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The Daily Troll. | by nin_man | 2002-06-07 06:41:30 |
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Frustrated billy-goat | by fore_deck | 2002-06-07 07:47:54 |
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How have we inflicted this on ourselves, pray? | by Llyr | 2002-06-07 08:10:35 |
| Alright you provoked me... |
by fore_deck |
2002-06-07 09:12:03 |
The UK and USA both suffer from being over-successful. Of course people living in poorer countries are jealous and want a piece of the pie.
The problem is that our 'christian' consciences have resulted in us setting welfare/benefit levels that seem like riches to those same poor people. That's why they want to come.
Now for the biggie - I'm gonna get flamed for this!
The reason that the countries are poor in the first place is that developed countries have systematically, and as the side-effect of deliberate policy, ruined their economies.
Some examples:
1/ Food-aid to non-famine countries
(In the US/EU this is a way to get the UN to buy up our agricultural surplus, which is a result of economically & environmentally insane subsidised agriculture) This results (BTW - lived in West africa for 3 years and SAW this) in food being delivered to population centres at uneconomic prices. Basically, when I lived in Ghana, a bag of food-aid rice cost less than the transport costs to bring the same food from the farm. Result is that local farmers can't sell their crops and rural areas remain trapped in subsistence economies.
2/ Poorly monitored/structured IMF loans
The IMF has provided huge loans to dubious governments all round the world, which are largely spent on useless 'prestiege' projects rather than for the benefit of the people concerned, and the interest payments ensure that all foreign-currency earnings are immediately lost to the banks.
3/ Protective tariffs/subsidies
If the third-world can produce anything cheaper (Steel, Cloth, Bananas) than we can then we either slap import tariffs on that product so it's not cheaper any more, or subsidise our own producers.
4/ Intellectual property protection
(BTW, this particularly applies to drugs companies, but there are other examples)
If a third world country can make a drug to help protect it's children from contracting HIV at 10c per tablet, then they will be able to afford it. BUT the drugs companies want to recoup their investment, so will get sanctions imposed on that country and force the price up to the 'official' one (of $1, or $10 or whatever) meaning that the country can't afford it.
HIV in Southern Africa infects up to 33% of the population (that is the figure for Botswana) and WILL kill most of them soon. In the UK/USA these people would get the drug treatments to keep them alive for years and might just live until a cure appears, in Africa they're dying like flies now. Life expectancy in Botswana has fallen by 25% (from 60 to 45) in 20 years since HIV arrived, and is predicted to fall further.
5/ (Last and current favourite) Insane resource management as a direct result of bullying by 1st-world creditors
In Zambia they are having a famine. The World Food Program has forecast an enormous shortfall in the harvest and thousands will starve this year and next.
The ironic thing is that the Gov't of Zambia saw this coming and stock-piled enough grain to see them through a 2-year famine. BUT last year the IMF found out about this and insisted this was treated as a cash-crop. Result, it was sold off at a bargain-basement price and the money went to the banks. Now the rains have failed and the silos are empty. Ooops.
None of this is the fault of any one country, Gov't or generation, we've been doing it for years, but is about time that we stopped thinking of ourselves all the time and recognised that economic migrants are only doing what we (if we had the guts) would do in the same circumstances.
Let them come. Treat them with the dignity they deserve as fellow humans and who knows, we might find they make quite good citizens if we just give them the chance. |
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[ Reply ] |
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Interesting. | by nin_man | 2002-06-07 09:20:19 |
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Food Aid | by fore_deck | 2002-06-07 09:23:57 |
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Definitely | by Egaeus | 2002-06-07 09:26:57 |
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In fact, it shouldn't even be called "aid" | by tigermouse | 2002-06-07 09:32:50 |
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It Does | by rwrannells | 2002-06-07 09:35:32 |
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The problem is, | by Llyr | 2002-06-07 09:22:38 |
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The missing link in that argumet | by fore_deck | 2002-06-07 09:26:01 |
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So let's change the laws! (Thank you by the way) | by Llyr | 2002-06-07 09:32:05 |
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So now you're proposing | by Egaeus | 2002-06-07 09:37:27 |
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Actually I don't mind... | by fore_deck | 2002-06-07 09:53:17 |
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There would be many here | by Egaeus | 2002-06-07 10:06:14 |
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The Obvious Solution | by slacktime | 2002-06-07 10:17:25 |
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Is it a solution? | by nin_man | 2002-06-07 10:32:18 |
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You are right... | by slacktime | 2002-06-07 10:51:05 |
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You know we'd have another civil war... | by nin_man | 2002-06-07 10:56:36 |
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Not so sure... | by slacktime | 2002-06-07 11:09:40 |
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I think that the US | by Egaeus | 2002-06-07 10:32:26 |
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You?? | by nin_man | 2002-06-07 10:32:56 |
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You don't get to vote for king | by tigermouse | 2002-06-07 10:37:53 |
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Can I be the watery tart? | by nin_man | 2002-06-07 10:40:26 |
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You'll get your chance | by Egaeus | 2002-06-07 10:41:49 |
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Can you swim? | by tigermouse | 2002-06-07 10:46:56 |
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If the waiting list is 10 years long | by fore_deck | 2002-06-07 10:51:33 |
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Most of them try | by Egaeus | 2002-06-07 09:29:46 |
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