Posted on 01/26/2005 10:30:20 AM PST by ejdrapes
DAVOS, Switzerland - French President Jacques Chirac called on the world's richest nations Wednesday to provide billions of dollars in aid for poor countries through new taxes and other measures that would help combat AIDS, poverty and natural disasters. He said the tsunami that struck Asian coastlines last month — possibly killing up to 300,000 people — should trigger not only aid to that region but a broader coordinated drive by developed nations to reach out to the Third World. "The world suffers chronically from what has been strikingly called the 'silent tsunamis.' Famine. Infectious diseases that decimate the life force of entire continents," Chirac said in a video message from Paris to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum. The annual meeting, in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, has taken on increased importance in recent years as globalization and common threats — from terrorism to increased vulnerability to natural disasters — have made the world's nations and governments more dependent on each other. Chirac alluded to such interdependence, saying that natural disasters, political unrest, uncontrolled migration and extremism are "breeding grounds for terrorism" — suggesting developed nations had a stake in resolving the problem. The French leader outlined a number of steps to raise billions of dollars through taxes on international financial transactions, plane tickets or fuel used by airliners and oceangoing vessels. He also proposed that countries with bank secrecy laws make a special contribution to Third World aid and that developed nations provide "coordinated tax incentives" to stimulate private donations. Chirac asked that the world's eight leading developed nations debate his plan at a G-8 summit in July in Scotland that will be hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. He did not spell out an amount of money that would be generated, but gave several examples. A tax on international financial transactions — which the United States strongly opposes — would raise $10 billion a year, while a $1 tax on every plane ticket sold worldwide would raise "at least $3 billion" a year without causing the aviation industry much harm, Chirac said. Bad weather prevented Chirac from attending. Blair was to deliver an address later Wednesday at the gathering of the world's elite. Some 2,500 corporate, political and other leaders who spend five days debating an array of issues from AIDS to U.S. leadership, from Europe's anemic growth to China's phenomenal expansion. In over 200 workshops and debates, the Davos participants focus on "tough choices." One example is China, whose economic transformation is redrafting the world order and whose phenomenal growth has already triggered higher oil prices — which, in turn, sharpens the global climate change debate. China's growth will help spur "global demand for energy ... by 60 percent by 2030," said N.R. Narayana Murthy, chairman of Infosys Technologies of India. "There is no stopping this giant," said Takatoshi Ito of the University of Tokyo. China's economy grew at an annual rate of 9.5 percent in 2004, and many expect the 2005 figure to surpass that. He also said that China accounted for a staggering proportion of the world's consumption of some materials. "Last year, China consumed 25 to 30 percent of most major industrial materials, especially metals," said Stephen S. Roach, chief economist for Morgan Stanley USA. China was responsible for 43 percent of the world's consumption of concrete, he added. Conference attendees also focused on Europe's lackluster economic performance, the seemingly improved chances for peace in the Middle East, the future of U.S. global leadership, the fate of world trade talks, what to do with weapons of mass destruction and combatting poverty. "The three richest people in the world own more than the gross domestic product of 40 of the world's poorest nations," said Daniel Vasella, chief executive of Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG. Former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans, who now heads the International Crisis Group, said 2005 was a pivotal year considering the pending world trade talks, a September summit of world leaders on global security issues and the need to meet U.N. development goals including halving global poverty by 2015. "If we don't understand the significance of 2005, we're just missing a really fundamental point," he said. "This is a make or break year." The administration of President Bush also has a crucial role, participants said. The United States "produces 30 percent of the world's goods and buys $600 billion in products from developing nations," said John A. Thain, chief executive of the New York Stock Exchange. "The U.S. leadership role in the global economy is an important one." Americans were also criticized, however, for borrowing a lot and saving little — suggesting excessive consumption. Stephen S. Roach, chief economist for Morgan Stanley USA, called U.S. consumers self-indulgent — terming them "an accident waiting to happen." Chirac Urges Taxes to Help World's Poor
Strangely, British colonialism gave the world some of it's greatest Democracies. It gave us Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and the largest democracy - India.
Can't all be bad! ;-)
On this we agree.
Zimbabwe is Africa writ small.
Hmmm. Looks to me like Africa has plenty of rainfall. I'm certain that its unevenly spread out but then so is North America's.
So it must be something else. Perhaps its the leadership and capital investment. Now I admit that the average African is somewhat powerless but Africans collectively have to take responsibility for their own situation. Call it bizarre but until there is a willingness to assume that responsibility the situation in Africa will not change. No amount of aid, good feelings, or positive karma, will change Africa's situation until they choose to change it.
And that is the lesson of life. Do something for yourself.
If I recall my history correctly, democracy in the USA was formed after a REVOLUTION from the British. It certainly was not a gift from the British.
I think it is a misstatement to say that Africa has no water and no rain. Certain regions are certainly arid, but I have to ask, how will giving a Billion Gazillion Dollars or taxing the U.S. make it rain? Does it pay for some sort of weird raindance.
Anyway, Americans have NO problem giving, and giving generously, to help causes around the world. What Americans do have a problem with is giving money to corrupt organizations that don't efficiently and honestly distribute money to the cause for which it was dontated. While no aid organization is perfect, in my opinion the UN is tainted in light of the Oil for Food Program Scandal.
M. Chirac wants to tax the U.S. via the UN to increase France's power. He could care less about helping the world. France exercises power, what little it has, purely through its UN veto. No UN or a discredited UN means no power for France. Chirac is a bit alarmed right now because the US, Australia and Japan were able to operate outside the UN to aid the tsunami victims quickly and efficiently. It was almost a full week before the UN could get organized.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1329115/posts?page=15
That's the way life is, work and toil, and enjoy the fruit of the harvest.
There is absolutely no reason whatsoever that they can't get together and dig a well.
Even here up until after ww2, most wells were hand dug. Communies used to gather and provide sweat, not money when a new settler came and built a homestead.
Now it's simple, higher a drill rig, and pay through the nose for a well diggin' guy called Gus.
I guess these African governments for the last 50 years, since these relatively cheap rigs became widely available, can't afford to shell out a few measely bucks from the foriegn aid payments they recieve.
You see John Wheatly, wefare has never solved any problems, all it does is create a society of lazy, unmotivated people who just sit around waiting for the mailman to deliver the next check. I see this all over
the place.
Sure, there are those who truly need it, unfortunately their needs are being compromized by the millions who don't, but collect the easy money anyway.
Of course we aren't. The UK gives a very sizable percentage of GDP in foreign aid as well. I think the point is, it isn't right to confiscate money -- which is, after all, what taxes do -- for the purposes of philanthropy.
While we can and do help with the short-term problem, the deeper, underlying issues with government corruption and ignorance among the people of Africa must be resolved before there will be stable sources of the basics. Throwing more and more money at the problem simply increases the dependence. Africa will have to make the necessary changes that enable economic prosperity, which is the best way to remedy environmental problems.
A worldwide tax in the name of philanthropy is simply socialist wealth redistribution, nothing more.
Oh, and I live in a desert region in the US. We get somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 - 8 inches of annual precipitation. I believe Africa has that beat.
The list is endless
Once again. The only solution is for people to work out their own problems. If a assist is made to someone genuinely trying to pull their own chestnuts outta the fire then I'm all for it but why do you think a well (or a million wells as it would actually take) actually change anything.
Whats required is a change in the mind set of so many that believe themselves to be helpless. Unfortunately the world is moving in direction of rewarding helplessness.
Ultimately that is the root problem of much of the world's underclass.
Oh and...
Unfortunately, as we've seen recently in the Oil for Food nonsense, even when huge resources are available ($25 Billion? $30 Billion?) under international supervision (the UN) the money ends up in the pockets of "caring politicans"
You suggested that Americans sat around in the rain and collected it for drinking water, getting their drinking water directly from rain. Rain, I hope you know, falls from the sky, (washes all the puke, pee from homeless wino's, car grease animal poop and pee, rotting things,and so many other things to nasty and numerous to mention) then collects in to gutters, sewers, streams which turn into rivers etc. We pump it out of there for the most part, clean it up and drink it. For those of us who live in the country, we get it right out of the ground.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1328121/posts
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