INTENSITY²
Politics, Mature and taboo => Political Pundits => Topic started by: driftingblizzard on January 17, 2007, 11:11:06 AM
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I recently discovered this article and petition dealing with exploitation by Corporations of workers. What is the best type of way to help those in that situation?
FOR EXAMPLE:
Each year, coffee companies make billions of dollars. Starbucks
alone earned almost $5.8 billion in net revenues during the
first three quarters of 2006.
Yet, for every cup of coffee Starbucks sells, poor farmers in
coffee-growing countries like Ethiopia earn only about $.03.
Even worse, while Ethiopian farmers grow some of the finest
name-brand coffees in the world - think Harar, Yirgacheffe, and
Sidamo - they don't see the premium profits those names command
among consumers.
Oxfam and a coalition of allies are asking Starbucks to sign
this agreement. According to one coalition member, control of
the name brands could increase Ethiopia's coffee export income
by more than 25 percent - or $88 million annually. This money
could go a long way to help lift millions of Ethiopians out of
poverty.
So please, help us convince Starbucks to sign this agreement
with Ethiopia. Poor farmers deserve a fair share of the profits.
http://act.oxfamamerica.org/campaign/starbucks_petition?rk=b1APf6S15SW-W
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every worker deserves a FAIR portion of what they produce.
besides, starbucks will only have to raise their prices by ten cents to break even (what they currently make). but of course they will raise their prices by twenty five cents.
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The only way the living standards of the world will improve is that free markets, democracy and the rule of law spread to those corners of the world which have none right now. The lesson of the last century show us that only liberal democracy and free market capitalism will bring prosperity to the world.
Don't diss me, but I want to help the world's poor, however I am a rationalist and realist, who has no time for the antics of the trendy.
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The only way the living standards of the world will improve is that free markets, democracy and the rule of law spread to those corners of the world which have none right now. The lesson of the last century show us that only liberal democracy and free market capitalism will bring prosperity to the world.
Don't diss me, but I want to help the world's poor, however I am a rationalist and realist, who has no time for the antics of the trendy.
I too, am a realist so we probably have a lot of other things in common too! Although I am usually accused of being a pessimist, I find that's what people think because I'm not a flaming optomist.
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the best way is to not shop at places that have a reputation for selling products produced by exploited people.
like walmart and target.
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Don't buy ANYTHING!! Capitalisim will colapse and we'll go back to a barter system and live in caves.
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I'd like to live in a cave.
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If I just could defend myself and get food, water and wood to always have a nice fire burning, I think it'd be OK. And a woman, of course. :eyebrows:
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If I just could defend myself and get food, water and wood to always have a nice fire burning, I think it'd be OK. And a woman, of course. :eyebrows:
wish granted, but your woman is the inflatable type.
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If I just could defend myself and get food, water and wood to always have a nice fire burning, I think it'd be OK. And a woman, of course. :eyebrows:
If you live in a cave, you defend youself by giving in to the desires of whoever is tresspassing at the time, then they will leave...
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Dammit. No cage life for me. :'(
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Dammit. No cage life for me. :'(
cave life or cage life, it could make a slight difference to someone with AS reading this.... ;D
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Oops, miswrote again. :o
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Oops, miswrote again. :o
you get used to it after a while.
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Been reading "no logo" and wondering this myself. Even Oxfam and the Body shop they say are screwing us over. Maybe all we can do is try to live our lives as normal, if we can't be sure of the human rights on everything we buy, at least try our best and boycott what we can?
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I just discovered this link and its kind of a neat idea. I cannot vouche for the integrity of the process, but wouldn't you like to give someone a sheep in your honey's name for valentines day? Or you could invest 50.00 in a famer friendly coffee coop and send the card to your boss.... The mind starts rolling with ideas. I think I might send the outhouse, now who to credit for that one?...Hmmmm
https://secure15.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=oxfam&BusType=BtoC&Count1=363964259&Count2=281104683&CategoryID=7&Target=products.asp
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I just discovered this link and its kind of a neat idea. I cannot vouche for the integrity of the process, but wouldn't you like to give someone a sheep in your honey's name for valentines day? Or you could invest 50.00 in a famer friendly coffee coop and send the card to your boss.... The mind starts rolling with ideas. I think I might send the outhouse, now who to credit for that one?...Hmmmm
https://secure15.nexternal.com/shared/StoreFront/default.asp?CS=oxfam&BusType=BtoC&Count1=363964259&Count2=281104683&CategoryID=7&Target=products.asp
Call me cynical if you must, but I smell a scam here. I'd like to believe that the money realy does help those who need it, but people have scammed for decades under the guise of charities like this. :-\
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who are more exploited than children?
i cannot believe that the makers of cookies get practically free labor by making girlscouts sell their wares door to door.
or all these other fundraisers for schools or athletics..
kids peddling these overpriced products and only seeing pennies on the dollar for some unecessary function.
kids are exploited and i suggest that no-one ever buy anything from a kid, who is selling anything door to door.
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I hate school fund raisers, and office sales by parents for their kids. I never buy stuff, and people think I'm anti-social for it.... But I think those programs are underfunded (fields trips, etc) and kids are made to do the work for what should be an enjoyable experience.
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I hate school fund raisers, and office sales by parents for their kids. I never buy stuff, and people think I'm anti-social for it.... But I think those programs are underfunded (fields trips, etc) and kids are made to do the work for what should be an enjoyable experience.
it is exploitation.
pure and simple.
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I hate school fund raisers, and office sales by parents for their kids. I never buy stuff, and people think I'm anti-social for it.... But I think those programs are underfunded (fields trips, etc) and kids are made to do the work for what should be an enjoyable experience.
it is exploitation.
pure and simple.
Yes, I agree, all the way around.
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I think that it should be a violation of child labor laws, making those little kids trudge door to door, trying to sell Girl Scout cookies or whatever.
It is a scam. Since they kicked my daughter out of Girl Scouts, it is not my problem anymore, but they encourage the little girls to take several cases of those Girl Scout cookies and whatever they can't sell, they expect their parents to buy from them. They are planning to take the girls horseback riding, which will be pretty expensive.
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i wonder if there are any articles which gives a breakdown of corporate profits vs how much the girls actually make per box.
also i would be interested in knowing a breakdown as to how much per hour the girls actually make for peddling these cookies or other forms of junkfood.
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The price of Girl Scout Cookies is set by each regional council, to be followed by all local troops, and therefore varies by region.
The profit from sales is divided amongst three levels within the Girl Scouts organization: the national Girl Scouts of the USA, the regional council, and the local troop of girls. Depending on the price of the box of cookies, the local troop typically receives between 45¢ and $1.
Taken from: http://www.answers.com/topic/girl-scout-cookies (http://www.answers.com/topic/girl-scout-cookies)
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http://www.killsometime.com/Video/video.asp?ID=131
it's worth it!