Frances Bartelt This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. September 2004 Union Labor News

   www.scfl.org/uln9-4.htm - [Cached]

   Published on: 9/1/2004   Last Visited: 10/26/2004

   "The World Bank claims to be offering a helping hand to poor nations, but it actually strong-arms Third World nations on behalf of transnational corporations," said Frances Bartelt of the Wisconsin Fair Trade Campaign, a broad coalition of labor, religious, and environmental groups seeking to promote globalization shaped around human needs rather than maximum corporate profits. Bartelt led the effort to encourage non-governmental organizations and local governments to urge the Investment Board to divest itself of World Bank bonds.
   
   "By prioritizing short-term debt repayment over the most urgent needs for health care, clean water, and basic education, the World Bank has crippled the real development potential of many poor nations," says Bartelt."
   
   As a consequence of following the wrong-headed priorities of the World Bank and its sister institution, the International Monetary Fund, she said, some nations like Argentina could actually default on loans to the World Bank, which would further reduce the attractiveness of World Bank bonds.
   
   "By insisting on rigid privatization and pro-corporate policies as the condition for its loans, it has spread misery in both poor nations and the US, while serving the interests of transnational corporations," she asserted.
   
   "The World Bank has tried to cultivate the image of Mother Teresa, but it has functioned on a global scale like a Tony Soprano-style loan shark," Bartelt stated.

2. 2. World Bank Bonds Boycott-La Presse Article

   www.econjustice.net/wbbb/press - [Cached]

   Published on: 3/9/2002   Last Visited: 10/5/2003

   "Milwaukee is a very conservative industrial town, so this is a real victory," said Frances Bartelt, 56, an activist with the Wisconsin Fair Trade Campaign who co-directed the campaign. She attributes the success of the campaign to the extensive public education the group did.

3. 3. 50 Years Is Enough Network

   www.50years.org/conf/sept2002/ - [Cached]

   Published on: 1/1/2002   Last Visited: 9/5/2006

   Frances Bartelt is a member of the Wisconsin Fair Trade Campaign in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Frances is one of the leaders of the successful effort to get the Milwaukee city council to adopt the World Bank Bonds Boycott in March 2002. She is currently coordinating the statewide effort to get the State of Wisconsin Investment Board to boycott World Bank Bonds.