Posted on 02/27/2006 2:46:40 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
In a recent speech in Washington, Gen. Wesley Clark called for an American grand strategy to replace the Cold War strategy that held the world together for a half century after World War II. Good idea.
Even some Republicans are now privately admitting the failure of their party's grand strategy, which as I understand it involves instituting democracy in countries around the world, by persuasion and example or by force. President Bush says it is working. Events in Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Egypt and elsewhere suggest otherwise.
The second leg of Republicans' grand strategy is to shrink the role of government in people's lives. That, too, is failing. Budget deficits, trade deficits and the federal government's incompetent response to Katrina and rebuilding New Orleans, to say nothing of the Medicare Part D headaches, are evidence enough.
Democrats have been criticized for offering no alternative grand strategy. We might forgive them on two counts. Republican control of the White House and Congress virtually dooms any Democratic ideas. And if an idea has any merit, the other party would take credit for it a Washington custom.
I propose a grand strategy for the Democratic Party. Republicans, at least the far right wing, are not likely to appropriate it as their own. It is one that all but the most deluded religious zealots must embrace. Properly presented, it will sweep Democrats into power, probably for decades. It will do more for humanity than all the wars we might conceive in the cause of democracy. And it will cement our nation's role in 21st century history in the way that World War II and the Cold War sealed our place in the 20th.
The grand strategy? Simple: Eliminate poverty throughout the world.
Take a few minutes to get all the guffaws and harrumphs out of your system, then consider it seriously. Let's begin by agreeing that eliminating (or greatly reducing) poverty will do more than war to nurture democracy. Can we also agree that eliminating poverty will reduce resentment toward the United States among the people of Africa, South America and the Middle East (a leading cause of terrorism)? A couple of worthy objectives right there. And, oh yes, eliminating poverty is a dominant message of the Bible, if that means anything to you.
This will not cost the United States as much as you might think, if we follow the "teach a man to fish" school of charity. America's main contribution to the worldwide war on poverty would be our brains, our technology, our roll-up-our-sleeves problem-solving ability. We know that, properly utilized and husbanded, the Earth's resources are adequate to support its current population and then some. It would be America's role to provide the know-how to make that happen. And where current knowledge falls short, we would find ways, using the vast research resources of our universities and corporations.
In the course of finding those technologies and practices, we will find new products and services to export, putting Americans to work and generating profits for American companies. It should be noted that the first poverty to be eliminated would be here in the United States.
Eliminating poverty would solve environmental problems including global warming because many of the solutions are the same. It would involve some sacrifice on the part of American citizens. But hey, shouldn't we have been doing that all along? We're not talking sack cloth and ashes.
Spend a bit more on education and energy, medical and agricultural research; a bit less on automobiles and extravagant lifestyles. Increase our foreign aid to the level of other industrialized countries. Agree that all humans deserve food, shelter, medical care and a shot at the good life.
Skillful budgeting and coaxing other developed countries into this effort must be parts of the grand strategy, talents present day Republicans seem to lack.
If there is a leader in the Democratic Party, let us hear him or her spell out a grand strategy that Clark called for. If it's not a war on poverty, then something else. If there is a Republican leader out there with a bold vision, let's hear it.
Please, anything but the childish, petty, destructive partisan squabbling and nibbling at the edges of horrendous problems that make all thinking Americans want to put a foot right through the TV screen.
Grand Strategy??
We've had Several..
Communism...
Socialism...
The NEW Deal...
The Great Society...
The "New" New Deal...
Same old tripe socialist agenda repackaged for consumption by a newer generation...
The cures for poverty are SIMPLE: EDUCATION, FREEDOM, FREE TRADE, CAPITALISM. All things that leftists hate.....
Norway is floating on oil. With the huge profits available to it, their government simply could not do anything to hurt the economy. These oil profits provide a convenient crutch for a bad system. If the country had to actually earn a living, it couldn't survive.
The true measure would be a comparison between their current situation and a functional free market economy.
Calling Norway a success is akin to praising the money management of a spoiled child with a billion-dollar trust fund.
Yes, I'm curious, too, as Jesus said: "For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always." Matthew 26:11. Which tells me that poverty would always be with us, not eliminated.
Uh, no we can't agree on that. We already give billions of dollars in foreign aid to those countries and it does nothing but increase their resentment of us.
...eliminating poverty is a dominant message of the Bible...
No it's not. The dominant message of the Bible is accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior. That certainly involves giving to charity and helping the poor. But that is a voluntary action and choice that a person makes to become more like Christ. There is nothing Christian about forcing people to charity.
...if we follow the "teach a man to fish" school of charity.
Actually a good point. Let's eliminate the "give a man a fish" school of charity that we have engaged in for the last 40 years. If you truly want to "teach a man to fish" then admit that the "Great" Society and the War on Poverty have been complete and total failures and have done nothing but increase poverty. Lets eliminate welfare and other handouts and replace them with programs that encourage people to work. Instead of a welfare check, you get job training. Somehow, I don't think that's what the author, or Clark, are referring to. And I know that the bulk of the Democratic party will never go for that.
You are a stronger woman than I am to have to deal with that type mentality on a regular basis.........
This guy's an idiot. Our pastor tried to sell us on Bono's One World initiative last Sunday.
I just shook my head.
He asked me afterward what I knew about it, and that I seemed sort of resistant to it.
I said that I was. The issue with poverty in most of these third world dumps isn't a lack of local resources. The problem was a corrupt government that kept the poor hungry and the rich isolated from them. I said that unless you were willing to carry your cash down with the 3rd ID ready to displace whatever despot happened to be living in the presidential palace, that the cash wasn't going to get to the people you wanted to send it.
Even if you did depose the local idiot by force, its likely another idiot would take his place. Look at how fast it takes Republicans to go native once they are sent to DC.
Nigeria is the very best example. It's long been considered the garden of Africa. In addition to oil, it's got rubber, strategic metals, gems, etc. No excuse for it to be anything other than rich, save for the string of military juntas, the 1800 tribes speaking different languages, and the ongoing antagonation between Muslims and Christians there.
Less remotely, look at Mexico. With Pemex around, there's no reason to bail Mexico out of anything, especially with oil at $60+ per barrel.
However, if that's the best the D's can do, "Let's bring back the war on poverty, but this time let's make sure the taxpayer foots the bill for the rest of the entire world."
I'd love to see that on an election year.
Norway is oil independent. Try again.
Exact quote I was thinking of.
Somebody's been smoking waaaaaaay too much dope.
That's where I stopped.
"Democratic ideas"
Now *there's* an oxymoron!
Their last new idea was Jimmy Carter's gas rationing - and its been downhill since then.
Hey, there's an original idea! Let's spend government money to get rid of poverty. It's never been tried before!
Balderdash. The amount of capital is constantly increasing.
The grand strategy? Simple: Eliminate poverty throughout the world."
This would require:
1) Eliminating Islam, the scourge of many a nation.
2) Making the whole world a free-market arena and zone.
Any other strategy of the socialist variety will fail.
Let's see - seize all private property, the state owns and runs the means of production and those who disagree go to the gulag.
Did I miss anything?
Oh, yeh. The ruling politburo gets dachas, special party member stores and limos.
Mark 14:7
"For ye have the poor with you always,..."
It says exactly the opposite of what this writer alleges.
Ah good point. Isn't poverty defined as below a certain percentage of the average salary? If we just tax everyone so heavily, maybe it will bring the average salary down far enough, that there won't be any room to fall below that threshold. </sarcasm>
Bill is living in a world of make-believe, with flowers and bells and leprachauns, and magic frogs with funny little hats.
That is 'failing' because they are NOT doing it. Duh. Domestic spending is raising out of control with neither party looking to do anything about it.
(Democrats have been criticized for offering no alternative grand strategy. We might forgive them on two counts. Republican control of the White House and Congress virtually dooms any Democratic ideas.)
How forgiving! More like partisan...
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