From: Michael Hoover <hoov-AT-fn3.freenet.tlh.fl.us> Subject: M-I: Economic freedom (fwd) Date: Sat, 25 Jan 97 18:23:34 18000 Forwarded message: > Date: Fri, 24 Jan 1997 23:44:44 -0800 (PST) > From: Michael Eisenscher <meisenscher-AT-igc.apc.org> > Subject: Economic freedom > To: Recipients of conference <labr.party-AT-conf.igc.apc.org> > > > >WHEN "ECONOMIC FREEDOM" BARS CHEWING GUM > > By Norman Solomon / Creators Syndicate > > > >America's top business newspaper has put out a fascinating document called > >the 1997 Index of Economic Freedom. It's a thick book that illuminates the > >priorities of Wall Street Journal editors, who teamed up with the influential > >Heritage Foundation to rank the countries of the world. > > > >So, which sovereign nation scored highest in economic liberty? > > > >The answer: Singapore. > > > >In Singapore, the indexers of "economic freedom" have seen the future, and > >it works: "an efficient, strike-free labor force...no minimum wage...no > >antitrust regulations." > > > >But some significant facts go unmentioned. For instance, chewing gum has > >been illegal in Singapore since 1992. The government recently reaffirmed > >the ban and warned citizens that ordering gum from foreign mail catalogs > >could bring a year in jail and a fine of $6,173. > > > >The crackdown came after authorities blamed wads of gum for jamming > >subway doors. Evidently, the visionary leaders of Singapore have realized > >that people can't have economic freedom and chew gum at the same time. > > > >Nor do financial liberties on the Asian island extend to anyone who might > >want to buy or sell -- or read -- a copy of Watchtower magazine. The > >Jehovah's Witness religious group and its literature have been banned in > >Singapore for a quarter of a century. > > > >Throughout last year, at least 40 Jehovah's Witnesses were behind bars in > >Singapore for refusing military service on religious grounds. Amnesty > >International calls them "prisoners of conscience." Dozens of other > >Jehovah's Witnesses spent weeks in jail for "peacefully exercising their > >right to freedom of expression." > > > >The unfettered commerce that dazzled the "economic freedom" indexers > >does not include the exchange of ideas or information. As the Associated > >Press reported last spring, Singapore "has some of the world's strictest > >media controls." > > > >And Singapore's methods of punishment remain harsh. Brutal caning is > >mandatory for vandalism and 30 other crimes. Death by hanging awaits > >those caught with 500 grams of marijuana. As you might guess, dictator Lee > >Kuan Yew has scorned "decadent" notions of civil liberties. > > > >Ranked just behind Singapore -- and also classified as "free" in the Index of > >Economic Freedom -- is Bahrain. The small Persian Gulf country wins > >profuse accolades: "a free-market economic system...no taxes on in-come or > >corporate profits...no capital gains tax...few barriers to foreign in- > >vestment...a vibrant and competitive banking market with few government > >restrictions." > > > >Overall, in Bahrain, "businesses are free to operate as they see fit." To > >investors, that's high praise indeed. But you wouldn't know from the report > >that Bahrain is a traditional monarchy. Long ruled by the al-Khalifa family, > >it's a nation that gives plutocracy a bad name. > > > >A royal decree abolished Bahrain's parliament 22 years ago, and since then > >the government has suppressed dissent. During the mid-1990s, several > >thousand people were arrested for pro-democracy street protests. Amnesty > >International notes that Bahrain's recent political detainees have included > >"children as young as 10." > > > >In Bahrain, the past year has brought "large-scale and indiscriminate > >arrests," says Human Rights Watch. "Serious, extensive and recurrent > >human rights abuses continued in the form of arbitrary detention, abusive > >treatment of prisoners and denial of due process rights." Torture has been > >common. But "there were no known instances of officials being held > >accountable." > > > >Clearly, political tyranny can be quite compatible with the kind of > >economic order favored by folks at The Wall Street Journal and the > >Heritage Foundation. The touting of countries like Singapore and Bahrain is > >proof that one-dimensional fixations are foolish -- and dangerous. > > > >Despite persistent efforts by some media outlets and think tanks, it's not > >possible to credibly separate the flow of money from the exercise of power. > >Every day, much of the real world is buffeted by a political version of the > >golden rule: Those who have the gold make the rules. > > > >All too often, terms like "economic freedom" get defined in ways that just > >so happen to favor the interests of the wealthy few. In the process, such > >definitions set aside democratic values. > > > >Inadvertently, the 1997 Index of Economic Freedom renders a valuable > >public service. It shows that narrow concepts of "economic freedom" can be > >catastrophic for genuine human freedom. -- --- from list marxism-international-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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