Although this Blog is typically dedicated to legal matters, an article recently caught my attention which may bear largely on the global economy and I could not pass up the opportunity to call attention to this experiment.
An experiment in humanity. Knights Apparel company now pays a wage to employees in its Dominican factory which permits them to improve their quality of life in reponse to cries for more humitarian conditions for factory workers in foreign nations. If wearers of the apparel are willing to pay the price it will succeed but at what price to the rest of the world? In the midst of economic crisis, a major oil spill with results yet untold and natural disasters unfolding daily it seems a wonder that something is afoot which has such great possibilities to improve the lives of impoverished workers. It is hard not to wonder why now when thinking of the timing of this experiment. When America has a new class of "poor", the previous "lower middle class" who have lost jobs and are losing homes at previously unseen rates it is difficult to imagine the sustainability of an experiment exporting more American dollars in exchange for labor at higher rates. This monumental experiment will certainly be a true test of the heart of mankind and the choice between self-preservation or the elevation of others to an economic status never before seen in such areas, and eventually perhaps more similar to his or her own.
Not only is it a test of where man's heart is but may be a leading indicator of a new global economic trend which is reaching beyond Japan, China, Mexico and other regular U.S. trading partners who have seen fit to close the gap between the standard of living in the U.S. and their own countries.
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