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From: berman@psuvax1.UUCP (Piotr Berman)
Newsgroups: net.politics.theory
Subject: Re: Re: (micromotives & macrobehavior)
Message-ID: <1807@psuvax1.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 20-Sep-85 16:31:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: psuvax1.1807
Posted: Fri Sep 20 16:31:37 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Sep-85 12:04:13 EDT
References: <3476@topaz.UUCP> <28200078@inmet.UUCP> <755@cybvax0.UUCP> <10414@ucbvax.ARPA>
Organization: Pennsylvania State Univ.
Lines: 26

> In article <755@cybvax0.UUCP> mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz) writes:
> >
> >Distribution may take care of itself if there is enough wealth, but only if
> >the powerful and wealthy are willing to allow it or subsidize it.  There
> >are too many examples of export of food from famine areas by force of arms
> >or force of market.  The poor in a subsistance economy cannot outbid the
> >rich for foodstuffs, even if the rich wish to feed it to pigs.
> 
> You know, Mike, I'm going to write a mail demon that watches for news articles
> from you and posts a reply to each one, containing the article and a one-word
> reply: "EVIDENCE?".  So I'll ask again: do you have any evidence of the poor
> being outbid by the rich for food, so that the rich can feed it to the hogs?
> The *only* case of starvation in the face of food surplus that I know of was
> the starvation of the Kulaks by Stalin in the 30's.  In fact, the only cases
> of famine in this century have been in Marxist or Socialist nations, as far as
> I know.  Do you know of any cases of famine in capitalist nations?
> 
> 				-- Rick.

You do not read net carefully Rick.  Potato famine in Ireland was already
quoted.  As another example one could quote Brazil, with recurring famines
in her North-East and consistent export of agricultural products.
There was a famine there very recently, in fact.  If one would dig for
examples, there would be quite a few.

Piotr