As Bill Clinton embarks on the UB campus this Wednesday, students are quick to remember the sitcom-like scandals that surrounded his tenure in office and the economic "prosperity" that came along with it. If you ask me, his private life should have remained private, so let's leave it at that.
Bill Clinton, and his administration, did more to enhance globalization than any before him. Simply put, globalization places free trade as more important than the environment and human rights. The first steps were taken that will eventually turn the entire world into a corporation. "United States of America Inc."
How can anyone begin to justify this? With claims of improving the economies of the Third World nations that we have "opened up to our markets," the corporations terrorize the local environment and stomp upon the foreign workers that they employ in their factories. And worst of all, the profits from the company only see the light of day back in America, not in the countries we're supposedly improving. In its several years of existence, NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) has not improved the economy of a single Third World country. Some reports have shown that we're actually making them worse. Did you know that it's now legal for a corporation to sue a country? This has happened, and corporations have won. Yet, America Incorporated improves. Sure, our economy flourished during the Clinton years, but at what cost? There are several ways to terrorize a country and they don't all include bombs. Sometimes all it takes is manipulating the all mighty dollar bill.
So, when you see Bill walking around the Student Union munching on some Taco Bull, say, "Hey Bill, what's up with NAFTA? Isn't there a fair way to trade that can help both sides?" In the wake of Sept. 11, it's time Americans look outside of our borders and see how our policies are affecting other people around the world. It's not just about us anymore.
