Article Review: The Price is Too High for Imported Food by Phyllis Schlafly - Essay Example

The Price is too High for Imported Food by PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY1 The article starts with the greatest bounties of the United s resources as depictedin the favorite patriotic song, America the Beautiful2 with its “amber waves of grain.3” Schlafly, the author, whose introduction basks with American glory and pride for its free enterprise system, of excellent system of patents and of inventions, is palpable. As the article is about the Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for China, the author twists and turns the tide to the Clinton Administration, who, in a way, “conned the American farmers” for its passage (HR 44444, signed May 24, 2000). With the end in view of a win-win situation, the then-President Clinton promised that the “agreement will open China’s market to us.” However, within the span of 6 years, there have been rampant findings that China’s agricultural exports, specially that of veterinary feeds have been adulterated with at least 3 chemicals detrimental and derogatory to the Americans. Chemicals posing health hazards are the likes of melamine, cyanuric acid, diethylene glycol, have been separately found in the Chinese agricultural produce exported to the U.S., whose remedial actions are more costly than the short and long-run cost-benefit analysis. The PNTR with China as part of the World Trade Organization (WTO) cum “globalization has turned out to be a cheat.” The trade relations with China is too costly for the Americans which poses threat to health, life, and limbs of the “Beautiful American” ecology. While the “Americans can’t count the cost merely in dollars and in bushels,” China is not at par with the American “health, sanitary or safety standards.” The actual U.S. findings on product adulteration by Chinese traders, despite the latter’s haggling and denial, are merely ignored by globalists and free-traders for years—simply because of profit-motive. The reviewer agrees with the Author, whose heart and soul is merely to protect and conserve American legacy against the ill-effects of development and globalization. Profit-motive and human greed is the root-cause of this trade war and disequilibrium. When deceit and fraud are prevalent, the goods and services in the commerce of men are felt immediately in the short and in the long while. Progress and development has its price, but we can procure conservatively by not hurrying too much, and by taking time to study more seriously before opening the “pandora’s box5” to our detriment. The elders have spoken, why don’t we listen and take pains in being pro-active, yet being prudent. The moral is temperance, both in the individual, local, national, and international communities of men and nations. This is the high price and cost of development and globalization. In the final analysis, one can have the cake and eat it too. After all, China should have not been considered a sleeping giant, for no apparent reason. Quo vadis? Let’s quote the 11th and 12th lines of Bates’ patriotic song: “America the Beautiful”— God mend thine every flow; Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law. HOW TO WRITE AN ARTICLE REVIEW 1. Title and author: The Price is too High for Imported Food, by PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY1 2. Summarize the article with two or three paragraphs: The article starts with the greatest bounties of the United States resources as depicted in the favorite patriotic song, America the Beautiful2 with its “amber waves of grain.3” Schlafly, the author, whose introduction basks with American glory and pride for its free enterprise system, of excellent system of patents and of inventions, is palpable. As the article is about the Permanent Normal Trade Relations (PNTR) for China, the author twists and turns the tide to the Clinton Administration, who, in a way, conned the American farmers for its passage (HR 44444, signed May 24, 2000). With the end in view of a win-win situation, the then-President Clinton promised that the “agreement will open China’s market to us.” However, within the span of 6 years, there have been rampant findings that China’s agricultural exports, specially that of veterinary feeds have been adulterated with at least 3 chemicals detrimental and derogatory to the Americans. Chemicals posing health hazards are the likes of melamine, cyanuric acid, diethylene glycol, have been separately found in the Chinese agricultural produce exported to the U.S., whose remedial actions are more costly than the short and long-run cost-benefit analysis. This is the high price and cost of development and globalization. In the final analysis, one can eat the cake and eat it too. After all, China should have not been considered a sleeping giant, for no apparent reason. Quo vadis? 3. Subject being discussed: The PNTR with China as part of the World Trade Organization (WTO) cum globalization has turned out to be a cheat. 4. Author’s point of view: The trade relations with China is too costly for the Americans which poses threat to health, life, and limbs of the “Beautiful American” ecology. 5. Supporting details (reasons) for the author’s point of view: While the “Americans can’t count the cost merely in dollars and in bushels,” China is not at par with the American “health, sanitary or safety standards.” The actual U.S. findings on product adulteration by Chinese traders, despite the latter’s haggling and denial, are merely ignored by globalists and free-traders for years—simply because of profit-motive. 6. Why agree or disagree with the author’s point of view. The reviewer agrees with the Author, whose heart and soul is merely to protect and conserve American legacy against the ill-effects of development and globalization. Profit-motive and human greed is the root-cause of this trade war and disequilibrium. When deceit and fraud are prevalent, the goods and services in the commerce of men are felt immediately in the short and in the long while. Progress and development has its price, but we can procure conservatively by not hurrying too much, and by taking time to study more seriously before opening the “pandora’s box5” to our detriment. The elders have spoken, why don’t we listen and take pains in being pro-active, yet being prudent. The moral is temperance, both in the individual, local, national, and international communities of men and nations. REFERENCES/CITATIONS Random House Webster’s Dictionary, 2nd Edition, Ballentine Books, New York, The Wordsworth Dictionary of Quotations, 3rd Edition, May 1998, London. WEBLIOGRAPHY: http://ww.creators.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandoras_Box Read More