Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Tunes and Delusions
Aged rock star Bob Geldof and a group of other rock legends plan to perform and raise money, and "awareness," to aid poor citizens in Africa. Geldof, more specifically, describes the plan as, “…aimed at pressuring world leaders into eradicating poverty” (emphasis mine) – spoken like a true altruist.
This is surly a new idea in economics. “Pressure” will make poverty go away.
I think Geldof and companys' heart is in the right place…but I’m not sure their brain is. Terrible of me to criticize people who sincerely think they are helping others (I actually do assume their intentions are genuine). Meanwhile the evil George Bush and American congress have pledged even greater sums of (other people’s) money to the same cause. The problem? Bush and some American politicians want to -- finally -- hold the distribution systems accountable. In other words; money for food, medicine, and schooling should actually be used for food, medicine, and schooling, and not to fortify the dictatorships of corrupt demagogues.
The gist of Geldof’s plan is to convince the Group of Eight meeting in Scotland in July to help “tilt the world a little bit on its axis in favor of the poor.” In socialist talk, this doesn’t mean addressing the problem of poverty of course; it means confiscation and redistribution (to other governments – not necessarily people). This is hardly a new idea for ending poverty.
“Eight world leaders in one room in Scotland on the 8th of July can save millions and millions of lives, but they’ll only do it if enough people tell them to.” -- Well, there ya have it, such a simple solution to poverty, and here I thought prosperity in Africa would have to occur the same way it has everywhere else, through the open expansion of free commerce.
The well meaning musicians would certainly never consider such cold and practical realities, the kind that would actually help the people of Africa.
Sad but true, more African lives would be saved by merely permitting the use of DDT against malaria carrying mosquitoes (scroll to end of the link’s essay).
Places around the world, like Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea were recently rather poor -- actually not that long ago in historic terms. Hong Kong has an incredibly dense population and virtually no resources. At the end of World War II most of the Korean peninsula’s industry was in the north. So why is the North now one of the poorest locations on earth while South Koreans surf the web and talk on cell phones? ...guess? (Maybe we should sing songs and send a message to world leaders and money to Kim Jong Il).
An interesting aside in the concert issue was that concert planners bumped “The Spice Girls” from the performance because it was felt they wouldn't be appropriate among the particular crowd of “politically conscious” pseudo-rebels – it wouldn’t “send the right message.” Of course the message is not; “perform music - collect money - give to Africa.” The message is the usual one from such cliques. Capitalist “injustice and inequality” has mysteriously caused one continent to be poor. If we stop being rich and if we give others a “larger share,” they’ll no longer be in poverty – well, that’s simple, isn’t it? This is the old socialist cliché of the pie-economy, if we have more, “their share” is less.” Of course, the pathetic logic of this old Jacobin con-game is that somehow the “oppressed” country’s wealth was taken from them. This implies that they initially had a multi-trillion dollar economy and we then took it. Sorry, but this is just another dream from left-land -- never happened.
Odd that some see capitalism as the problem when so little, if any, capitalism even exists in Africa – or ever has. Capitalism and freedom are the solution to Africa’s problem. Ask Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan what it’s like to be completely poor or devastated and somehow become wealthy in a matter of a couple of decades. Even though China has failed to wake up to the importance of free thought in a nation’s design, they’ve at least discovered that to “pay the bills” and be something other than a poverty stricken land, you need to let people create, buy, and sell freely.
All the concerts, donations, and demands that wealthy nations “give more” to the cause of ending poverty in Africa may show what swell folks these musicians are, but for all their effort, barely a dent will be made in the problem itself. A genuine effort to end poverty should begin with an ending to the reigns of such socialist dictator clowns like Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (that Hitler mustache he wears should have been a tip-off regarding where he was going), who has transformed his country from Africa’s “bread basket” into just another starving poster for the inept nonsense of socialist economics.
So...sing songs, complain that some countries are rich while “others have so little.” Buy Mugabe a few new cars, and tell the spice girls that their music isn’t what this mission is really about…
…Continue the socialist class whine, continue poverty, and imagine there’s no connection between your stupid views of economics and the reality of how a society fails to function when there are laws against people simply carrying on the normal free transactions that result in employment and economic growth.
Another troupe of well-meaning musicians with their hearts in the right place, but having one’s heart in the right place is about as helpful to poverty as having your intestines in the right place, and typically produces the same result…in the end.
This is surly a new idea in economics. “Pressure” will make poverty go away.
I think Geldof and companys' heart is in the right place…but I’m not sure their brain is. Terrible of me to criticize people who sincerely think they are helping others (I actually do assume their intentions are genuine). Meanwhile the evil George Bush and American congress have pledged even greater sums of (other people’s) money to the same cause. The problem? Bush and some American politicians want to -- finally -- hold the distribution systems accountable. In other words; money for food, medicine, and schooling should actually be used for food, medicine, and schooling, and not to fortify the dictatorships of corrupt demagogues.
The gist of Geldof’s plan is to convince the Group of Eight meeting in Scotland in July to help “tilt the world a little bit on its axis in favor of the poor.” In socialist talk, this doesn’t mean addressing the problem of poverty of course; it means confiscation and redistribution (to other governments – not necessarily people). This is hardly a new idea for ending poverty.
“Eight world leaders in one room in Scotland on the 8th of July can save millions and millions of lives, but they’ll only do it if enough people tell them to.” -- Well, there ya have it, such a simple solution to poverty, and here I thought prosperity in Africa would have to occur the same way it has everywhere else, through the open expansion of free commerce.
The well meaning musicians would certainly never consider such cold and practical realities, the kind that would actually help the people of Africa.
Sad but true, more African lives would be saved by merely permitting the use of DDT against malaria carrying mosquitoes (scroll to end of the link’s essay).
Places around the world, like Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South Korea were recently rather poor -- actually not that long ago in historic terms. Hong Kong has an incredibly dense population and virtually no resources. At the end of World War II most of the Korean peninsula’s industry was in the north. So why is the North now one of the poorest locations on earth while South Koreans surf the web and talk on cell phones? ...guess? (Maybe we should sing songs and send a message to world leaders and money to Kim Jong Il).
An interesting aside in the concert issue was that concert planners bumped “The Spice Girls” from the performance because it was felt they wouldn't be appropriate among the particular crowd of “politically conscious” pseudo-rebels – it wouldn’t “send the right message.” Of course the message is not; “perform music - collect money - give to Africa.” The message is the usual one from such cliques. Capitalist “injustice and inequality” has mysteriously caused one continent to be poor. If we stop being rich and if we give others a “larger share,” they’ll no longer be in poverty – well, that’s simple, isn’t it? This is the old socialist cliché of the pie-economy, if we have more, “their share” is less.” Of course, the pathetic logic of this old Jacobin con-game is that somehow the “oppressed” country’s wealth was taken from them. This implies that they initially had a multi-trillion dollar economy and we then took it. Sorry, but this is just another dream from left-land -- never happened.
Odd that some see capitalism as the problem when so little, if any, capitalism even exists in Africa – or ever has. Capitalism and freedom are the solution to Africa’s problem. Ask Hong Kong, South Korea, and Japan what it’s like to be completely poor or devastated and somehow become wealthy in a matter of a couple of decades. Even though China has failed to wake up to the importance of free thought in a nation’s design, they’ve at least discovered that to “pay the bills” and be something other than a poverty stricken land, you need to let people create, buy, and sell freely.
All the concerts, donations, and demands that wealthy nations “give more” to the cause of ending poverty in Africa may show what swell folks these musicians are, but for all their effort, barely a dent will be made in the problem itself. A genuine effort to end poverty should begin with an ending to the reigns of such socialist dictator clowns like Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe (that Hitler mustache he wears should have been a tip-off regarding where he was going), who has transformed his country from Africa’s “bread basket” into just another starving poster for the inept nonsense of socialist economics.
So...sing songs, complain that some countries are rich while “others have so little.” Buy Mugabe a few new cars, and tell the spice girls that their music isn’t what this mission is really about…
…Continue the socialist class whine, continue poverty, and imagine there’s no connection between your stupid views of economics and the reality of how a society fails to function when there are laws against people simply carrying on the normal free transactions that result in employment and economic growth.
Another troupe of well-meaning musicians with their hearts in the right place, but having one’s heart in the right place is about as helpful to poverty as having your intestines in the right place, and typically produces the same result…in the end.
