America - Annan: "Give More"

Koffi Annan seems to think that throwing money at world poverty will solve the problem. What Annan, and a good many others, fail to understand, is that poverty is not the problem; poverty is a symptom of despotic regimes. Until those countries have free and fair elections, transparent media and free trade, they will continue in poverty.

I agree with Rantburg.

That bleat's starting to wear pretty thin by now. Rich countries have been "helping" poor countries since I was a tad. Some of those same poor countries — war-shattered Japan and Korea, idyllic, agrarian Thailand, steamy, rubber plantation Malaysia — are now in a position to do some helping of their own. The starving children in India are now starting to get plump and happy. Others countries, starting from similar or worse circumstances, shackled themselves to Marxism, "third way" National Socialism, Islam, or outright kleptocracy, and they're stuck right where they were. Places like Zim-Bob-We have actually regressed.

I was a toddler when the Marshal Plan was implemented. I was in junior high when the colonial powers left most of Africa. How the hell old are my grandkids going to be before the continuous demand for money for kleptocrats finally ends? Or will it? Why is it our responsibility to clean up the mess left by Emperor Freddie, Idi Amin, Mobuto Sese Seko, Kwame Nkruma, Samuel Doe, Charles Taylor, Sane Abacha, Jonas Savimbi, and the rest of the host of dear departed or absconded whose relatives send me spam every day, begging my help in secreting their hard-won millions? At what point do the inhabitants of those countries stop either killing each other or hollering "Death to America" and actually start living humdrum lives with families, jobs, and civic responsibilities?

I, like most people, want to alleviate suffering in the world, but this gravy train has been going on since before I was born, and I'm 52. America and other countries around the world have been throwing tax dollars as well as public contributions at this problem with little or no success. We've been putting a band aid on a cancer; it's high time for some invasive surgery.

Why is it that people in Hollywood, the left, anti-war types and the likes of people like Geldof, demonstrate, protest and remonstrate over third world poverty and yet say not a peep about the despots who rule these countries? Why no protests in front of those countries embassies that are causing all the suffering?

I'll tell you why. Because that would result in action, you know actually doing something about it. Better to keep throwing tons of money at the problem and hope that some of it finds its way into some poor starving persons hand, than to lift a hand, and remove the boot from the poor buggers head.

UPDATE

American Expatriate points out America's aid contribution is far more than what the media would have you believe.
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