<div>Jeff et. al.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Melynda made the point about brothels and government regulation relating to the Wal-Mart debate, and I thought you dismissed her point too easily. I don't think her point, or mine, is "silly," given the support for legalized prostitution from many libertarian free market advocates, Noble Prize winner Milton Friedman among them, resulting from the compelling logic of libertarian free market capitalism, an approach it appears you support.
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<div>As far as I can tell from your response, when it comes to prostitution, you declare this a "moral" issue (and Wal-Mart's human rights, labor or environmental violations are not moral issues with equal importance to prostitution?), based on community standards, which the community has reasonably (I assume Jeff thinks illegal prostitution to be reasonable, given that he chose to not come out in favor of letting marketplace freedoms operate on this issue) decided to regulate with criminal sanctions
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<div>.</div>
<div>But if some think there are moral issues with Wal-Mart's international conduct, or local community standards that some think Wal-Mart may violate in bringing a supercenter to Moscow, Jeff turns to the arguments supporting the benefits of the unfettered free market. Jeff seems to argue there are no valid "moral" objections that can be raised to Wal-Marts conduct. Correct me if I am wrong, Jeff.
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<div>Jeff wrote that we have a "reasonable strategy for working with China." I don't call assisting the Chinese Communist Party with denying freedom of political speech, and providing information that results in the jailing of political prisoners a "reasonable strategy."
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<div>I could offer documentation regarding Wal-Mart's conduct internationally that raises moral issues, but this information has already been posted to Vision2020.</div>
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<div>Ted Moffett<br> </div>
<div><br> </div>
<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 3/8/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Jeff Harkins</b> <<a href="mailto:jeffh@moscow.com">jeffh@moscow.com</a>> wrote:</span>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<div style="DIRECTION: ltr"><span class="q">At 01:39 PM 3/8/2006, you wrote:<br>
<blockquote cite="http://" type="cite">Jeff et. al.<br><br>
<dl>
<dd>Your examples are interesting. Brothels are illegal, so a straw man argument. <br><br></dd></dl> <br>You can't get out of that point that easily! A change in the law in Idaho, and brothels could be legal. Why limit the "free marketplace?" Regulated brothels might be safer for all, with mandated testing for STDs, etc. Brothels exist anyway in Idaho, no doubt because they make money and have an eager customer base, so will you come out against the "protectionism" of laws against brothels?
</blockquote><br></span></div>
<div style="DIRECTION: ltr"><b>Nope - I would not - and I think you are being somewhat silly.<br><br></b></div>
<div style="DIRECTION: ltr"><span class="q">
<blockquote cite="http://" type="cite">A change in Moscow's regulations limiting the size at which a retailer can build (sq. ft. of the building(s) at a given site) would render a Wal-Mart Supercenter thus "illegal." Then your championing of the Wal-Mart Supercenter would become a "straw man issue" because it would be "illegal" to construct. Somehow I think you would still be arguing that the proposed Wal-Mart Supercenter was blocked unwisely.
</blockquote><br></span></div>
<div style="DIRECTION: ltr"><b>Yes, I would make that argument - it would be a foolish thing to do and that is why I am engaged in this issue.<br><br></b></div>
<div style="DIRECTION: ltr"><span class="q">
<blockquote cite="http://" type="cite">I wonder, do you support anti-trust law of any kind? Under what circumstances? When US corporations violate environmental, labor or human rights laws in other nations, laws that are widely accepted in the democratic world, to allow them to out compete business competitors, should any government regulation be imposed to stop such conduct?
</blockquote><br></span></div>
<div style="DIRECTION: ltr"><b>Yes, I support the existing anti-trust law in the US. Do I think that the US should interfere in the trade and economics matters of other countries? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Each non-democratic country brings its own special challenges. I think we have a reasonable strategy for working with China. On a related note, should Latah/Moscow be interfering in the planning and zoning issues for Whitman County - absolutely not!
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