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From: cam@aluxe.UUCP (MASCAVAGE)
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.politics
Subject: Re: The role of America in world hunger & red spread
Message-ID: <804@aluxe.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 15-Aug-85 17:24:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: aluxe.804
Posted: Thu Aug 15 17:24:23 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 20-Aug-85 03:29:46 EDT
References: <295@SCIRTP.UUCP> <1068@ihlpg.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Allentown, PA
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Xref: linus net.flame:10679 net.politics:9835

> > [Todd Jones]
> > Au contraire, I stated the primary reason for poverty is the
> > resource drain from these countries to America and Europe.
> -----------------------------------
> The above statement is WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!
> Boy, we sure have impoverished Saudi Arabia and Kuwait by draining their
> resources.  Even if we exempt oil producing countries, the least poor
> third world countries tend to be those with the most per capita exports
> to the developed world.  The very poorest countries have little to export.
> I suppose if Bangla Desh and Upper Volta stopped their already meager
> exports to the West they would blossom overnight.
> -- 
> Bill Tanenbaum - AT&T Bell Labs - Naperville IL  ihnp4!ihlpg!tan

I believe the situation Todd talked about is a little different than the
one you are discussing.  Exports of bananas, or pineapples do bring in
some cash to these countries, but they are luxury items, not necessities
such as oil which is a megabucks business.  The monies made on these 
luxury crops most likely go to some upper class type who owns the plantation,
or farm, and then some small part filters down to the "peasant" laborer.
Because many staple items are not grown in said country in order to make
room for the export crops, they must be imported or suffer ahigher price tag
since they are probably scarce in said country.  The landowner can then
probably afford to buy these staples at the higher price, since he/she
has made mucho dollars exporting the luxury crops, but the poor folk
cannot afford to buy the now inflated price staple items - they are
making some income on the exports, but not enough to buy what they need.
The problem is quite complex indeed.
....but we helped to make it, and we can help to break it.




                            cam