the.world.is.flat-第53部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！



two　years。　According　to　the　Times；　full…time　employees　at　Wal…Mart　make　about　1；200　
per　month；　or　8　per　hour。　Wal…Mart　requires　employees　to　cover　33　percent　of　the　
cost　of　their　benefits；　and　it　plans　to　reduce　that　employee　contribution　to　30　percent。　
Wal…Mart…sponsored　health　plans　have　monthly　premiums　for　family　coverage　ranging　
as　high　as　264　and　out…of…pocket　expenses　as　high　as　13；000　in　some　cases；　and　such　
medical　costs　make　health　coverage　unaffordable　even　for　many　Wal…Mart　employees　who　
are　covered；　the　Times　said。　
But　the　same　article　went　on　to　say　this：　〃If　there　is　any　place　where　Wal…Mart's　
labor　costs　find　support；　it　is　Wall　Street；　where　Costco　has　taken　a　drubbing　from　
analysts　who　say　its　labor　costs　are　too　high。〃　Wai215　
Mart　has　taken　more　fat　and　friction　out　than　Costco；　which　has　kept　more　in；　because　
it　feels　a　different　obligation　to　its　workers。　Costco's　pretax　profit　margin　is　only　

2。7　percent　of　revenue；　less　than　half　Wal…Mart's　margin　of　5。5　percent。　
The　Wal…Mart　shopper　in　all　of　us　wants　the　lowest　price　possible；　with　all　the　
middlemen；　fat；　and　friction　removed。　And　the　Wal…Mart　shareholder　in　us　wants　
Wal…Mart　to　be　relentless　about　removing　the　fat　and　friction　in　its　supply　chain　
and　in　its　employee　benefits　packages；　in　order　to　fatten　the　company's　profits。　But　
the　Wal…Mart　worker　in　us　hates　the　benefits　and　pay　packages　that　Wal…Mart　offers　
its　starting　employees。　And　the　Wal…Mart　citizen　in　us　knows　that　because　Wal…Mart；　
the　biggest　company　in　America；　doesn't　cover　all　its　employees　with　health　care；　
some　of　them　will　just　go　to　the　emergency　ward　of　the　local　hospital　and　the　taxpayers　
will　end　up　picking　up　the　tab。　The　Times　reported　that　a　survey　by　Georgia　officials　
found　that　〃more　than　10；000　children　of　Wal…Mart　employees　were　in　the　state's　health　
program　for　children　at　an　annual　cost　of　nearly　10　million　to　taxpayers。〃　Similarly；　
it　said；　a　〃North　Carolina　hospital　found　that　31　percent　of　1；900　patients　who　
described　themselves　as　Wal…Mart　employees　were　on　Medicaid；　while　an　additional　16　
percent　had　no　insurance　at　all。〃　
In　her　2004　book；　Selling　Women　Short：　The　Landmark　Battle　for　Workers'　Rights　at　
Wal…Mart；　journalist　Liza　Featherstone　followed　the　huge　women's　discrimination　suit　
against　Wal…Mart。　In　an　interview　about　the　book　with　Salon。com　（November　22；　2004）；　
she　made　the　following　important　point：　〃American　taxpayers　chip　in　to　pay　for　many　
full…time　Wal…Mart　employees　because　they　usually　require　incremental　health　
insurance；　public　housing；　food　stamps　…there　are　so　many　ways　in　which　Wal…Mart　
employees　are　not　able　to　be　self…sufficient。　This　is　very　ironic；　because　Sam　Walton　
is　embraced　as　the　American　symbol　of　self…sufficiency。　It　is　really　troubling　and　
dishonest　that　Wal…Mart　supports　Republican　candidates　in　the　way　that　they　do：　80　
percent　of　their　corporate　campaign　contributions　go　to　Republicans。　But　Republicans　
tend　not　to　support　the　types　of　public　assistance　programs　that　Wal…Mart　depends　
on。　If　anything；　Wal…Mart　should　be　crusading　for　national　
216　
health　insurance。　They　should　at　least　be　acknowledging　that　because　they　are　unable　
to　provide　these　things　for　their　employees；　we　should　have　a　more　general　welfare　
state。〃　

As　you　sort　out　and　weigh　your　multiple　identities…consumer；　employee；　citizen；　
taxpayer；　shareholder…you　have　to　decide：　Do　you　prefer　the　Wal…Mart　approach　or　the　
Costco　approach？　This　is　going　to　be　an　important　political　issue　in　a　flat　world：　
Just　how　flat　do　you　want　corporations　to　be　when　you　factor　in　all　your　different　
identities？　Because　when　you　take　the　middleman　out　of　business；　when　you　totally　
flatten　your　supply　chain；　you　also　take　a　certain　element　of　humanity　out　of　life。　
The　same　question　applies　to　government。　How　flat　do　you　want　government　to　be？　How　
much　friction　would　you　like　to　see　government　remove；　through　deregulation；　to　make　
it　easier　for　companies　to　compete　on　Planet　Flat？　
Said　Congressman　Rahm　Emanuel；　an　Illinois　Democrat　who　was　a　senior　adviser　to　
President　Clinton；　〃When　I　served　in　the　White　House；　we　streamlined　the　FDA's　drug　
approval　process　in　response　to　concerns　about　its　cumbersome　nature。　We　took　those　
steps　with　one　objective　in　mind：　to　move　drugs　to　the　marketplace　more　quickly。　The　
result；　however；　has　been　an　increasingly　cozy　relationship　between　the　FDA　and　the　
pharmaceutical　industry；　which　has　put　public　health　at　risk。　The　Vioxx　debacle　＇over　
an　anti…inflammatory　drug　that　was　found　to　lead　to　an　increased　riskfor　heart　attacks　
and　strokes＇　shows　the　extent　to　which　drug　safety　has　taken　a　backseat　to　speedy　
approval。　A　recent　Senate　hearing　on　Vioxx's　recall　revealed　major　deficiencies　in　
the　FDA's　ability　to　remove　dangerous　drugs　from　the　market。〃　
As　consumers　we　want　the　cheapest　drugs　that　the　global　supply　chains　can　offer；　but　
as　citizens　we　want　and　need　government　to　oversee　and　regulate　that　supply　chain；　
even　if　it　means　preserving　or　adding　friction。　
Sort　that　out。　

Who　Owns　What？　
Something　else　is　absolutely　going　to　have　to　be　sorted　out　in　a　flat　world：　Who　owns　
what？　How　do　we　build　legal　barriers　to　protect　an　innovator's　intellectual　property　
so　heor　she　can　reap　its　financial　benefits　and　plow　those　profits　into　a　new　invention？　
And　from　the　other　side；　how　do　we　keep　walls　low　enough　so　that　we　encourage　the　
sharing　of　intellectual　property；　which　is　required　more　and　more　to　do　cutting…edge　
innovation？　
〃The　world　is　decidedly　not　flat　when　it　comes　to　uniform　treatment　of　intellectual　
property；〃　said　Craig　Mundie；　Microsoft's　chief　technology　officer。　It　is　wonderful；　
he　noted；　to　have　a　world　where　a　single　innovator　can　summon　so　many　resources　by　
himself　or　herself；　assemble　a　team　of　partners　from　around　the　flat　world；　and　make　
a　real　breakthrough　with　some　product　or　service。　But　what　does　that　wonderful　
innovative　engineer　do；　asked　Mundie；　〃when　someone　else　uses　the　same　flat…world　
platform　and　tools　to　clone　and　distribute　his　wonderful　new　product？〃　This　happens　
in　the　world　of　software；　music；　and　pharma…ceuticals　every　day。　And　the　technology　
is　reaching　a　point　now　where　〃you　should　assume　that　there　isn't　anything　that　can't　
be　counterfeited　quickly〃…from　Microsoft　Word　to　airplane　parts；　he　added。　The　
flatter　the　world　gets；　the　more　we　are　going　to　need　a　system　of　global　governance　
that　keeps　up　with　all　the　new　legal　and　illegal　forms　of　collaboration。　
We　can　also　see　this　in　the　case　of　patent　law　as　it　has　evolved　inside　the　United　


States。　Companies　can　do　one　of　three　things　with　an　innovation。　They　can　patent　the　
widget　they　invent　and　sell　it　themselves；　they　can　patent　it　and　license　it　to　someone　
else　to　manufacture；　and　they　can　patent　it　and　cross…license　with　several　other　
companies　so　that　they　all　have　freedom　of　action　to　make　a　product…like　a　PC…that　
comes　from　melding　many　different　patents。　American　patent　law　is　technically　neutral　
on　this。　But　the　way　established　case　law　has　evolved；　experts　tell　me；　it　is　decidedly　
biased　against　cross…licensing　and　other　arrangements　that　encourage　collaboration　
or　freedom　of　action　for　as　many　players　as　possible；　it　is　more　focused　on　protecting　
the　rights　of　individual　firms　to　
218　
manufacture　their　own　patents。　In　a　flat　world；　companies　need　a　patent　system　that　
encourages　both。　The　more　your　legal　structure　fosters　cross…licensing　and　standards；　
the　more　collaborative　innovation　you　will　get。　The　PC　is　the　product　of　a　lot　of　
cross…licensing　between　the　company　that　had　the　patent　on　the　cursor　and　the　company　
that　had　the　patent　on　the　mouse　and　the　screen。　
The　free…software　person　in　all　of　us　wants　no　patent　laws。　But　the　innovator　in　all　
of　us　wants　a　global　regime　that　protects　against　intellectual　property　piracy。　The　
innovator　in　us　also　wants　patent　laws　that　encourage　cross…licensing　with　companies　
that　are　ready　to　play　by　the　rules。　〃Who　owns　what？〃　is　sure　to　emerge　as　one　of　
the　most　contentious　political　and　geopolitical　questions　in　a　flat　world…especially　
if　more　and　more　American　companies　start　feeling　ripped　off　by　more　and　more　Chinese　
companies。　If　you　are　in　the　business　of　selling　words；　music；　or　pharmaceuticals　
and　you　are　not　worried　about　protecting　your　intellectual　property；　you　are　not　
paying　attention。　
And　while　you　are　sorting　that　out；　sort　this　out　as　well。　On　November　13；　2004；　Lance　
Cpl。　Justin　M。　Ellsworth；　twenty；　was　killed　by　a　roadside　bomb　during　a　foot　patrol　
in　Iraq。　On　December　21；　2004；　the　Associated　Press　reported　that　his　family　was　
demanding　that　Yahoo！　give　them　the　password　for　their　deceased　son's　e…mail　account　
so　they　could　have　access　to　all　his　e…mail；　including　notes　to　and　from　others。　〃I　
want　to　be　able　to　remember　him　in　his　words。　I　know　he　thought　he　was　doing　what　
he　needed　to　do。　I　want　to　have　that　for　the　future；〃　John　Ellsworth；　Justin's　father；　
told　the　AP。　〃It's　the　last　thing　I　have　of　my　son。〃　We　are　moving　into　a　world　where　
more　and　more　communicati