Quote:
Originally Posted by Urbane Guerrilla
Sam, check over the theory that in Africa famines only occur through some human intervention, perhaps well intentioned but as often malicious, and would not occur absent these interventions. There are those students of famines who figure this is why there are famines in the first place. Once a drought happens. The problem really springs from resource misallocations (viz. & e.g., corruption, thievery and so forth) during times of relative plenty in these pocket-handkerchief economies.
The United States, for an example of clearly doing something differently, has droughts and crop failures all the time. Localized. You don't see American skeletons shuffling down the Interstates as refugees trying to get away. You've never seen it in American history, period. Might have something to do with doing capitalism and free markets and other much-abused notions.
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Do you mean to say that The United States had a decade of crippling poverty, breadlines, homelessness, chronic unemployment, malnutrition, mass migration of families, shanty-towns and a large percentage of people did not starve to death during the great depression? A quick note about how the U.S. handled the resource allocation during this time of great suffering. In September of 1934 over 6 million young pigs were slaughtered to stabilize prices, with most of the meat going to waste. Capitalism and free markets at it's finest for sure.
I love the U.S. and think it is important that we are honest about our past. Capitalism and free markets are definite components of a free society. But, if profit margin is the only moral compass then tragedies like the slaughter of 6 million pigs and wasting the meat during this countries worst drought will happen, and of course it's their own fault because this disaster was caused by human intervention and deserves no efforts on our part intervene.
Now, the native populations of the Continental U.S. estimated at between 5 and 10 million people in the 1500's was reduced to apprx. 250,000 in the territory of the United States at the end of the 19th century. Most died of disease and famine. But, they weren't Americans and probably don't count. They have a different history then American history.