Posted by alexandra_k on September 3, 2005, at 9:31:38
In reply to Re: will anyone help?, posted by Nickengland on September 3, 2005, at 7:30:51
Hey Nick. Thanks for some facts. I knew it was bad but I didn't appreciate it was quite that bad...
> They also have corrupt leaders in some of those countries, which in some respects can be considered as wicked a Saddam Hussien.
Yeah. Its one thing sending aid...
Its another thing to make sure the people who need that aid recieve it...
> You have to ask the question, would Bush have more of an interest in those poor African countries if there was oil there? vs his attention if there wasn't any in the middle east.Yeah. Oil is one side to it. Spread of democracy is another...
> But again, this could be considered normal-day-to-day living in one of those African countries.Yeah. Hard to know what is worse... To have that be 'normal' with little prospects for genuine improvement. Or to once have had and then to have it all taken away... I guess it sucks either way.
> Apparently if the Iraq war lasts five more years it will cost America nearly 1.4 Trillion dollars. (I just googled that out of curosity)
>America is fortunate that it can afford to repair such a disaster, I think it can, if it can spend all that money in Iraq.Well... Not sure that follows. Maybe it doesn't have that money BECAUSE it spent all that money in Iraq... 1.4 trillion dollars... How many african communities could be assisted to become self-sufficient on that amount do you think? Or maybe it could have been spent on welfare. Maybe if more people had cars more people would have been able to evacuate. Maybe... Maybe... Its a hard one. But while I can understand people haggling over where to spend aid money I really don't understand people choosing war over aid. What a tragic waste of lives.
If there wasn't any war... There wouldn't have to be any starving people.
A (controversial) alternative is that if we stopped farming animals for food... There wouldn't have to be any starving people (it is more economical and nutritionally efficient to grow soy or vegetables to eat than to grow soy or vegetables to feed the animals to kill the animals to eat...)
> In the mean time of course people will donate from around the world to the people affected by this hurricane.Yes. And not to the africans. But yeah. There is only so much to go around. and given war and all we must choose...
poster:alexandra_k
thread:548858
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/poli/20050728/msgs/550306.html