Neo-liberal economics is not a modern phenomena

Abby Martin did a two part Empire files episode on human trafficking of Filipino workers. In part 2, she describes how the historical colonial roots of the modern Filipino labor export economy *and* how American imperialism drove this process. Often, discussions of colonialism focus on political power. Although more often driven by economic imperatives, the financial drivers of imperialism are frequently ignored.

Neo-liberalism, or supply-side-economics 'argues economic growth can be most effectively created by investing in capital and by lowering barriers on the production of goods and services.' In other words, give power of economic decision making to those who own capital... or the rich know best how to make more money. This is the back story to the history of the Philippines as shown in Empire Files: The Roots of the Philippines Trafficking Epidemic. American economic 'leaders' decided the best way to make more money was to steal and colonize other lands so they could exploit their people and natural resources and force those people to buy American goods. Neo-liberalism is just another name for empire building; globalization is another name for colonialism. It's always owners/capitalists/powerful taking from and exploiting workers to enrich themselves. 

Workers are always told they are competing against other workers: POTUS DJT claims immigrant workers are job stealers; Americans compete with workers in low wage countries for manufacturing jobs, etc. What workers need to understand is that this competition was and is created by owners/capitalists/powerful. The two sides of the conflict aren't workers against workers but workers against owners/capitalists/powerful. Meaningful economic reform depends on it.