WHAT I'M READING: REGULAR PEOPLE THINK ABOUT GLOBALIZATION AND TRADE

From inside the DC political process it's easy to lose sight of what regular people think about the issues that shape our lives and our world. Here is what regular Americans think about globalization and its politics.

Of note:

Labor and Evironmental Standards, Human Rights

93% say international trade agreements should be required to maintain minimum standards for protection of the environment.

93% say international trade agreements should be required to maintain minimum standards for working conditions.

87% say, "American companies that operate in other countries should be expected to abide by US environmental standards;" 89% say they should abide by US health and safety standards for workers.

64% were not convinced that "Some countries with poor human rights records are major trading partners for the US. If we get involved in trying to promote human rights in these countries we may irritate them and we may lose their trade."

81% say "While we cannot expect workers in foreign countries to make the same wages as in the US, we should expect other countries to permit wages to rise by allowing workers to organize into unions and by putting a stop to child labor."

Given a choice of a garment not made in a sweat shop, or a slightly cheaper garment of unkown origins, 61% would buy the non-sweatshop garment.

In Whose Interest?

49% say US Government officials give too much consideration to the concerns of multinational corporations in making decisions about trade policy.

77% say US Government officials give too little consideration to the concerns of American workers in making decisions about trade policy.

70% believe: "Family farming is an American way of life that should be maintained. Subsidies are the only way that small family farms can compete with large agribusiness and imports from low wage countries...People should have food available to them that was locally grown. Locally grown foods taste better and lead people to have a larger share of fresh foods in their diet. Without subsidies most of our food would be grown far away, even in foreign countries."

44% say NAFTA has been less positive than promised by US government officials. (30% say the effects of NAFTA have been as promised).

69% say the WTO tends to think about what's best for business, not what's best for the world as a whole.