Terrorism and Layoffs

["Henry C.K. Liu" <hliu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neil called for the "socialization" of the
cost of safety on the Lehrer News Hour tonight.  He added that safety
should not be compromised merely because it costs too much.  It is an
official admission of the failure of the privatization of safety and a
rejection of the theroy of marginal utlility as applied to fundamental
needs.  Would this logic now be extended to full employment, education,
health.  The difference in the destruction lives by terrorist attacks
and by unemployment, or lack money to education children or treating
curable diseases is merely death by other means.

Amid of the noble outpouring of patriotism and spirit of pulling
together, one cannot help but notice that corporate mangement is
announcing layoffs in the tens of thousands while demanding government
bailout, when banks are flushed with easy credit and interest rate is at
an all time low.  Could not corporate American live up to its share of
patriotism and delay layoff for 18 months?  Its not enough that innocent
people get killed, the survivers have to lose their
jobs also so that mangement can use the terrorist attack as a pretext to
improve earnings at the expense of employees?

On a related issue, lets hope that the war, campaign or assault on
terrorism does not degenerate into an assault on civil liberty.
The wrost scenario would be for the US to apply the errors of its
foreign policy domestically.

Henry C.K. Liu