Despite what the Rebubblecans say, we’re still the richest and most powerful nation in the world. How about we get something for those farm subsidies and ship some food to those hundreds of thousands of starving people? While you’re thinking about that, drop a few dollars to Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, and/or UNICEF, for crying out loud…http://www.unicefusa.org/ http://www.oxfam.org/en https://doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/
“How about we get something for those farm subsidies and ship some food to those hundreds of thousands of starving people?” How about we get rid of these subsidies (and those paid by the EU) and allow a fairer, and then a little freer, too, trade to flourish. Shipping subsidised goods into these markets, when there isn’t an extreme famine, means they undermine local produce which means they don’t produce any of their own. Do you know that shipping our cast off clothing has the same effect? Kills off local markets. Sometimes aid isn’t aid at all. While we’re at it, perhaps assist in improving local distribution infrastructure, so that goods & produce don’t perish enroute. Improve communications so that up to date information is available, improve air links so that travel isn’t prohibitively expensive. Allow African countries to trade without unfair restrictions for their goods getting to our markets. Recognise our role in why this doesn’t happen. By all means, do contribute to MSF, International Red Cross & Oxfam, this drought is the worst in over 60 years and is devastating, it needs emergency relief. But once this crisis is overcome, think about how our aid isn’t aiding.
The problem isn’t a lack of food, it’s a lack of capitalistic freedom Nonsense. Often when the IMF has stepped in to “help”, it has imposed severe conditions to “liberalise” internal markets. What happens next is essential services are priced out of reach of the most needy, like water, education and staple foods. Their markets are forced open to allow Western goods in but tariffs remain for their goods to be sold on the global markets. That isn’t capitalism. Fair trade should be the name of the game. The leaders of these impoverished countries are tyrants and thugs. Of some of these countries, indeed. Often propped by our governments, sold our weapon systems. Realpolitik. Should we be allowing our own self-interests over-ride their lives? …we should be shining the light of scrutiny on the cause Cannot argue with that, I agree. What if it shines a little closer to home? Will you accept it? …It’s a scam and we fall for it every time thus perpetuating the abuse. Rather, it is a shame. The scam is providing conditional aid and then propagandising it to salve our consciences. That’s how the abuse in aid is perpetuated. Corruption reigns and we do nothing. Who is signing those cheques that corrupt the corruptable? The UN is culpable The UN could be so much better if those 5 in the permanent security council would relinquish their anachronistic veto. Is your country willing to let go?
No political system, or economic system can turn sand and heat into “instant cropland” in this arid part of the world. However, our MISmanagement of the land HAS caused a lot of the problems over the past several centuries. North Africa is called DESERT! At the same time, making local economies work, like Heifer International, originally brining in “US” animals, then learning it was smarter to use local breeds adapted to the climates, helps quite a bit. Drilling water wells helps people out- to sustain, not just survive. There are better ways than dropping bags of rice on people, which often isn’t much better than just air dropping those bags directly onto their heads. Most Americans don’t understand true poverty, especially that which WE CREATE around the world!
My university teacher told that when rih countries have good crops, they send their surplus to the Third World at firesale prices. It drives the local growers out of business, the land they can’t afford to use turns into desert and when wealthy nations have smaller crops, no more cheap surplus food there and they have a famine.
said “yet I’ve yet to see a single dollar’s worth of famine aid from another Muslim nation”This statement reminds me about that metaphor with the defecating bear in a wood. Just because you are ignorant about Muslim nations’ charitable donations for this famine, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.A simple web search, in English mind you, not in Arabic or in any of the myriad languages Muslim nations have, I picked up that the Somali Red Crescent is one of the local charities with which to liase with. The Red Crescent receives donations from, I imagine, from all Muslim nations. I can read English language reports on Turkish charities involved with Somali famine relief. I mostly pick up blurbs, in English, from Muslim charities based in the UK but that probably reflects the geographical starting position of my basic search.Criticise individual nations, like Saudi Arabia, and you’d be more justified, but blanket statments like yours, rather poor show. Try harder. Are you sure you’re liberal?I suggest you open your eyes a tad.
Just so it isn’t said I cannot be critical of Africa, or even just South Africa, not donating enough:
African countries must give more to Somalia famine aid, British Oxfam says at Africa aid launch"Excerpt:“The United States has been the biggest international donor to famine relief efforts, with about $580 million in aid this year. Britain is the second-biggest donor at $205 million, followed by Japan and Australia. Saudi Arabia is next at $60 million. It is the biggest donor from the Muslim world.”Now, how much is that per capita?Simple division by total pop, without taking into account productive pop. nor countries’ GDP: (pop. figures from CIA website):USA : 580m / 313m = $1.85SArabia: 60m / 26m = $2.31UK: 205m / 62m = $3.30sigh
jqmcd almost 13 years ago
Despite what the Rebubblecans say, we’re still the richest and most powerful nation in the world. How about we get something for those farm subsidies and ship some food to those hundreds of thousands of starving people? While you’re thinking about that, drop a few dollars to Doctors Without Borders, Oxfam, and/or UNICEF, for crying out loud…http://www.unicefusa.org/ http://www.oxfam.org/en https://doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/
OmqR-IV.0 almost 13 years ago
“How about we get something for those farm subsidies and ship some food to those hundreds of thousands of starving people?” How about we get rid of these subsidies (and those paid by the EU) and allow a fairer, and then a little freer, too, trade to flourish. Shipping subsidised goods into these markets, when there isn’t an extreme famine, means they undermine local produce which means they don’t produce any of their own. Do you know that shipping our cast off clothing has the same effect? Kills off local markets. Sometimes aid isn’t aid at all. While we’re at it, perhaps assist in improving local distribution infrastructure, so that goods & produce don’t perish enroute. Improve communications so that up to date information is available, improve air links so that travel isn’t prohibitively expensive. Allow African countries to trade without unfair restrictions for their goods getting to our markets. Recognise our role in why this doesn’t happen. By all means, do contribute to MSF, International Red Cross & Oxfam, this drought is the worst in over 60 years and is devastating, it needs emergency relief. But once this crisis is overcome, think about how our aid isn’t aiding.
OmqR-IV.0 almost 13 years ago
The problem isn’t a lack of food, it’s a lack of capitalistic freedom Nonsense. Often when the IMF has stepped in to “help”, it has imposed severe conditions to “liberalise” internal markets. What happens next is essential services are priced out of reach of the most needy, like water, education and staple foods. Their markets are forced open to allow Western goods in but tariffs remain for their goods to be sold on the global markets. That isn’t capitalism. Fair trade should be the name of the game. The leaders of these impoverished countries are tyrants and thugs. Of some of these countries, indeed. Often propped by our governments, sold our weapon systems. Realpolitik. Should we be allowing our own self-interests over-ride their lives? …we should be shining the light of scrutiny on the cause Cannot argue with that, I agree. What if it shines a little closer to home? Will you accept it? …It’s a scam and we fall for it every time thus perpetuating the abuse. Rather, it is a shame. The scam is providing conditional aid and then propagandising it to salve our consciences. That’s how the abuse in aid is perpetuated. Corruption reigns and we do nothing. Who is signing those cheques that corrupt the corruptable? The UN is culpable The UN could be so much better if those 5 in the permanent security council would relinquish their anachronistic veto. Is your country willing to let go?
Dtroutma almost 13 years ago
No political system, or economic system can turn sand and heat into “instant cropland” in this arid part of the world. However, our MISmanagement of the land HAS caused a lot of the problems over the past several centuries. North Africa is called DESERT! At the same time, making local economies work, like Heifer International, originally brining in “US” animals, then learning it was smarter to use local breeds adapted to the climates, helps quite a bit. Drilling water wells helps people out- to sustain, not just survive. There are better ways than dropping bags of rice on people, which often isn’t much better than just air dropping those bags directly onto their heads. Most Americans don’t understand true poverty, especially that which WE CREATE around the world!
CorosiveFrog Premium Member almost 13 years ago
My university teacher told that when rih countries have good crops, they send their surplus to the Third World at firesale prices. It drives the local growers out of business, the land they can’t afford to use turns into desert and when wealthy nations have smaller crops, no more cheap surplus food there and they have a famine.
Free Trade at work.
OmqR-IV.0 almost 13 years ago
said “yet I’ve yet to see a single dollar’s worth of famine aid from another Muslim nation”This statement reminds me about that metaphor with the defecating bear in a wood. Just because you are ignorant about Muslim nations’ charitable donations for this famine, doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.A simple web search, in English mind you, not in Arabic or in any of the myriad languages Muslim nations have, I picked up that the Somali Red Crescent is one of the local charities with which to liase with. The Red Crescent receives donations from, I imagine, from all Muslim nations. I can read English language reports on Turkish charities involved with Somali famine relief. I mostly pick up blurbs, in English, from Muslim charities based in the UK but that probably reflects the geographical starting position of my basic search.Criticise individual nations, like Saudi Arabia, and you’d be more justified, but blanket statments like yours, rather poor show. Try harder. Are you sure you’re liberal?I suggest you open your eyes a tad.
OmqR-IV.0 almost 13 years ago
Just so it isn’t said I cannot be critical of Africa, or even just South Africa, not donating enough:
African countries must give more to Somalia famine aid, British Oxfam says at Africa aid launch"Excerpt:“The United States has been the biggest international donor to famine relief efforts, with about $580 million in aid this year. Britain is the second-biggest donor at $205 million, followed by Japan and Australia. Saudi Arabia is next at $60 million. It is the biggest donor from the Muslim world.”Now, how much is that per capita?Simple division by total pop, without taking into account productive pop. nor countries’ GDP: (pop. figures from CIA website):USA : 580m / 313m = $1.85SArabia: 60m / 26m = $2.31UK: 205m / 62m = $3.30sigh