[ClaireSolt]

This looks like a case of the phenomenon of "rising expectations" to me. The per capita income in Boliva is up to $900/yr. that is about three times what it is in many third world countries. Unfortunately, Hollywood exports the idea of Americans living in lavish mansions with every luxury, and once life starts to get a little better in a Latin American country, peasants demand to know why they aren't living like movie stars, yet.

We do a poor job of teaching Econ 101 and home economics, so poor people at home and abroad do not understand what it takes to get the lifestyle they want. They succomb to demogogery and exchange their most precious resource (freedom) to tyrants. They will get daily rations of rice but not the cars, computers, and washing machines they could earn if they stayed with free enterprise.

[Beck_isright]

"We do a poor job of teaching Econ 101 and home economics, so poor people at home and abroad do not understand what it takes to get the lifestyle they want. They succomb to demogogery and exchange their most precious resource (freedom) to tyrants. They will get daily rations of rice but not the cars, computers, and washing machines they could earn if they stayed with free enterprise."

Sadly, you are only about 25% correct. We have done a lousy job teaching the benefits of free enterprise and democracy. Preferably we would teach a republican (small "r") system of government. Sadly, in my travels, I've noticed that all of the people I've met in the poorer parts of the world think that we were "given" or "endowed" with our riches. After I explain the facts to them, half look grim, half look hopeful. Our government does not care to teach, it cares to exploit. Thus the problem we will deal with in the 2010-2030 era; a Marxist Latin America armed with nuclear weapons and IRBM's supplied by the Asian powers.