4 ms·
Why do we let this happen? How is it the responsibility of the American people? This is a prime example of a tragedy of commons -- we are depleting the resour
by ihsw 10y ago
Why do we let this happen?
How is it the responsibility of the American people?
This is a prime example of a tragedy of commons -- we are depleting the resources of America at the expense of Americans. The return on investment just isn't there.
I'm not going to deny that lifting hundreds of millions of foreigners out of poverty is noble but why does the entirety of America's middle class have to be hollowed out? Those foreigners being lifted out of poverty aren't paying taxes to the US, they don't deserve the help they're getting, and the very wealthy aren't at all paying their fair share of taxes.
To say that wealth will simply be created by a burgeoning middle class through replicating the Chinese model is delusional, it implies wealth will simply trickle down and we all know how silly Reaganomics is. China achieved their current status by rabidly enforcing the consumption of Chinese products and services and now they are reaping the benefits, and we have to do the same thing.
China prevented their wealth from escaping through isolationist policies, it is clear that this model is the best way to secure our future. Simply lifting people out of poverty without enforcing domestic consumption is suicide by a thousand cuts.
- jacquesm 10y ago> Why do we let this happen? Because it is better in the long run. > How is it the responsibility of the American people? I can't answer that one for you, but I can answer for my own situation (NL): This country got rich over the backs of many people in other countries, if it wasn't for centuries of abuses, war, colonies, mass murder, slavery and exploitation we wouldn't be nearly as wealthy as we are today. This continued right up to 1975 with some nice examples of war crimes right up to and including modern times. Compared to that wealth the little bit that we end up sharing with the rest of the world is an absolute pittance.
- mc32 10y agoI'm sure imperialism helps a little --but it's uncertain how much. Sweden, is pretty rich, so is Equatorial Guinea, and Spain and Portugal are somewhat have-beens despite being the epitome of imperialism. What matters more is good governance _at this time_. Singapore, Taiwan, Equatorial Guinea (despite the "dictator"[1]), Iceland, etc. Poorly governed places with huge natural resources reserves like Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico are doing relatively poorly despite their advantage and potential. They simply need better governance. [1] Dictators can be economically beneficial (if they execute well) despite the repercussions to open government. Same for S Korea (up until the 90s)
- zo1 10y agoYou are essentially saying that children have to pay for the actions of their parents, or grand-parents, or simply ancestors. That is the reason there is a fundamental divide between individuals that believe along your lines, and individuals that think personal-responsibility, justice, reason and law are more important. For all of society's talk about "for our childrens' future", some are quite keen on punishing them in vague perpetuity for their parents' mistakes. I look forward to the day when society is more enlightened than the current phase we are going through. Luckily, we won't hold the entire current-generation guilty, and their descendants guilty-by-proxy, for the things we are doing under some vague notion of "righting past wrongs", by punishing the innocent.
- yummyfajitas 10y agoCould you be concrete? What specific American resources are being depleted? I know we recently became an oil exporting country. Would you be happy if we banned oil exports? Should we stop exporting corn and industrial machinery too? China prevented their wealth from escaping through isolationist policies, it is clear that this model is the best way to secure our future. Simply lifting people out of poverty without enforcing domestic consumption... China has the third lowest rate of domestic consumption (as a percentage of income) in the world. The only countries with a higher savings rate (and therefore a lower consumption rate) are Kuwait and Bermuda. http://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/25/china-savings-rate-versus-the-world-in-a-chart.html http://www.cnbc.com/2015/10/25/china-savings-rate-versus-the... Oops.
- specialist 10y ago"American resources are being depleted?" Water. "Should we stop exporting corn..." Mostly. *"...and industrial machinery too?" No.