Huckabee: Globalization

A.Martinez
P. 4

Looking back, when the Green party first started- people would laugh at their way of thinking ahead and now that globalization has become a key issue for the candidates running for presidency to discuss, there are no laughs. So what is globalization?

"Globalization – the growing integration of economies and societies around the world – has been one of the most hotly-debated topics in international economics over the past few years. Rapid growth and poverty reduction in China, India, and other countries that were poor 20 years ago, has been a positive aspect of globalization. But globalization has also generated significant international opposition over concerns that it has increased inequality and environmental degradation. This site provides access to some of the most recent presentations on globalization and some of the leading research on the subject. "

Who is Mike Huckabee? Even though he is not a candidate in which receives a lot of the media's attention, he is a man who has many ideas and plans for the United States. Besides being a runner for the U.S presidency, he has written books, is a Baptist minister, and has his own band!

When it comes to the ideology of the environment, Huckabee is all for the green. His idea of starting off his presidency would be sending Congress a plan to make America energy independent. "I'll use the bully conference table to meet with members of Congress until I have the votes. The plan will get underway during my first term, and we will achieve energy independence by the end of my second term. The Huckabee Administration will be remembered as the time when we finally, finally achieved energy independence." He clearly comprehends the necessity of America to strive for other energy alternatives. The direction in which our country is heading, or at least needs to be considering heading into is the preserving of our environment. If acknowledging globalization is the new Puritanism, Huckabee is determined to be apart of it.

An interesting factor that Huckabee links globalization with is the war in Iraq. "None of us would write a check to Osama bin Laden, slip it in a Hallmark card and send it off to him." The reason that the United States has not become energy independent is because the one place in which our country retrieves oil from is: Iraq. "We're paying for both sides in the war on terror - our side with our tax dollars, the terrorists' side with our gas dollars." People can choose to believe that or not but the facts are clearly there and prove this war's real motive: keep that oil. Since we prove to be highly reliant on gas, there is no way we could give up that war in Iraq or our way of life would be diminished. How many cars do we see on a daily basis? The reality is, if the United States begins to focus on exploring new methods of powering the world we live in, then we, "...will ease the effects of globalization because the future energy demands of countries like India and China, as their middle class grows, are going to be tremendous."

He seems very determined to push America towards a better light. “Achieving energy independence will make us safer and more prosperous, and is yet another way that I intend to lift America up.”

http://www.mikehuckabee.com/?FuseAction=Issues.View&Issue_id=21

Critics:

Advantage:

If Huckabee were to follow through with his plan of globalization, one of the most primary postive outcomes of it would be that the American body would no longer be enslaved to the countries of the middle east. "...if we are energy independent, we will be able not just to take care of our own needs and protect our economy, we will also create jobs and grow our economy by developing technologies that we can sell to the rest of the world to meet their needs." Besides breaking free from the hands of the middle east, there are countless of other postive things that can come of it such as:

• Goods and people are transported with more easiness and speed
• the possibility of war between the developed countries decreases
• free trade between countries increases
• global mass media connects all the people in the world
• as the cultural barriers reduce, the global village dream becomes more realistic
• there is a propagation of democratic ideals
• the interdependence of the nation-states increases
• as the liquidity of capital increases, developed countries can invest in developing ones
• the flexibility of corporations to operate across borders increases
• the communication between the individuals and corporations in the world increases
• environmental protection in developed countries increases

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-of-globalization.html

Disadvantage:
Sometimes looking at globalization, people can fall into the idea that going through with the plan of globalization to preserve Earth and the environment, no one comes to the idea that it can also be quite harmful. The biggest disadvantage of globalization will be the modification of food. "This has been going on in America for a decade now and there’s no requirement for labeling. Companies are patenting genetically modified organisms to experiment on and put in our food, all behind our backs!" Can anyone really imagine eating food that could possible be experimented on us? With globalization there is a possibility of organisms being crossed with other organisms' genetics.

http://www.fdrs.org/disadvantages_of_globalization.html

Neutral Outlook:
"In contrast, financial globalization has led to rising inequality, mainly because those with higher skill levels have been better able to take advantage on the benefits of foreign direct investment. " If we take a good look at globalization, there are indeed its disadvantages and advantages but there are other factors that people should consider. By enforcing standards that help spread globalization, we will also keep the widening of the rich and poor. Could this necesarily be a bad thing? To be realistic that's the way our society all across the world functions anyway. This could help push for education to the poor so they too can excel and keep up with the world. The government has to keep in mind that if they want globalization to be a success, they have to help others get up to their level.

http://www.internationalmonetaryfund.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2007/RES1010D.htm



Works Cited:

• 7 Feb 2008 .
• "Advantages of Globalization." Advantages of Globalization. 2007. Buzzlecom. 7 Feb 2008 .

• "Issues: Energy Independence ." Mike Huckabee for President . 2008. Huckabee for President, Inc.. 7 Feb 2008 .
• "2008 Presidential Candidates." Mike Huckabee: On the issues. On the Issues. 7 Feb 2008 .

• "Globalization." Globalization. (2001). The World Bank Group. 7 Feb 2008 .
• "Skills Key to Adapt to Globalization." IMF Survey:Skills Key to Adapt to Globalization. 07 Oct 2007. IMF . 7 Feb 2008 .