From: "Vincent L. Diaz" <vldiaz@adnc.com>
Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 04:46:29 +0800
To: Arun Mehta <amehta@giasdl01.vsnl.net.in>
Subject: Re: Software manpower exports and the power of governments
Message-ID: <2.2.16.19960817114626.24776196@mail.adnc.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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At 06:17 PM 8/17/96 +0600, you wrote:
>In the case
>of Coke, I can understand the government not wanting to spend
>precious foreign exchange on sugared water in a country where
>there is a serious shortage of drinking water. Tim made the
>perfectly valid point that such decisions cost the country in
>reputation, but the Indian government doesn't mind loss of
>reputation in matters it firmly believes in, as in the current CTBT
discussion. 

There is a central point here that you are missing. Many of us here believe
in the absolute, sovereign freedom of the individual. 

Governments should only be minimally involved with the earning of
individuals. Control over the distribution of currency abroad, (i.e. foreign
exchange controls) is definitely not one of them.

As I understand the story of Coke in India, New Delhi was bent, among other
things, on stealing proprietary information, (i.e. the formula for Coke)
from the company. In short, they told Coke that they could stay only on
condition that the formula was turned over to New Delhi.

Yes, they cloaked their proposed theft in high sound nationalistic tripe,
however it was nothing but a blatant attempt to steal what was not theirs.

I do not claim a complete knowledge about the availability of fresh water on
the Indian Sub-Continent. But I would be willing to wager that lack of
progress in this area was severely hampered due to the typical, Statist
meddling of the Indian government in the lives of its own people.

It is immoral for any government to interfere in the personal choices of
free men and women. If any person wishes to partake of a high quality, and
probably locally expensive soft drink in preference to either local brands
or water, scare or not, such a choice should be left to them, not to an
Collectivist cabal of bureaucrats. 

What the Socialist Governments of India have never comprehended is that a
government intent on doing you good is capable of doing you out of
everything you own!

Simplistic? Yes......simplicity is one of freedom's chief virtues. 






Regards,

VINCENT L. DIAZ
U-SAVE COMMUNICATIONS
Business Line: 619-277-2411
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