[PEN-L:1217] Re: Re: pen-l questions

[Bill Rosenberg <w.rosenberg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Michael P wrote

> I wish that we could work as a service where unions or activist
> organizations could throw questions at us. --

My few cents worth as a non-economist on the list. I'm a union
activist and political activist/researcher/writer in my spare time (I
help run a university computer service for a living). I got on the
list because I need more rational arguments from progressive people
whose judgement and knowledge I hope I can trust - arguments that I
can use in my activist capacity.

Michael's wish (quoted above) would be just great, though I would be
happy enough to listen in on some debate and learn a bit that way.
Unfortunately, many of the the times I've asked for views, it has
been met with a dead silence - with one or two notable exceptions.

I enjoy the banter, and greatly appreciate some of the gems of
information and analysis that get posted that I wouldn't find
elsewhere. I hope I've contributed a little as well. But (like most
of you I guess) I get shorter and shorter of time - esp not being
able to do this as part of my work - and often wonder if this is
good use of it. Not that I want to stop you folk doing what you want
to do, but as Michael I think is asking: is the list still really
achieving its purpose? It has the talent.

>From my viewpoint, don't be embarrassed about being a bit technical:
this list is never going to be talking to the masses - my guess is
that it's going to economists or people who have a strong interest
and want to learn more. Explaining the more technical stuff would
help, but I'd rather a bit went over my head than that none got to
my head at all.

Sooooo....

As Rob asked: what's going on in Brazil?
Why is the "Asian crisis" apparently largely bypassing the imperial
countries? Is it?
What kind of international agreements should we be agitating for
instead of the destructive MAI/WTO/APEC nonsense?
A debate I recently got into (again): what are the best counter
arguments to privatisation?

I can give you plenty more questions and *use* some of the
answers.

Cheers

Bill Rosenberg