tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133337349608142588.post1146779135860388876..comments2024-02-28T03:43:57.586-08:00Comments on FET (old posts): Why are the poor, poor?Cameron Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08737859133901303110noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133337349608142588.post-44693158561326091462009-04-02T16:18:00.000-07:002009-04-02T16:18:00.000-07:00Hi Stuart,This is the first time we have considere...Hi Stuart,<BR/><BR/>This is the first time we have considered the policing problem globally, but civilisation has pondered the conundrum at least since the time of Plato.<BR/><BR/>Try - <BR/>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quis_custodiet_ipsos_custodes%3FCameron Murrayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08737859133901303110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133337349608142588.post-86870080601426880712009-04-01T18:19:00.000-07:002009-04-01T18:19:00.000-07:00Is that really an age old question? I'm not sure w...Is that really an age old question? I'm not sure when thoughts of global policing surfaced? Surely not ages ago!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08267221410834773411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133337349608142588.post-2277457960103306022009-04-01T17:52:00.000-07:002009-04-01T17:52:00.000-07:00Stuart, Clearly coercive force for financial gain ...Stuart, <BR/>Clearly coercive force for financial gain is a characteristic of international trade. And yes, a stable independent government is a prerequisite of the suggestions I have made. <BR/>The point you raise about the power of wealth (and guns) to actually buy (threaten/remove) small governments is really getting to the heart of global geo-politics (aka war - politics by other means). <BR/>It also raises an age old question. If we want global policing of international affairs (to avoid puppet governments) who will police the police?Cameron Murrayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08737859133901303110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133337349608142588.post-49278986314134257352009-04-01T01:31:00.000-07:002009-04-01T01:31:00.000-07:00Re: the last paragraph, This is when, as history h...Re: the last paragraph, This is when, as history has shown many times, an imperialist power (or two) intervenes via overt or covert means & replaces the said government with a more democratic, read: 'puppet like' one. Remember, when you say 'this is capitalism' to allow for the AMORAL lengths that vested interests are happy to go to in advancing their own interests. POP QUIZ: Do you know how many dollars EXXON has paid in fines for it's notorious Alaskan oil spill?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08267221410834773411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8133337349608142588.post-92190962536751034072009-04-01T00:58:00.000-07:002009-04-01T00:58:00.000-07:00On an interesting side note to this - I was readin...On an interesting side note to this - I was reading "The Upside of Down" and Thomas Homer-Dixon points out that people optimistically believe the poor are growing at a faster rate than the rich i.e. 3.5% vs 2.5% and that they are catching up. <BR/><BR/>Sounds great, but when you do the numbers the gap actually continues to widen because they poor are coming off such a low base!<BR/><BR/>Even if the poor grow at 7% p.a. (average income) it would take 48 years before the difference would stop widening.<BR/><BR/>Incredible! see the below link for a demonstration...<BR/>http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pN5uIY5TyrY7vfoZamZqPJgDanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02140664961011017035noreply@blogger.com