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 ARIFFS and TRADE Loans (termed 'rescue packages') from the International Monetary Fund to countries such as Indonesia, are tied to the elimination of import taxes (tariffs) on food staples (i.e., rice, wheat). Local farmers cannot compete in this so-called 'free trade' with Western agribusiness, such as Cargill Corporation. But 'agribusiness in the West, especially the United States and Europe, has produced their famous surpluses and export power only because of high tariff walls and massive domestic subsidies. The result has been a monopoly on humanity's staples.' [John Pilger, The New Rulers of the World, page 23.] What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander vs. One man's meat is another man's poison. TRAFFICKING (human): How does this illegal flesh trade in sex and sweat shops manage to remain safely hidden from authorities yet be readily accessible for its customers? Quantifying the problem, at least in the United States, (as suggested by a Washington Post article on the subject) deflects the question, implying Trafficking in the USA is either a minor problem (no pun intended) or that its resolution is difficult if not impossible, for murky cultural reasons. |