From: Technotranscendence (neptune@mars.superlink.net)
Date: Mon Mar 20 2000 - 21:38:28 MST
On Sunday, March 19, 2000 7:08 PM Damien Broderick
d.broderick@english.unimelb.edu.au wrote:
> >The US sends "foreign aid" to lots of countries. Often this is in the
form
> >of a line of credit for american infrastructure builders and armaments
> >manufacturers. (And you thought it was for food, clothing, medical care,
> >and education. Yeah, right!) [...]The American people, mostly under the
> >mistaken impression that it was some kind of international charity
program,
> >were pressuring the pols for cutbacks. The pols, however, knew that it
was
> >really a way of controlling access to markets and resources[...]
> >Needless to say, the "foreign aid" did not stop.)
>
> To those outside the USA, this is transparently obvious, and bleakly
> hilarious. I'm glad to see somebody here joining the dots. I don't suppose
> this insight should offend too many American extropians, who are pretty
> cynical about realpolitik, but I suspect it might do so.
Jeff Davis is not alone. Lots of Americans see this, but, obviously, not
enough. And I for one am not offended by either Jeff's or Damien's comments
above. I am, however, offended by the government which carries out those
policies.
I would also add that the money which does not somehow wind up coming back
to the US -- as welfare for some corporations and NGOs -- winds up
bankrolling dictators, oligarchies, and bad (usually antimarket) policies.
Daniel Ust
http://mars.superlink.net/neptune/
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