Forum Archive Index - October 2003

["David & Jill Stevenson" <djstevo@quicksilver.net.nz>]

Hi Macdunk,

                   You are quite right. On reflection I tend to defeat my own argument when I examine my own attitude towards the immediate position in NZ -- in the provinces and smaller towns. We have the Warehouse moving into the main streets and throttling the life-blood out of small family businesses arguing that they provide jobs for the young. Those traditional small one man businesses have not a hope of competing with the cheap imported  goods that the Warehouse displays.

Every one should be encouraged to follow their dream of having their own business no matter how modest. The Warehouse`s unnecessary, I believe, inroads into rural and dying towns is destroying those dreams .We are defeating our aims of breathing life back  into the provinces.

         In the wider argument, when Bush introduced increased farmer subsidies the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee said -"We stick up for our farmers --we work out what we feel is best for our producers and farmers ,not what is best for Germany,France,Brazil and China"  You and I macdunk would agree those are pretty honest and blunt words. A change from the political double-talk and waffle we are used to from politicians.

        But when you have other branches of US Government waffling on about relaxation of trade barriers an observer could reasonably ask  -yes, but whart exactly is the official position in light of these differing statements.

        We have a world becoming rapidly internationalised > Soon the only barriers existing will be trade barriers. What is the answer ? In the 18th and 19th centuries Colonialism dragged the then 3rd world screaming into the " real" "world . Now that Colonialism has been all but dismantled or is a PC dirty word what other agency do we use ?

        I realise some will argue these opinions are outside the province of shares . To a T/A  maybe . Not so to a F/A who can`t avoid history or looking into the future before the next person . Our`s are not kneejerk actions.

 

Regards

                       David S.