Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Saving Starving Children Should Trump Global Warming Concerns
This column hits, what I feel, is THE major problem facing our world today. Wrapped up in this column is why we are at war in Iraq, why New Orleans is still in shambles, why we still have terror, why there is corruption in our government. Through many readings and thought, one can come to the conclusion that economic factors are, I believe, the prime factor in solving many, if not all, major problems we face today.
As Steven Milloy points out, resources are being transferred to an inconvenient truth- a truth that is not yet based on solid and indisputable facts. The "in" thing nowadays is global climate change (and just a note that we have gone from global warming to global climate change, due to the fact that we had an exceptionally cold winter so far this year). Milloy, I believe, points out that the "save our children" ploy just isn't working. I wonder why we have strayed from the "feed the children" effort we had many, many years ago. Could it be that the solution offered so many years ago- giving money and food to poor nations- just didn't work. It is well documented today that if you give a corrupt government money for food, they will not use that money for food, but the officials wind up pocketing it. Instead of claiming defeat and seeking a better solution, it would seem that politicians (and other notable public figures) have chosen a problem that, since it has not been completely proven, will be easier to solve.
But what is the solution for starving poverty? I, like others, believe it is economic, with maybe a little bit of coercion. Getting rid of dictatorships and totalitarian states and replacing them with states in which the people have ownership of their property and the freedom to compete in the market place is, simply stated, the answer. I believe we were right in toppling Saddam's regime in Iraq. I am having my doubts about the way in which we are trying to give the people of Iraq the freedoms the deserve. Our government has a lot of learning to do concerning the
process of getting a new nation up and going.
It is very, very sad that those in political power and with political clout have chosen to ignore the children who die everyday for a cause which, again, the market could work out all of its own. I would not be surprised to see new rent seeking laws handed down if the political climate changes too much, too soon.
As Steven Milloy points out, resources are being transferred to an inconvenient truth- a truth that is not yet based on solid and indisputable facts. The "in" thing nowadays is global climate change (and just a note that we have gone from global warming to global climate change, due to the fact that we had an exceptionally cold winter so far this year). Milloy, I believe, points out that the "save our children" ploy just isn't working. I wonder why we have strayed from the "feed the children" effort we had many, many years ago. Could it be that the solution offered so many years ago- giving money and food to poor nations- just didn't work. It is well documented today that if you give a corrupt government money for food, they will not use that money for food, but the officials wind up pocketing it. Instead of claiming defeat and seeking a better solution, it would seem that politicians (and other notable public figures) have chosen a problem that, since it has not been completely proven, will be easier to solve.
But what is the solution for starving poverty? I, like others, believe it is economic, with maybe a little bit of coercion. Getting rid of dictatorships and totalitarian states and replacing them with states in which the people have ownership of their property and the freedom to compete in the market place is, simply stated, the answer. I believe we were right in toppling Saddam's regime in Iraq. I am having my doubts about the way in which we are trying to give the people of Iraq the freedoms the deserve. Our government has a lot of learning to do concerning the
process of getting a new nation up and going.
It is very, very sad that those in political power and with political clout have chosen to ignore the children who die everyday for a cause which, again, the market could work out all of its own. I would not be surprised to see new rent seeking laws handed down if the political climate changes too much, too soon.
