Our July 27, 2011 teach-in featured presentations by Stan Taylor of LCC and Gordon Lafer of U of O. Stan Taylor presented a talk entitled “Global Economics and the Threat to Democracy.” This talk focused on the global economic structures established at Bretton Woods in 1944, the transformation of these structures into instruments of finance capital in the 1970’s, and the attack on the ability of government to legislate on behalf of their citizens. Gordon Lafer discussed corporate power as it relates to free trade agreements.
By means of the Supreme Court having granted constitutional rights to large corporations, those largely unaccountable entities dictate to individuals, small business, and local, state, and national governments, decisions regarding investment, production, employment, resource extraction, environmental impacts, and safety and health. Since the last days of World War II, the international economy has been modeled on this “forced trade” regime.
This event was co-sponsored by Community Alliance of Lane County (CALC), Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG) at LCC and U of O, the Lane Peace Center, the Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC), Young Democrats of Oregon (YODA), Lane County Young Democrats, Lane County Fair Trade Campaign, Healthcare for All Oregon.
Handout for July 27 – this is a pdf that provides good background information for the presentations
handout 2 July 27 – this is a pdf that describes Indigenous People’s resistance to globalization
Stan Taylor
Dr. Taylor is a political science instructor at Lane Community College, the chair of the Lane Peace Center, a board member of the Civil Liberties Defense Center, an active member of Progressive Responses, a project of Community Alliance of Lane County (CALC), and is on the steering committee of We the People – Eugene.
In addition to having a Juris Doctor, he has a Master of Laws in international law and a Doctorate in Political Science. He is a member of the state bars of Oregon, California, and Washington DC.
Gordon Lafer
Dr. Lafer is an associate professor at the University of Oregon’s Labor Education and Research Center (LERC). From 2009 through 2010, Lafer served as Senior Labor Policy Advisor for the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Education and Labor. He was recently named a research associate of the Economic Policy Institute, the premier think tank on progressive economic policies.