In 2012, gross world product was $72 trillion. With a population of 7 billion, thats just about $10,000 per capita. Which is about the annual per capita income of Ecuador, or Cuba. Not an income we Americans would envy, since ours is around $51,000. But somewhere around a billion people live on just a dollar a day, or *$365 per year!* By that standard, even Cuba and Ecuador are wealthy nations. It is capitalism that has given us both the incredible wealth and the incredible poverty. The fact that they coexist challenges the limits of human compassion. We *say* that we have compassion, but decade after decade we fail to enact structural reforms which would put that into action. We have failed as a world to embrace social democracy. So the compassion remains lip-service. Compassion in action requires reorganizing our economics toward social goals. Some on the left even lament *free-trade agreements* because they might depress wages in the wealthiest countries. Which is precisely the opposite of the social justice they purportedly stand for. Such people are also unwilling to reconcile themselves with the perks of Empire they enjoy. Such as the dollar being the worlds reserve currency. And the largest military force giving us outsized diplomatic clout. Yeah, America is a bully, not because we have to be, but because our people have simply come to expect that level of privilege. Every time we throw our weight around the world, it is with 314 million (628 million?) fists. And simply hating the idea that we throw our weight around doesnt get the left off the hook for their privileges. It does no good to declare support for Americas enemies or oppose its wars. Such people are living in a dream world. As they enjoy their high standard of living--whether they agree with American policy or not--the blood is still on their hands. Want to wash the blood off? Join the Peace Corps or move to one of those $365-a-year countries and help a village dig water wells or install solar panels. We cant have it both ways. Americas five percent of the worlds population cant stand for freedom and justice while hoarding somewhere around 20% of the worlds resources and GDP. All warfare at some level stems from basic economics. And happy well-fed people who trade with each other generally dont make war. If youre a liberal who hates war, refuses to support higher taxes, thinks America is arrogant, but opposes free trade agreements (which transfer wealth and jobs to developing economies) and refuses to do anything about global inequality, youre the worst kind of hypocrite. We cant start to solve the problem of a divided world until we begin to understand that we are all a part of it.
Posted on: Sun, 06 Apr 2014 00:10:39 +0000
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