JUST ANOTHER ONE OF THE DEFLATIONARY FORCES:

Global Work Force Helps Fed on Inflation (Martin Crutsinger, 11/27/05, AP)

While Alan Greenspan has won praise for his successful 18-year battle to keep inflation under control, he's the first to say he's had a lot of help. Among those most responsible are tens of millions of workers in China, India and Eastern Europe.

Adding all those workers to the global economy has made the Federal Reserve's inflation-fighting job easier by increasing competition. That has helped hold down labor costs -- the biggest single expense for employers -- and, as a result, prices.