Subject:
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Re: The US gives too much/not enough aid
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Tue, 12 Nov 2002 20:43:09 GMT
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Viewed:
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1119 times
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Larry Pieniazek wrote:
> > In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Scott Arthur writes:
> > > The wealth of western nations is
> > > built on exploitation of the developing world and the destruction
> > > of the global
> > > environmemt.
>
> Prove that assertion.
This statement should no have to be proved to such a keen observer of
the world but since you asked.
1) I was reading about the island of Borneo the other day and the
exploitation of the their rainforests to provide cheap lumber to Japan
(a western nation). Most of the timber Japan is using from there is for
concrete forms and other 'disposable' uses. This greed by Japan is
causing the disappearance of Borneo's rainforests. There is a problem
with the corrupt local government that is preventing most of the profits
from being passed down to the people as well.
2) Our love affair with coffee is actually responsible for a good bit
of rainforest destruction in Central America, which is also causing
severe declines in several of the migratory bird species in the US and
Canada. (Shade-grown/Organic is better!)
3) How about how the World Bank and the IMF have funded loans for many
environmentally destructive projects (e.g. dams) throughout the world.
When it comes time to pay back these loans the only way to do this is
through further environmental desctruction (I reckon this is because the
countries are probably still in a stage of an extractive economy).
The five countries with the largest rainforests are among the most
heavily indebted countries. Q. What does this lead to? A. More
rainforest logging. I think the third world debt is somewhere around
1,300 billion US nowadays? That's a lot of destruction.
THese are pretty simple examples of first world greed which should offer
adequate proof. There are thousands of more examples.
Looking forward to the rebuttal,
-chris
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: The US gives too much/not enough aid
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| (...) Don't forget Lend Lease (did we ever get any of the lends back?) (...) True but irrelevant. What matters is who would have won if we hadn't entered, and if you conclude the Allies would have (not a foregone conclusion by any means), at what (...) (22 years ago, 12-Nov-02, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
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