Rep. Frank offers business a 'grand bargain'

[YankeyMCC]

(snip)
Representative Barney Frank has proposed in a series of meetings with business groups a "grand bargain" with corporate America: Democrats would agree to reduce regulations and support free-trade deals in exchange for businesses agreeing to greater wage increases and job benefits for workers.
(snip)

(snip)
"What I want to do is break that deadlock," Frank said in an interview. "A lot of policies that the business community wants us to adopt for growth are now blocked. On the other hand, the business community is successfully blocking the minimum wage and created a very anti union attitude in the Congress."

Frank proposes that if businesses support a minimum wage increase and provide protection for workers adversely affected by trade treaties, Democrats would be more willing to ease regulations and approve free-trade deals. Frank also would support changes to immigration rules favored by businesses, and noted that allowing more immigrants would put needed funds into the Social Security system.
(snip)

(snip)
"What we want to do is to look at public policies that'll get some bigger share of the increased wealth into wages, and in return you'll see Democrats as internationalists. . .. I really urge the business community to join us."
(snip)


http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/11/19/rep_frank_offers_business_a_grand_bargain/

I usually just post the articles I come across that I think people at DU will care about in LBN without or with very little comment. But I think this is a vitally important point in terms of how we as a progressive party pursue continued development and standard of living equity in this nation and globally. So I'm including here the LTTE that I wrote to the globe and plan to send to Rep Frank (though he's not my rep). I applaud his goals of reduced inequity in our economy but I fear his approach.

My LTTE:
I applaud Rep Frank's goals of reducing the magnitude of the inequity of standard of living between those in the working class and the affluent. (Rep. Frank offers business a 'grand bargain', http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/11/19/rep_frank_offers_business_a_grand_bargain/).

Rep Frank states; "A lot of policies that the business community wants us to adopt for growth are now blocked." Unfortunately unchecked growth is exactly what most threatens the welfare of us all. Continuing down the path that assume we can raise everyone up through continual expansion will not accomplish the laudable goal of reducing inequities in standards of living and providing social justice to those most in need.

All indications are that we are already living beyond our means in terms of natural resources, in fact the top 20% of the population in terms of monetary wealth are already using over 100% of the available natural resources in the world. According to Ecological Footprint analysis ("Our Ecological Footprint" Mathis Wackernagel & William Rees) the generalized US Citizen is already using 4 to 5 times their fair share of the productive resources of the Earth. And even within the US there is a large disparity in the EF of the affluent and the working and poor members of society. This means we would need three more planets in order to maintain even the standard of living for everyone in the US at their current levels (including those with unacceptable standards of living). If we continue to accept the assumption that the way to improve the standard of living for those in need is to promote growth as Rep Frank suggest where is that growth going to come from? Despite what many people think our society is not disconnected from nature, it remains the foundation of our civilization, and we are already building a massive ecological debt. Someday it will be paid.


I ask Rep Frank to carefully consider the deal he offers to business leaders. Indeed there and should be a partnership amongst us all to examine our current assumptions about how best to reduce inequity and provide a quality standard of living to all. Such an examination will provide us with clear ideas of how best to improve the lot of individuals, businesses, and most importantly that of our children and their grandchildren.

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Sorry Barney - Free Trade Ain't Free

C'mon folks, use your heads:

If we increase wages in the US, and, at the same time, make it easier to import goods from countries that pay $3 a day - like China - we'll simply increase imports from China.

Sounds like my Representative has drunk the DLC Kool-Aid. So sad.

[Warpy]

4. No, he just realizes the carrot/stick approach is the only one

that will work at all. Corporations have their tentacles into both parties and the long term economic prognosis is very grim if things continue as they are. Frank is just trying to find a way that doesn't involve depression.

I'm afraid he'll be disappointed, though, because of the nature of that personhood corporations were endowed with by a dimwitted clerk at the USSC too many years ago.

Of course, corporate persons are psychopaths, without guilt, remorse, empathy or compassion. Allowing them any position within government is a bad, bad mistake. We know that. I'm afraid it's going to take having this whole GOP/supply side scam play out to its logical end to change things.

Some people have to learn the hard way, even when the hard way involves being smacked between the eyes with the butt of a two by four that they should have seen coming. I'm terribly afraid this is one of those times.

I wish Frank success in getting the minimum wage raised. It will temporarily relieve much suffering out there. However, the remedial work this country needs will not occur until this country is desperate and the rich fear revolution.

[sandnsea]

2. Listen to Jon Tester, Barney

When you don't add labor rights and other fair regulations to trade bills, you just lose more jobs overseas. No more negotiating with the business wing, we've given them too much already.

[LynnTheDem]

3. Wow that's a really "grand bargain"!

IF you're a really stupid MFer. Like a rightwingnut.

[w4rma]

5. Et tu, Barney Frank? (nt)

[Greyhound]

6. Corporatism allowed to run rampant has resulted in the "L" curve...

http://www.lcurve.org/

This was brought into DU a few days ago and pretty well shows why there is no compromise that will be at all beneficial. Our income and wealth distribution has become so unbalanced that any give and take proposition will yield no tangible results.

[gulliver]

7. That actually sounds good to me.

But let's see the details. Good business is good for America. I would like to see a verifiable bargain struck between the citizens of the United States and the businesses that operate in their country. That's just good government, IMO.

[ulysses]

8. erm...Barney?

Wage increases and job benefits don't mean much if your job gets outsourced.

No.

[Justice]

9. I was in the audience for this speech. He was awesome.

His comments were very focused on improving the middle classes share of the wealth. Really tremendous speech.