[forkies]

http://www.worldonfire.ca/

[awcopus]

It's nice that she donated money to these causes.... but the donations are one-timers and there's a dangerous mixed message in the video. The problem is not that people in the West are overpaid, it's that stagnating emerging markets cannot generate the wealth that these countries are more than capable of creating. I am glad that Sarah has sent some aid, but the overall impression from her video is that there is a zero sum game in play here where people in the West, by virtue of making the kind of money they do, are preventing people from getting health services a world away. This is a fallacy. Wealth is created when free markets are allowed to thrive in settings where every person has legal protection from coercion and fraud. The misery in these countries is not a result of a gaffer taking his salary and not being charitable enough. It is a direct consequence of oppressive regimes, mafia-like organizations that have a stranglehold on their population's livelihood.

Food for thought.

[brapper]

she's looking good...

[AB^2=BCxAC]

Originally posted by awcopus:
I am glad that Sarah has sent some aid, but the overall impression from her video is that there is a zero sum game in play here where people in the West, by virtue of making the kind of money they do, are preventing people from getting health services a world away. This is a fallacy.

That's different from the impression I got, which was that we could be a lot more charitable with the money we have at our disposal, by helping foundations which offer the support and aid that are presented in the video. And I think that isn't a fallacy.

[Ratm]

Originally posted by awcopus:
Wealth is created when free markets are allowed to thrive in settings where every person has legal protection from coercion and fraud . The misery in these countries is not a result of a gaffer taking his salary and not being charitable enough. It is a direct consequence of oppressive regimes, mafia-like organizations that have a stranglehold on their population's livelihood.

Food for thought.

Great speech. Feel better now? You're living in fantasy land--how is the weather down there?.

[Millennium]

Originally posted by Ratm:
Great speech. Feel better now? You're living in fantasy land--how is the weather down there?.

Care to elaborate?

[iREZ]

No please don't get another Zach loyalist to start about how f**ked up our views are.

[awcopus]

Originally posted by Ratm:
Great speech. Feel better now? You're living in fantasy land--how is the weather down there?.

You think it's a fantasy that wealth is created when laws protect people from coercion and fraud?

[BoomStick]

I do humanitarian aid work every summer and I can tell you that no matter how much you do, there is always more.

[busterhide]

The rich productive west has been sending aid to these countries for many years, and the result is no improvement in the overall situation in these countries. Throwing money at a problem might make people feel good about them selves but does it fix the cause of the suffering. The old "give a fish, teach to fish" bit. Unfortunately over the years a basic human response to all this money flowing for aid has been to develop a thriving economy all based on the continuing flow of aid. A few people in these countries make a good living working directly or indirectly with the aid programs. Do they want this set up to change? I don't have the answer on how to change this dependency that has developed. But the whole thing the way it is now just looks like one big beg-a-thon that will never end.

Good Video, Lots of fancy transitions, I'm sure everyone on that project is telling there friends "Yea I worked on this project and I'm changing the world, OK on to the next gig".

[Nicko]

Originally posted by awcopus:
It's nice that she donated money to these causes.... but the donations are one-timers and there's a dangerous mixed message in the video. The problem is not that people in the West are overpaid, it's that stagnating emerging markets cannot generate the wealth that these countries are more than capable of creating. I am glad that Sarah has sent some aid, but the overall impression from her video is that there is a zero sum game in play here where people in the West, by virtue of making the kind of money they do, are preventing people from getting health services a world away. This is a fallacy. Wealth is created when free markets are allowed to thrive in settings where every person has legal protection from coercion and fraud. The misery in these countries is not a result of a gaffer taking his salary and not being charitable enough. It is a direct consequence of oppressive regimes, mafia-like organizations that have a stranglehold on their population's livelihood.

Food for thought.

Uh, but more often than not it is the west that allows/supports these oppresive regimes. Example, Nigeria is the worlds 5th largest exporter of oil. Their leaders are so corrupt that the country doesn't have the facilities to actually process the oil into gasoline for their own population and so they must import it! Sure you can blame the corrupt politicians...but you can also blame the American who buys the gas guzzling SUV and demands cheap gas to run it on. Meanwhile back in Nigeria, oil money that could go into improving the country gets funneled into a foreign bank account. There is more than enough wealth in that country, it just happens to be very highly concentrated among a very small percentage of the population...err well probably a few dozen people actually.

[nredman]

who is sarah mclachlan?

[TheBadgerHunter]

Originally posted by nredman:
who is sarah mclachlan?

Canadian singer.

[Truepop]

Originally posted by nredman:
who is sarah mclachlan?

she started that Lesbian musical tour or something lilith fair.

[ManOfSteal]

I like that song.

[awcopus]

Originally posted by Nicko:
Uh, but more often than not it is the west that allows/supports these oppresive regimes. Example, Nigeria is the worlds 5th largest exporter of oil. Their leaders are so corrupt that the country doesn't have the facilities to actually process the oil into gasoline for their own population and so they must import it! Sure you can blame the corrupt politicians...but you can also blame the American who buys the gas guzzling SUV and demands cheap gas to run it on. Meanwhile back in Nigeria, oil money that could go into improving the country gets funneled into a foreign bank account. There is more than enough wealth in that country, it just happens to be very highly concentrated among a very small percentage of the population...err well probably a few dozen people actually.

I agree with you for the most part, though I'm weary of blaming "the west" because it's too vague. Since I know my own country best, I'd rather just blame the U.S. govt. and, frankly, the voting public for essentially endorsing (Republicans and Democrats together, by the way) the redistribution of U.S. tax dollars and deployment of U.S. troops all over the world. Setting aside for the moment the idea that the U.S. props up dictators, I don't think it should be sending a single cent even to countries that it's friendly with.

As for the SUV driver, I don't have too much of a gripe with him or her, but I do have a big problem with prices being distorted by government subsidies and interventions. Let the market settle on prices in a truly competitive way, and then let consumers make the choices that make sense for them.

Do citizens in Nigeria have private property rights? Due process? Equal protection under the law? A free press? Sounds like the government has monopolized development of this national resource and uses the money it makes to oppress its people... same old story and it applies all over the world... and yet in America, Republicans and Democrats ritually ask for MORE government involvement in their lives. In-fcking-sane.

[brapper]

Originally posted by manofsteal:
I like that song.

ricky has spoken,
it is now known as the good song.

[ManOfSteal]

Originally posted by brapper:
ricky has spoken,
it is now known as the good song.

Who?

rickey.

[brapper]

Originally posted by manofsteal:
Who?

rickey.

these things happen, i suggest we both forget about it and move on.