rep. Dick Gephardt of Missouri attacked frontrunner Howard Dean of Vermont, saying, "Howard, you were for NAFTA ... you were for the China agreement ... it's one thing to talk the talk, you've got to walk the walk." Candidates are now sparring about who has the best record of opposing NAFTA and similar free trade agreements. Others have challenged the value of free trade in the context of globalization. In yesterday's New York Times, Sen. Charles Schumer (D- N.Y.) and Paul Craig Roberts, a Reagan adminis- tration Treasury official, penned an op-ed which argued that the fundamental logic of free trade was no longer relevant in a global economy. Advances in communications technology and rapid increases in the educational attainment of the underdeveloped world's population, the authors wrote, have made free trade an economic disaster for the United States. They call for "new thinking and new solutions" on trade. In actuality the vague strategy that Schumer and Roberts pro- pose closely resembles the pet initiatives of the intellectually chic "strategic traders" of the 1980s, Robert Reich, Clyde Prestowitz, Lester Thurow and others, attempted to implement protectionist industrial and trade policies. While a host of theo- retical models and empirical evidence questioned the validity of these policies at the time, the past decade of economic history has completely dis- credited their arguments. Protectionism, even if narrowly tailored and temporary, inevitably cre- ates market distortions that will punish the U.S. economy. The Chicago Tribune recently reported Bryan, Ohio, "The Candy Cane Capital of the World," detailing the migration of candy cane production facilities and jobs from the United States to Mexico. The cause? The artificially inflated cost of sugar, which fetches 21 cents per pound in the United States versus 6 cents per pound on the world market. Trade barriers rever- berate throughout the economy, resulting in eco- nomic hardship and the loss of U.S. jobs. More importantly, the economic growth of China and India, much of which has been made possible by the United States' relatively liberal trade regime, has given the hope of economic opportunity to hundreds of millions. The moral imperative to lift billions of individuals from the grip of poverty mandates that the developed world open itself to the free exchange of goods and services. While much of the political estab- lishment agitates for more protection, the real challenge facing the United States is the reconcil- iation of political pressures with the elimination of barriers to trade. Unfortunately, few are willing to face this challenge. Many politicians on both sides of the free trade debate are on the same side of the fence when it comes to agriculture. Despite all the rhetoric about liberalizing trade, agricul- ture continues to be highly subsidized. The aver- age American farmer receives $20,800 in government subsidies. More than $3 billion is spent on subsidizing cotton in the United States, creating an artificial advantage over West African cotton farmers. As a result, the United States con- trols 40 percent of the world cotton market. With- out subsidies, Africans would be able to produce cotton at about 65 percent of the price American farmers do. As a result of similar policies, the developing world is marginalized from agricul- tural sectors, unable to profit from its natural advantage. If agricultural trade was truly free, these nations would finally be able to produce and sell their cheaper goods on the market, pro- viding much-needed export revenue and employ- ment. Furthermore, by dropping subsidies, the world would save the $200 billion it spends to prop up inefficient farming. The expiration of the WTO's farm subsidies "peace clause" on Dec. 31 makes this a propitious moment to begin disman- tling these barriers to trade. In 1990, Harvard Business Prof. Michael Porter wrote "The Competitive Advantage of Nations," a work on industrial policy and eco- nomic geography. Porter elegantly argued that the presence of imports force firms to innovate and compete, a defense of free trade that squares perfectly with the much-feared pressures of globalization. Countless examples, from German printing presses to Japanese robotics to U.S. advertising, verify that vigorous competition from foreign imports reinforces and sustains eco- nomic strength. Free trade and the continuation of U.S. economic strength are not mutually exclusive. Until political actors are genuinely committed to this reality, the possibility of eco- nomic growth in the underdeveloped world and the process of "creative destruction" vital to the economic prospects of the developed world are unnecessarily endangered. Momin is a member of the Daily's editorial board and an LSA sophomore. Peskowitz is editorial page editor and an LSA junior. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 'U' should do more to help students shop for textbooks To THE DAILY: In case you didn't know already, you can purchase your textbooks online, in many cases for much cheaper than they charge at University bookstores. I was not aware that Shaman Drum Bookshop and other University bookstores have become a monopoly bent on "exclusive rights." This was related to me from a Shaman Drum employee, when I was browsing their books the other day. You see, what I normally do when Ulrich's, Michigan Book and Supply and Shaman Drum together. It could publish this list and students could then use this to shop around, but I assume it is because either "this is the way it has always worked," or someone somewhere is getting a cut of these bookstores' profits. I cer- tainly know it isn't me. As a graduating student, I thought I would relate this injustice to my fellow students. I know that when I arrived at this university, online shopping was not as big as it is now, and I think times have to change accordingly. JEFF WOELKER Rackham ular interception. At safety, he was and is a showboating liability; at least when he played corner, he depended on All-Big Ten safeties to bail him out. It wasn't lost on me that Michi- gan's secondary was far more effective and consistent when Jackson wasn't playing! Same goes for Braylon Edwards on offense: phe- nomenal athlete, completely undependable in the clutch. Braylon, if you want to go pro, you must remember to catch the ball when you're wide open in the red zone, especially in the Rose Bowl when the ball hits you in the hands! And Edwards' attitude is arguably worse than Jackson's, if such a thing is possi- ble. One week. he makes a oretty catch and ,: