Het Neoliberale Geloof 23

Darin Carey checks a roll at the New Page paper mill in Luke, MD. For years, the residents of this economically-distressed hollow in the Appalachians have watched textile mills, glass factories and tire makers close down one after the other. Now, its lone remaining big factory is threatened by imports of cheaper paper made in China. (Photo: Jeff Swensen / The New York Times)

Toen ik afgelopen zomer door duizenden kilomters door het Zuidwesten en Westen van de VS reed viel me op hoeveel fabrieken en bedrijven gesloten waren. Veel werk verdwijnt naar de lage lonen landen, waar arbeiders nog goedkoper zijn. Ziehier een voorbeeld van het neoliberale geloof en de globalisering. Kijken welk antwoord ons christelijke/socialistisch kabinet op deze ontwikkeling heeft.

De New York Times bericht:

'A Cry to Limit Chinese Imports Rings at Paper Mill
By Steven R. Weisman

Luke, Maryland - For years the residents of this economically distressed hollow in the Appalachians have watched textile mills, glass factories and tire makers close down one after the other. Now its lone remaining big factory - "the last man standing," as the production manager at the paper mill here put it - is threatened by imports of cheaper paper made in China.
"We're still the economic engine for this whole area," said Scott Graham, the production manager, referring to the river valley and forested hills surrounding the mill. "But our operations cannot compete with these below-cost imports."
It is a familiar story in the struggle of the American industrial base to cope with globalization, but this one may have a different ending.
The problems of paper mills here and elsewhere around the country have become a test case for a possible new confrontation between the United States and China, which many industry officials and members of Congress hope could lead to new tariffs on imports not only of Chinese-made paper but also of steel, furniture, textiles and plastics.
In coming weeks, the Commerce Department is expected to decide whether to impose duties on high-gloss paper known as "coated paper" - the kind made here in Luke - that is imported from China. Many trade specialists in Congress and in the industry expect it to do so. Indeed, China has gone to court to block the decision in advance.
If imposed, the duties would set an important precedent, reversing 20 years of settled American trade policy in which the United States refrained from making accusations that "nonmarket economies" like China were granting illegal subsidies. In its court case, China argues that changing that policy without legislation or a full regulatory hearing would be illegal.
The Bush administration's decision to face the issue of subsidies comes at a time of mounting pressure by Congress for a tougher stance on trade. With the American trade gap with China widening to a record $232.5 billion last year - roughly one-third of the entire deficit - Democrats say that if the Commerce Department does not act, they will pass legislation forcing its hand.
Many lawmakers say it is time to stop treating China with kid gloves, arguing that Beijing no longer deserves a free ride in which it benefits from a special exemption generally forbidden to Japan, Europe and other advanced industrial powers.
"I'm glad the administration is finally doing something," said Representative Sander M. Levin, a Michigan Democrat and chairman of the trade subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee. "They are beginning to recognize that there was an election last year."
The travails of the Luke mill are similar to those of other aging factories. But the NewPage Corporation, the company that owns the plant and is the largest producer of the high-quality paper, argues that it has hardly stood still in the face of foreign competition.
Mr. Graham, the production manager, whose grandfather helped pour concrete for the mill's old 600-foot smokestack, points out that in seven years, the mill has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in labor-saving computerized equipment while reducing its work force to 1,000 from 1,500 and increasing its output by a third.'

Lees verder: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/02/business/worldbusiness/02paper.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Of:
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/030207LB.shtml