“Actually, I completely disagree with Jim Wallis’s big government approach to poverty," (Rick) Warren wrote. "The answer is not aid, but trade, not subsidies but freer markets


You've made some good points against Warren and white evangelicals (such as myself) but I think you've unintentionally proven Warren correct on this point.


And how precisely will more Wal-marts and Chinese imports make up for the export of high-wage, high-skill jobs from America ?


Whatever the merits of 'free trade' vs 'fair trade', the trade and freer markets between the Western world and developing nations such as China and India have revolutionized their industries and is fast transforming them into advanced, developed, and socially more liberal and freer nations. All those job losses in the rich west, in the USA and other places, may unfortunately be at the expense of Americans, but it's becoming the economic savior of the Eastern developing nations. A similar thing has happened here in New Zealand when we liberalized and eliminated our import tariffs a couple of decades ago. Recognizing that we in the west already have so much more than them means conceding that this loss is their gain, is creating world economic equality, and is actually a good thing!

Posted at February 21, 2008 5:58 PM in response to Do Religious Conservatives Deserve the Soft Bigotry of Our Low Expectations?