This blog is in response to the article posted by Robert Bowman - Supply Chain Brain " Stopping Conflict Minerals With Supply-Chain Visibility."
I think I understand the logic, but it is so much deeper than this Robert. The problem of conflict minerals is much larger than the problem on the surface. With that being said, the solution is deeper as well.
Let's say we took your advice. Great. Wonderful. I'm sure these warlords will continue to feed their slaves. I'm sure they will continue to take care of them with meager living conditions forever and ever. Under that Utopian scenario, what changes?
My understanding that is if we did take your advice, you know what would happen to these people working in the mines? It would be a 15 minute massacre of all men, women, and children. There would be no sense of keeping these slaves around anymore. In addition, do you really think the Warlords would just let them go? Common Robert.
The same logic applies to these advocates for closing down 'sweat shops.' First of all, define a sweatshop. Are they bad working conditions? Well of course they are. You think everyone in the World can work in a unionized, air-conditioned facilities with vending machines? So, the conditions working in an overseas factor are horrible. I concede the point. However, you know what happens when someone cannot go to work for $.15 an hour? They can't find work for even $.01 / hour.
So, while these are terrible conditions, you cannot blame market demand. You cannot try to interject government mandated or humanitarian mandated conditions on the market. The market will decide.
My point further extrapolated demonstrates if all of South America, North America, and Europe take your advice... someone else is buying these things. It doesn't help anything. So whether you restrict the buyers of these minerals to those good-hearted Humanitarians or stop the sale completely, the people you are trying to protect are hurt further.
The solution lies in each of our own salvation. God has his own way of leveling the playing field. In the meantime, don't cut off these people's only meager ability to survive, regardless of how miserable YOU think the conditions are.
Brad Hollister
http://www.freightaccess.com
http://www.bradhollister.com
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