[The Reaper]

Originally Posted by Geenie

I admire Meyers' boldness in stating what needs to be said, namely that the current strategy in Africa isn't working. I regret, however, that he doesn't offer any kind of proposed solution, except maybe an implicit "just let them die" --
I will concede that many people need to be "woken up" and made to realize that merely giving more food to an increased population will not solve the problem in the long term, but instead result in another increase in population. However, I predict that Meyers states the truth a little bit too aggressively for it to be agreeable for the sheeple that make up most of our society. That's a different matter though.

Clearly the problem in these countries is corruption. We see the same thing in Afghanistan and Iraq, namely international money not winding up where it's intended to go.
In my opinion the international community's responsibility ends at the doorstep of the nation in question the minute the aid is handed over. Clearly we cannot invade a country and say "You make sure the money winds up in the right hands, or else!", but, to be fair, neither can the sick, poor, uneducated, wide-eyed families living in rural Africa. I don't know if it's quite fair to cite the old "You can't help someone who won't help themselves" - I would argue that where there is corruption there is oppression and when there is oppression it is hard for the people to rise up. Look at the "elections" in Zimbabwe.

So what can be done? It's easy to say "do nothing and let the situation resolve itself" -- I'm sure many of the people on this board are aware of the kind of consequences that can arise when you leave a country unchecked. Afghanistan and Iraq being points in case, in my opinion.

I think your youth and idealism are shining through.

The issue is not just corruption, but social irresponsibility. Of course, look at the problems even a tightly controlled country like China has enforcing the "one child" policy.

If you (and your neighbors) breed like lemmings, you should expect the same sort of periodic population correction, and there is nothing we can, or necessarily should do about it. The population will continue to increase until we can no longer feed them all, at which point our nation could collapse as well.

I fail to see the connection between the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan and gross overpopulation in Africa.

TR