Chavez doesn't understand inflation

[Whoha]

Originally posted by Agathon
Funny how right wing nut bars harp on about free trade and the free movement of goods, yet they balk at Mexicans wanting to freely offer their labour to US employers.

If you really want a free market, then you have to accept free movement of labour.

Have anyone in mind that supports free trade, yet opposes immigration? I suppose the "free movement of labor" quote is weasel worded enough to catch a few people who support greatly expanded lawful immigration.

[Imran Siddiqui]

He does, Whoha, have a point (it happens) that if free movement of capital is being advocated, free movement of labor should also follow for a TRUE free market. Otherwise, immigration limits are just a trade barrier.

I'm for both free movements, btw .

[Whoha]

I'll just say in support of everyone who is for trade and greatly expanded lawful immigration, that a communist philosophy professor's views on perfect idealized capitalism may not actually be workable in the real world.

[Dinner]

I'd gladly support the free movement of labor for all NAFTA states. Let anyone in North America work any where in North America.

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by Oerdin
I'd gladly support the free movement of labor for all NAFTA states. Let anyone in North America work any where in North America.

Indeed

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Whoha
I'll just say in support of everyone who is for trade and greatly expanded lawful immigration, that a communist philosophy professor's views on perfect idealized capitalism may not actually be workable in the real world.

Well neither is really "free movement of capital" either. Have you seen the restrictions in NAFTA? It's kind of an abstraction, really. Lots of people like to speak of the free movement of capital or free trade, but don't really seem to take into account the flip side, which is the free movement of labor (after all, of the three parts of the production function, only land is inherently geographically fixed).

[Heraclitus]

This is very true, free movement of labour is vital to any attempts at real "free trade".

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Proteus_MST


Or Jörg Haider from the FPÖ in Austria

It could be worse. He could be the Hessian Hitler, Roland Koch.

[Ben Kenobi]

Have anyone in mind that supports free trade, yet opposes immigration? I suppose the "free movement of labor" quote is weasel worded enough to catch a few people who support greatly expanded lawful immigration.

I support both, so I wouldn't count. I see immigration and free trade as beneficial to the US, and an important predicate for prosperity.

[Whoha]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
Well neither is really "free movement of capital" either. Have you seen the restrictions in NAFTA? It's kind of an abstraction, really. Lots of people like to speak of the free movement of capital or free trade, but don't really seem to take into account the flip side, which is the free movement of labor (after all, of the three parts of the production function, only land is inherently geographically fixed).

That falls under his ideas of perfect idealized capitalism to be fair.

And I do know about the restrictions in nafta, but I also know that we run massive trade deficits with both countries. There is little to complain about if one supports free trade.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Whoha
That falls under his ideas of perfect idealized capitalism to be fair.

And I do know about the restrictions in nafta, but I also know that we run massive trade deficits with both countries. There is little to complain about if one supports free trade.

Well it's not just HIS ideas of perfect idealized capitalism . I think Adam Smith (the original, not the post) wouldn't object to that either in his idealized capitalism.

I don't know if I'd say there is a "little to complain" about if one supports free trade. True, it is better than the alternative, but there are some pretty bad trade restrictions, namely on sugar and lumber that hurt American consumers, and the second one makes the Canadians mad.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Heraclitus
This is very true, free movement of labour is vital to any attempts at real "free trade".

That just goes to show how free trade can not work, since labor is not very free moving at all.

Also, Adam Smith would likely have a very different opinion in the very different modern world. He has to be considered in context to the world he lived in.

[Dinner]

The EU has free movement of labor (except for the new members who have to wait a few years before they get free movement as well).

[Saras]

New members can move freely around, except in countries which shose to have a transitional period for full freedom of labour movement. As a result, we lost 10- 15% of our total population to UK & Ireland

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Oerdin
The EU has free movement of labor (except for the new members who have to wait a few years before they get free movement as well).

I meant as in for an efficient market (like money), not legally. Sorry.