At the core of it, WTO opponents are responding to *symptoms* of the
same powerful deflationary forces already affecting agriculture.
Workers in other industries are seeing only the leading edges of
"global competitiveness," but not recognising the fierce competition
for markets as another form of goods chasing money. Environmentalists
are not yet recognising the liquidation of natural capital as a
desperate struggle to generate cash.
Simply put, inflation (which we've had for the last 3-4 generations) is
money chasing goods. *Deflation* (which we will probably have for the
*next* 3-4 generation if the last 1100 years of history are any guide)
is goods chasing money. Most people on this list (and every reporter
out there) are missing the key point because they are
a) looking at the wrong time scale and
b) incorrectly assuming the future to be a linear estension of the past
What farmers have experienced the last few years, I predict most other
industries will know before most of us are a whole lot greyer than we
are today. 2009 will be radically different than 1999.
Bart
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