NationStates Jolt Archive

RECOGNIZING that many corporations CUT COSTS in the labor department in order to make their STOCK raise a FRACTION of a percent,

RECOGNIZING we are all HUMAN BEINGS, each and every one of us,

AWARE that there are MILLIONS of CHILDREN and MILLIONS of ADULTS FORCED to take jobs as farmers in THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES located in our REGIONS and around the WORLD,

AWARE that these adults and children make LESS then $100 dollars (or it’s equivalent) PER YEAR, and that much of that MONEY is STOLEN by DRUGLORDS,

The Republic of Jaminme is proud to present the following solutions to prevent, and help eliminate unfair trade, a process where millions of human being in different countries are forced to work as farmers in unsafe conditions just to support their families:

1) Many companies already offer some fair trade products; products that are sold that ensure the laborers are fairly compensated for their work. Companies who do offer fair trade will receive tax benefits and grant’s to further fair trade.

2) A tax of 50% of 1% of the income made by all United Nations to be collected by the UNFTC (United Nations Fair Trade Committee. This is already established in Jaminme with over 100+ nations represented to discuss the fair trade process and how to develop it further) to be used to issue more grants and to establish a safe working environment (see next).

3) The creation of a fair trade community in third world countries in various regions. The community would include electricity, running water, living space, food, and protection. The tax (50% of 1% of the countries income, which will be in the thousands and hundreds of thousands per country) will be used to fund this operation, and any over-expenditures will be footed by Jaminme or donating nations.

4) Fair trade products (such as coffee, sugar, and other agricultural products) to be used in the UN building, her offices, and a major push for those product’s to be used in the government buildings of the countries of the United Nations.

You can vote for this resolution, and help bring it to the attention of ALL nations in the United Nation’s by approving it, and getting some of your delegate friends to do the same, or, you can let it slip by, and let hundred’s of thousand’s of people die every year.

I urge you to debate this resolution with your region. All nations make sure you bring it to the attention immediately of your delegate if you agree with what was stated here today.

I will end with a quote by Bob Chase of SERV International at a recent Fair Trade convention:

"When people become economically empowered, they gain political and social power. Many of the groups that we work with do more than just produce crafts; they're involved in community development, health and education. For the women we work with, the effe ct is even greater. As they gain employment, they become able to leave abusive situations, to seek legal assistance, to acquire education, to become independent. Their work allows them to be economically significant in the family and gives them leverage to be considered an equal."
Thank you for your time everyone.


_________________________________________________________________

EVERYBODY, I have submitted this proposal into the United Nations page.

It is under the Human Rights catergory, and has a significant strenght.

Please vote for this resolution, and please brink it to the attention of all your friends.

I hope that you will seriously consider this resolution. Feel free to ask me any questions about this policy; I will answer any and all questions that I receive. Remember, we are all human’s, all of us. You are given the RESPONSIBILITY by your region and by other nation’s to make the living conditions of it’s people better.

It will be finished voting MONDAY, August 16th, 2004.

Any comments and such are appreciated!

OOC: I think you've put it under the wrong category, to be honest. Looks more like a Social Justice than a Human Rights one.

Yeah, I realized that just after I submitted it.

They real importance, though, is the words in it and what it does, rather then its catergory.

OOC: Unfortunately not. The category really defines the effects of the resolution - and if the content conflicts with the category, the mods will delete it.

Well, IF it is deleted, I can always re-submit it under the proper caterogry, right?

OOC: Yes, I was just pointing that out.

Ah, thank you very much, I appreciate your feedback.

Any comments as far as the content of this proposal?

Proposals like this irritate me. Not because of the topic, per se, but because of their haphazard approach and empty rhetoric. Turning the world into a socialist paradise where everyone is happy, poverty is something in history books, and no one is treated unfairly ever takes more than a resolution. The fact that the resolution is written in such a sensational manner doesn't help. Progress is achieved through well-researched policy, not off-the-cuff rants.

RECOGNIZING that many corporations CUT COSTS in the labor department in order to make their STOCK raise a FRACTION of a percent

This accusation is unfounded and unsupported. My assumption is that you're waving your "capitalism is evil" banner as high as you can, indicting American policy in the NationStates universe. Considering the majority of UN nations would tell you they have laws in place to prevent abuse of the labor markets, this is a fallacious argument. You can't name a corporation in the NS universe that acts in this manner, and even if you named one, that still isn't justification for the actions you suggest. Also, remember this: just because you capitalize certain words doesn't make you cooler, or the words any more important.

RECOGNIZING we are all HUMAN BEINGS, each and every one of us

In it's current form, this statement means nothing. Yes, we're all human beings. So what? You probably meant to imply that because we're human we're entitled to some kind of inaliable right to not be manipulated into working for pennies, but you don't say that. Even if you did, the claim would still be innacurate, because there is no such epidemic in the NationStates world. Nevermind that if there was that would be an issue for individual governments to deal with.

AWARE that there are MILLIONS of CHILDREN and MILLIONS of ADULTS FORCED to take jobs as farmers in THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES located in our REGIONS and around the WORLD,

AWARE that these adults and children make LESS then $100 dollars (or it’s equivalent) PER YEAR, and that much of that MONEY is STOLEN by DRUGLORDS

Both of these claims are nothing more than sensationalistic attempts to draw an emotional response from the reader. Anyone who looks beyond your flower prose (which, by the way, is almost exclusively our responsibility to come up with) will see that it's half misleading, half plain wrong.

No one is sitting in the third world pointing guns at people's heads and saying, "Work, damn you, for no money at all!" This would be slavery and already in violation of UN policy. As hard as it may be to believe, some people just don't have access to high-paying tech sector jobs because they live in countries where things haven't advanced past agriculture and primitive services. The answer isn't to scream "They're being oppressed, in with the money!" but rather to put in place mechanisms to increase their education and self-sufficiency. The claim that this already-oppressed class of citizens is being regularly pillaged by drug lords is also inaccurate. You give us no examples, and you fail to understand that such pillaging is already illegal under international law.

1) Many companies already offer some fair trade products; products that are sold that ensure the laborers are fairly compensated for their work. Companies who do offer fair trade will receive tax benefits and grant’s to further fair trade.

There is no need to provide government assistance to companies that make you feel warm and fuzzy. Truth be told, "fair compensation" is a pretty empty phrase, and what is fair to one isn't fair to another. This much is obvious, because all your evil corporations must think that $100 a day that gets stolen by drug lords is fair. Beyond that, the market will decide if people care enough about this issue. Let them vote with their dollars if they believe that your accusations are legitimate. Better yet, why entrench these farmers in a system where they'll be forced to work for no money? Let's give them schools and the opportunity to get better jobs.

2) A tax of 50% of 1% of the income made by all United Nations to be collected by the UNFTC (United Nations Fair Trade Committee. This is already established in Jaminme with over 100+ nations represented to discuss the fair trade process and how to develop it further) to be used to issue more grants and to establish a safe working environment (see next).

Certain brands of communist and totalitarian countries have no income, so they'd be exempt from this tax, unfairly spreading the burden. Furthermore, this tax would penalize nations that might have commited no foul. Sophistan commerce laws bar imports from companies who's oversea operations don't meet domestic labor laws. Why should we give up our income which is already contributing to a positive solution? Then there's that whole business about the UN and taxation. This will probably tork a few people off.

3) The creation of a fair trade community in third world countries in various regions. The community would include electricity, running water, living space, food, and protection. The tax (50% of 1% of the countries income, which will be in the thousands and hundreds of thousands per country) will be used to fund this operation, and any over-expenditures will be footed by Jaminme or donating nations.

A full-blown United Nations "Fix the World So It Can Be Like the Movies" campaign would cost far more than a 0.5% income tax can provide. The end result would be the collapse of the Jaminmian economy as the government was swallowed whole by budget deficits. That's not a nice thing to do to yourself. The definitions also need work. As it stands now, I could put a light bulb, a single faucet with no sink, some bread, and a pointy stick in a shed and call it fair trade.

4) Fair trade products (such as coffee, sugar, and other agricultural products) to be used in the UN building, her offices, and a major push for those product’s to be used in the government buildings of the countries of the United Nations.

This is a token gesture. The UN doesn't consume enough of the products mentioned to make any kind of progress in the issue. Your "major push" cannot be guaranteed effective, as some nations might feel more responsible spending less of their countries money on sugar for their government coffee lounges, and even if it were, it doesn't guarantee that it would solve any of the problems mentioned. What's to stop the drug lords from stealing all that money, anyway?

As a corollary to the previous speaker, I would posit that the Resolution could be substantially improved by the imposition of basic pollution, fair-wage, and employment standards for nations engaging in multi-national trade.