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Originally Posted by Flame On
Captain you have a far more productive view of politicians than I do. To me it's the reverse. Multi millionaires that don't have to be involved that do more than just sling criticism impress me more than lip service politicians that essentially want to do the barest minimum and votes are the exclusive agenda.
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I have no problem with a multi millionare have a charitable point of view, in fact its worthy of a lot of praise. And I'm singling Bono here because I think he's working hard at bringing the topic of African Poverty to light.
However my issue is that a lot of these millionaires don't factor in nationalist needs into thier formula's. So while its admirable that Bono wants Canada to pump double or triple the current buget into Africa, Bono has to realize that at the same time Canada has many internal issues that need money and attention. If Canada didn't have a crushing international debt, didn't have a poverty and illiteracy line, didn't need to build new roads and schools and hospitals, didn't have a crumbling military, a wreked health system and a myriad of other issues, I'd say go for it, triple our foreign aid. But right now and bono dosen't see it or dosen't want to see it, it would be like a middle class person giving half of his income to a poorer family while his house crumbles around him.
Combine that with the fact that continually throwing money into the African sinkhole without a say in how the money is spent, and with no guarantee that said money is going to go where its needed most is wasteful spending.
Its and I'm sorry to be going back to an older debate, the same issue that Canada is facing internally with the natives in that we're throwing money at a problem to solve it, but all we're doing currently is creating and inabling a bigger problem, because we know that the money is not going to the people that need it the most. We're also not creating any kind of independance in the African nations by throwing money at the problem, we're supporting the rise of warlord and despots while the grain rots on the dock or goes straight into the militaries stomach.
If the G8 truly wanted to be effective they would intercede into these crisis spots by creating oversight mechanisms to make sure that the money is used to solve imediate issues while creating solutions to the long terms issues so that we can eventually get out of the cycle of death and defeat that we're seeing now.
We're never going to stop the welfare cycle that we're in until we teach these nations how to fish.
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Originally Posted by Flame On
I have gone off topic though. Because in this case the sentiment of the thread is right. Harper isn't an issue.
I just object to the view that politicians are somehow the standard for getting things done and someone else who quite succesfully raises awareness of an issue is somehow belittled.
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Not what I was saying at all actually, my concern is that Bono's view is pretty simple and straight forward, and that dosen't work in a fairly complex situation. I remember a few years ago, Bono was advocating the elimination of all third world foreign debts, which in itself sounds like a good idea, until these nations go back into imediate debt because they can now take advantage of the situation. His solution is simple, but short termed, if Bono truly wants to be a strong proponent of third world rights, then he has to take a global view of the entire situation, not the cosmetics aisle view that throwing money into a pot will make the issue dissapear.
If Harper is indeed looking at double the amount of foreign aid that Canada is spending then we and Bono should be applauding that action, and asking how the money is going to be spent and by who, as oppossed to throwing in blind critism.
Just my respectful three cents.
