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Show The Salt Lake Tribune OPINION Monday, May 21, 2001 Al3 Media’s Mantra: Globalization Is Good, Anyone Who Opposes It Is Bad AUSTIN,Texas — A bizarre example of “‘fair and balanced” media covbec, Canada, in April. The first night of the trade summit, ABC spent four minutes covering the minimal violence created by a_tiny fraction of demonstrators, whereupon Peter Jennings came on and asked his correspondent: “What are these people protesting? Or are they just looking for a fight?”The correspondent replied comprehensively, 5 y're against capitalism.” So much for that argument. In this era of ur-capitalism, when free trade is equated with democracy, raising questions about the specifics of trade agreements, or even pointing out the downside of NAFTA,has become a media solecism, akin to wearing white shoes after Labor Day.It’s Just Not Done. But the newsies are behind the curve again: It’s actually quite chic among your forward-thinking multinational corporations to encourage labor and environmental protections . in new trade agreements. Haven't MOLLYIVINS from $10.8 to $22.8 billion. By 2000, the FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM whackos in a Nation article in late March:“Theonly whiff of sincerity is they sincerely wantfast track legislation with minimum cost to their bottom lines,”explained Daniel Seligman of the Sierra Club. The corporations have run up against the formidable political coalition stalling further trade agreements and are anxious to get aroundit. Hence, the sudden discovery that if corporations can insist on protective clauses for intellectual property rights and investor security, it’s quite difficult to argue against protective clauses for the environ- heard that? Neither have the media: They're still stuck on the old Tom mentand labor. Save the whales and the workers! Friedman script — Globalization is Good and anyone whoquestionsit is Bad, or as The Wall Street Journal so It’s interesting to see who gets it happily putit, “Luddite whackos.” Bill Greider analyzed this newfound corporate respect for Luddite Institute, NAFTA has eliminated 766,030 actual and potential U.S jobs. In 1993, the United States had a trade surplus with Mexico of$1.7 billion. By 1996, it was over $17.5 billion. The trade deficit with Canada increased and who doesn't on this issue. When NAFTAwassigned in 1993, we were told it would create 200,000 jobs in the first year alone. According to a recent study by the Economic Policy deficit with both countries had increased by 378 percentto $62.8 billion. As Jim Hightowersaid in his newsletter, “Corporate chieftains routinely use the back-door exit to Mexico as a threat to abandon workers and communities here unless the workers accept major pay cuts, give up health and pension benefits, speed up the workline and put in more hours.” On the other hand, The New York Times ran a long, touching front-page story this week aboutthe closing of a cotton, factory in Alabama and the devastatingeffects on the town andits people. One worker explained: “People came to work sick, people gave their all to keep it open, to keep up production. They thought it was their protection.” More than halfway into this long story comes one men- tion that NAFTA “wasa death knell for working people like the cotton millers in Jacksonville.” One common side effect is the downward pressure on wages,as fac- tory workers are forced into the lowpaying service Jobs. This in turn contributes to rising income inequality, another subject about which the American media donot talk. They're too busy with the Robert Blakestory. Here's a modest proposal: Fox compensationif the profit-making potential of their venture has been in- Newsregularly eats up mountains of time reporting foreign news with its in-depth segment,“Around the World in 80 Seconds.”I think they can get it down to less than 10: “This just in, newsstill bad.” This would free up 70 precious seconds for a report on the Doug Jones Average. The Doug Jones Average, an old businesses operating in their own countries. “In Mexico,” Greider reports, “a U.S. waste disposal company, Metalclad, was eeeast million in damages after te of San Luis Potosi blocked its wasteatte in the village of Guadalcazar. Local residents Hightower conceptto replace the Dow Jones, would report on how average ol’ Doug is doing today; up, down, complained the Mexican government anything Greenspan up to affecting was not enforcing environmental him? New trade treaties? How’s it by ‘ standardsand that the project threatened their water supply. Metalclad’s Doug? Anyone warned Doug about victory established that NAFTA’sdisChapter11? im reaches to subnaIf you still think Chapter 11 means pute mé governments, luding bankruptcy, you are not up on your tional municipalities.” trade treaties. The new and more horNoone knows how manyof these rible Chapter 11 (not the bankruptcy cases have beenfiled because there is law Congress just finished screwing no requirementto inform the public. up) is about government by corporaThe contesting parties, Grei retions. As Greider says, “Chapter11 is ports, choose the judges who will arthe smoking gun”thatproves we have bitrate, choose which issues and legal given up national sovereignty for corstriatapaici potrie porate rule. The evidence is in and bewhether the public has access to the comesclearer by the day. proceeding. It is assumed these disChapter11 of NAFTAestablished a putes are noneof the public’s businew system ofprivate arbitration for ness, even though public laws are unforeign. investors to bring injury der attack and taxpayers’ money will claims against governments. Under paythefines. the rules, foreign investors in any If I hated lawyers as much as country can bring suit against the George W. Bushhates lawyers,I'd step government and demand on that before it starts crawling. Senate Tricksters Pull a Fast One on HMO Reform BY MARIE COCCO WSDAY The longest-running case of insur- anée fraud has detoured into more deception. The trickery is a new measure ostensibly to protect patients in HMOs from medical decisions driven by interests in profit — not patients. Two Republican senators and Sen. John Breaux, D-La., every Republican’s favorite Democrat, say they want to break the logjam on Capitol Hill that has smiedHMOreform for. years. President Bush backs them, thumbing his nose ata bipartisan group from the House andSenate that has been trying these past months to come up with perfect gentleman. He had graciously refused to stand alongside Sen. John McCain whenthe Arizona Republican signed on with Sen. Ted Kennedy, DMass. McCain meant to signal to the White House and his party’s leadership that the country is sufficiently fed up and real protections must be enacted. Norwood was keento give his new presidenta chance. The rewardfor his gallantry is an audibleslapin theface. The White House favors a Trojan horse proposal that would not protect all insured Americans.It would trample, in particular, residents of states that already have tough patient pro- something the new president would tections by effectively substituting a flimsyfederal law. The truest measure ofthe sponsors’ bless. cynicism lies in the makeup of so- Rep. Charlie Norwood, R-Ga., the conservative architect of the original patient’s bill of rights, had been a called “external” panels that would first review HMOdecisions denying care. The panels would be empowered to decide whethera patiént had been wronged and could exercise what even then would be a constricted right to sue. These “external” reviewers would be chosen, and paidfor, by the HMOitself. “This bill protects HMOs, not pa- tients,” Norwood said in a furious statement.If it is brought before the House, he vowed, “I will personally exhaustevery effort to defeatit.” The White House issued its own four-paragraph statement supporting the brainchild of Sens. Bill Frist, RTenn., Jim Jeffords, R-Vt., and its best-friend Breaux. It used ‘the term “bipartisan” four times.It noted that “Congress has long been divided over this issue.” In fact, the divide has beenless between the parties than it has been between the Republican leadership and muchof its rank-and-file. The original — and toughest — patient-protection bill sponsored by Norwood and Rep. ofpoliticians will likely prove a more powerful motivator. Action is overdue.It is so long in comingthat HMO penny-pinching no John Dingell, D-Mich., passed the longer inspires late-night comics and House bya vote of275-151, with 68 Re- Hollywood scriptwriters. publicans bucking their leaders to Employers increasingly allow support it. That is about as bipartisan workers to sign upfor looser networks, as the roster for a good junket. of doctors who aren’t “inanaged” by In the Senate, some Republican 22-year-old bureaucrats at the end of a moderates supported Kennedy's ro- toll-free phone line. The cost of prebustprotectionbill, but it was blocked scriptions is a hotter public concern. by a weaker version put forward by Republican leaders. Now the Massa- Contrary to industry claims, managed chusetts Democrat has McCain andat care has not solved the conundrum of least three other Republicans publicly ever-rising health costs: For three in support, enough for passage in the straight years, costs have risen at evenly divided chamber. There are, rates more than double general inflaKennedy hints, more to come out of tion. This year, private consultants estimate an 1l-percent average inthe closet once theroll is called. “There are a lot of senators who crease in health-insurance premiums. There is, if anyone would care to understand this,” Kennedysaid. They understand, in any case, the look, a tangled mess ofproblems in the powerofa political issue that figured health-care system. It should be simin the defeatoffive of their colleagues ple to fix the HMOtroubles that a malast fall. The fortunes of stricken pa- jority of both houses of Congress tients left without proper care and agrees need repair. Simple, but onlyif without proper recourse have hereto- the tricksters are not allowed to comfore failed to win the day. The fortunes plicate things. TumYourComputerInto a Le StockaATool CLASS CLUB BOYS’ 8-20 SWIMWEAR features lari assortmento styles and colorsin sizes S-XL. Also available? Boys’ 4-7, 18.00. 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