Bill Targets US Companies Profiting from Sweatshops Overseas
by James Rosen

WASHINGTON - A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Tuesday aimed at preventing American companies from profiting from the use of foreign sweatshops and other unfair labor practices abroad.

Stitching area (Photo/Mother Jones)

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, joined four Democrats and independent Sen. Bernard Sanders of Vermont in sponsoring a bill that would allow U.S. firms to sue competitors that they believe are selling imported products made in overseas sweatshops.

"Believe it or not, ladies and gentlemen, there's a world out there where people are exploited - sometimes literally to the point of death - just to make a buck," Graham said at a news conference in the Capitol.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., said free-trade agreements between the United States and other countries have fueled the growth of sweatshop production in recent years.

Dorgan cited China and Jordan as major offenders, saying their factories employ workers as young as 5, often in long shifts, brutal conditions and for little or no pay. In many cases, he said, the foreign countries violate their own poorly enforced labor laws.

"There is no reason for the United States of America to allow the sale of products made in slave-labor-like conditions," Dorgan said.

About 250 million children worldwide, ages 14 or younger, work in factories, many in deplorable conditions, he said.

If it becomes law, the legislation could have a major impact on large U.S. retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target, which contract with foreign firms to produce many of the products they sell to Americans.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines07/0124-05.htm

Finally! Now that the congress has a party in power who actually sees the big picture mayhap we can get some bills passed that will fix the broken free trade nonsense that Clinton signed and the GOP wrote.....

But its not just a free trade issue its also a US image issue. The first sight of the US for many of the children forced to work in these shops is the American corporation that chains them to a sewing machine for 3 cents a day....this equates to the biggest reason why, "they hate us". Its notfor our freedoms as Bushco and the GOP claimed but rather for the freedom to rape, pillage and brutalize that we give to the corporations trading with foreign lands in our name. You want to instantly increase our standing amongst the worlds poor and downtrodden? Then pass this legislation (and more like it) and begin impeachment proceedings for Bushco.....

Child labour, bonded and slave labour product should have no place in free and fair trade. It exists because people support it; it should not.

__________________
"A man's work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened."

Mother Jones and commondreams didn't tell you, but US companies don't employ child labor in countries involved in 9/11 and terrorism. So that has absolutely nothing to do with why they hate us. And child labor existed long before any free trade agreements.

__________________
All you need to know about the energy crisis:
ANWR Exploration Republicans: 91% Supported. Democrats: 86% Opposed.
Coal-to-liquid R's: 90% YES. D's: 78% NO.
Oil Shale Exploration R's: 90% YES. D's: 86% NO.
Outer Continental Shelf Exploration R's: 81% YES. D's: 83% NO.
Increased Refinery Capacity R's: 97% YES. D's: 96% NO

SUMMARY: 91% of House Republicans have historically voted to increase the production of America’s own oil and gas. 86% of House Democrats have historically voted against.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh you are a card.... a misinformed one but a card none the less!

Halliburton Won’t Back Off Doing Biz In Iran, Despite NYC Pension Funds Concerns of Terrorism
by Jason Leopold

Halliburton Corp., the oil field services company once headed by Vice President Dick Cheney, told the New York City Comptroller’s office Monday that it won’t scale back its business dealings in Iran, despite concerns from the City’s Comptroller William Thompson about “corporate ties to states sponsoring terrorist activity,” which could force the New York City’s Police and Fire Departments to pull its $23 million investment in the company.

The Comptroller’s office, on behalf of the New York City Police and Fire Department pension funds, in a resolution last March urged the boards of directors of Halliburton and General Electric and ConocoPhillips to set up committees to review its operations in terror-linked countries, specifically Iran. Halliburton helps build drilling rigs in Iran's southern oil field.
http://www.commondreams.org/scriptfi...03/1028-10.htm

Ooops they support terrorism and actually funded some of the 9/11 hijackers training!

Do you want more or do you just concede that you lost another rebellion my boy?


As to child labor being around before free trade...your correct my boy it was. However, free trade has increased the problem ten fold accordint to several studies.....look it up.

More commondreams! Curious, do you have any opinions or do you pretty much just log into the left wing websites and find out your opinion du jour?

1) Your "link" (my apologies to all you real links out there) mentions nothing of child labor
2) There is nothing about training hijackers, although something from commondreams certainly wouldn't surprise me
3) Were these studies conducted by Mother Jones? Commondreams?

Hit me up when you can link something the normal people read.

__________________
All you need to know about the energy crisis:
ANWR Exploration Republicans: 91% Supported. Democrats: 86% Opposed.
Coal-to-liquid R's: 90% YES. D's: 78% NO.
Oil Shale Exploration R's: 90% YES. D's: 86% NO.
Outer Continental Shelf Exploration R's: 81% YES. D's: 83% NO.
Increased Refinery Capacity R's: 97% YES. D's: 96% NO

SUMMARY: 91% of House Republicans have historically voted to increase the production of America’s own oil and gas. 86% of House Democrats have historically voted against.

I'm sure we can all feel very good about such warm fuzzy legislation. We can sit back, satisfied we did the right thing. I'm sure all the people who lose their job will find an even better job the next day, right?

__________________
Do you know what it's like to fall in the mud and get kicked... in the head... with an iron boot? Of course you don't, no one does. It never happens. It's a dumb question... skip it.

Apparently you have no idea what the IMF does. They dont care what goes on in the country as long as there are populations to exploit. They open the door for free trade and exploitation.

__________________
America is a melting pot, the people at the bottom get burned while all the scum floats to the top.
- - - Charlie King

Why would anyone lose their job?

__________________
the memories of a man in his old age
are the deeds of a man in his prime

roger waters

I doubt significant numbers of people would lose their jobs. I mean, there would still be plenty of demand for clothing, shoes, purse, etc. even if conditions improve in overseas factories.

But you're probably right. Better to leave things the way they are now than risk the chance that some people may lose their jobs, especially those cute little children. I mean, they'd have no money to buy their cotton candy and baseball cards, right?

__________________
WARNING: In the unlikely event of an accidental agreement with any or all points made in the above post, contact a clinical psychologist immediately.

The views expressed in the above post are not necessarily those of Joker and/or any of his affiliates.

"You have found the secret message. Do you have too much time on your hands? ...Let it go."

I know exactly what the IMF does and its existence isn't as nefarious as you claim, but tell me...what does the IMF have to do with my quote above?

__________________
All you need to know about the energy crisis:
ANWR Exploration Republicans: 91% Supported. Democrats: 86% Opposed.
Coal-to-liquid R's: 90% YES. D's: 78% NO.
Oil Shale Exploration R's: 90% YES. D's: 86% NO.
Outer Continental Shelf Exploration R's: 81% YES. D's: 83% NO.
Increased Refinery Capacity R's: 97% YES. D's: 96% NO

SUMMARY: 91% of House Republicans have historically voted to increase the production of America’s own oil and gas. 86% of House Democrats have historically voted against.