Hi Sam, Elliot, DMB:
Thanks Sam for forwarding a copy of "A voice for the poor" from the
Economist. It was a high quality summary of damage done by so
called foreign aid as practiced since the end of WW II. A book I read
recently you might get a kick out of is "Eat the Rich" by P.J. O'Rourke
whereby he undertakes to also explain from a layman's viewpoint why
foreign aid doesn't work. One can't help but laugh out loud at his
descriptions of what happens to the money that supposedly "helps" the
poor people of the Third World. Like welfare programs of all kinds, the
more you pay people to be poor, the more poor you get.
Elliot's version of history and the necessity for the rise of "state
capitalism" is questionable at best. This is probably not the best site to
discuss economic history, but the New Deal was an abject failure in
ending unemployment in the U.S. It took World War II to end the
depression. Also, one can argue that the depression was brought
about by government interference in international trade and the money
markets.
Anyway, as David B. says, the poor are a happy lot. So why mess with a
good thing? (-:
Platt
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