posted 01-30- 11:22 AM               

quote:

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http://www.luccaco.com/terra/terra.htm
saw this in the WW2OL forums and though i should post it here too

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So it seems to me that about 5 of us out of 100 have the right idea about life. We do things in a way that makes the world better for anyone who cares to join us. We want nothing more than to share our vision of the world with everyone... freedom, productivity - and happiness.

But about 70 people keep insisting that they do it their own way... communism, religious fundamentalism, etc. And they make no progress... the world is bad for them. But instead of trying to learn from other's ideas they chose to blame the successful people for their failings.

I am sad for those who don't have what they want and deserve, but I will feel not guilt and no sympathy until they accept that they have control over their own destiny. Why should I be responsible for harsh conditions brought on because of their own self-imposed way of life?

I am not directly responsible... but as a member of the family man I can not be uninvolved. And so all the time I try to share my vision of the world to others... in the event that someone might listen and learn and have what I have. The 70 people consider this very arrogant, and so maybe it is.

There is little more that one could desire than freedom... the fight of generations- and here way have won this for a while. In truth the victory was worth the struggle... and I enjoy without guilt the sunshine of the moment. If only others saw this as a triumph instead of a defeat.

So if one sees the inequality among people as a bad thing - that the few people have most of the wealth - then is the only answer to be found in an ideology that supports redistribution of wealth such as communism or socialism? And if one does adopt such a system, how will one deal with the fact that this system will surely provide much less overall wealth to distribute?

posted 01-30- 07:26 PM               

Russia would be a wonderful "proving grounds".

My middle class livestyle is due in large measure to 1) taxes paid by others, 2) work done by people in the "developing world" who make very little money realitive to their costs, 3) cheap energy and food available in the US, 4) relatively good health (relatively, my health is actually not that good), 5) and my relatively handsome appearance (although I tend to scare girls away).

Whatever delusions float your boat....

posted 01-30- 07:44 PM               

Send them food? See Somalia above.

Send in relief workers? See Somalia above.

Send in troops? See Somalia above.

Place trade sanctions on them? We tried with Iraq but bleeding heart Europe won't back them.

Ever since the "colonial" powers pulled out of Africa the whole continent has gone to the dogs. Fact, not predjudice.

posted 01-30- 08:31 PM               

I mention taxes because my education was largely paid/subsidized by taxes.

posted 01-30- 08:38 PM               

Is this bad? What would this "cheap labor" be earning if they weren't manufacturing goods for the West (yes, it's not just the US which benefits). It's "cheap" by our standards, but most of these people are wealthy by their own country's standards. You might say that their lifestyle is supported by Western business accumen and investment (meaning money). It's a trade off that helps both sides. What has the news been saying is the average earnings in Afghanistan? $400 a year...something like that. You think they wouldn't want a factory job paying $2/hour?

And it's not just developing countries we are talking about here. We don't make TV's and VCR's in this country. Most come from Japan.

Now Smokey will say they "stole" American jobs. Not so. American labor priced itself out of the world market except for big ticket items which have the margins to support high labor costs. That's like saying that the automobile stole all the buggy manufacturing jobs. It's a transition which allows the American workforce to move out of the factory into service jobs with better working conditions and more chance for improvement. Yesterday's factory worker is repairing computers today. Some get caught in the transition but that's the price of progress, unfortunately.

posted 01-30- 10:08 PM               

My main point is for the 90 or so people who feel that the 10 or so people are keeping all the wealth of the world away from them... this is not true. There is no fixed wealth... we all create wealth with our efforts in life - and our hopes and dreams, so long as our views on life allow us to accept progress and embrace freedom. Humanism is empowered by freedom.

Some take this story of the world as 100 people as a way of showing the few wealthy people as greedy and aloof. But I see a message for the many people... that they should learn from the few and embrace freedom and the modern world. And all together we can create the future world... much better than the world today.

posted 01-31- 01:43 PM               

Oh, yeah, Africa was in great shape while under colonial domination, FOR US! Not them. Read 'King Leopold's Ghost' by Adam Hochchild if you want to learn just how far that went. To use an analogy, which I'm sure will be picked apart, if a person is beaten, starved, and generally taken advantage of, you can hardly blame them if they can't then get up and walk as far and as fast as those who beat them up in the first place, at least not for a long while.

Many African (and elsewhere) nations are like drug addicts who got hooked on either Eastern or Western money during the half-century long Cold War. And yes, they bear much of that responsibility themselves, but when the big powerful drug dealers (USSR & US) pressure you with promises of great rewards, it's hard to resist. It is little wonder that any of them have come as far as many have. When you start reading history that doesn't read like a John Wayne movie where we're always the knight in shining armor, we'll talk. Grow up.

The mission in Somalia failed. It MUST have been someone else's fault, not ours. But wait, I thought we're all completely responsible for all of our actions? Sorry Nicaragua and Chile for interfering covertly in your internal affairs and screwing you up for decades, you should have caught us and stopped the world's most powerful nation with your puny resources. Sure, they could've done that.

What dictators are we supporting now? Try Saudi Arabia and Pakistan for starters.

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3dp
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