Will Adams – Online

First of all, Dream’s End, thanks for your comment. As long as the discussions on this blog are civil, with no course language or ad hominum attacks, your comments be welcome here.

Before I respond to you, I think your background and age might have an effect on the ideas you promote. And since I have no way of knowing those things, allow me latitude with the assumptions that drive my response. You are free to enlighten our readers with any background information you desire to share.

Assuming you are a US citizen, have you ever traveled outside the United States for an extended period? Those people who have and have lived with the residents and not at the areas that cater to tourists, already know that the poorest people in the US are definitely better off than the poorest people in any other country.

For example, in Mexico City I visited the sister of a good friend of mine. They lived downtown in a luxury high rise apartment building. From two sides of their residence, the view was spectaular, with the skyline of urban Mexico City as a backdrop. Unfortunately, the view from the other two sides was not as good. The hills were covered with makeshift shelter for the poor people who have nowhere else to be. Mexico is a country with hardworking people. It has many natural resources to use for the people’s benefit. The problem is that most of the wealth there is owned by a few families who do exploit the workers there by paying as little as possible for labor. You can have a job there, but you can’t get rich unless you already are.

Food, shelter, clothing, and medical care are always available here for the truly needy (and the not-so-needy). There are hundreds of public and private organizations that exist here to help the poor, hungry, and homeless. That is not the case for the rest of the world. In fact, much of the aid provided overseas is sourced from the US. So yes, Dream’s End, it is a fact that the poor here are rich compared to the poor in the rest of the world.

I reject the assumption that the US outsources misery. I do not imply that the US is correct in everything it does. No human organization can be, but on balance, the US does a lot more good deeds than bad in the world. Note that whenever there is a disaster, the US is out front with humanitarian aid. Note that the US came to the aid of Europe in not one, but two wars. Had those wars been lost, the question of the poor & downtrodden would be moot. The Axis powers were not interested in indiviual libery or free speech. Note also that capitalism spawned many innovations that the rest of the world now take for granted.

As far as wages go, it is useful to keep the regional standards of living in mind when comparing the US versus other countries. Since it is possible to live abroad for far fewer dollars, category by category, than it is to live in the United States, the fact that people may earn fewer dollars is not all that relevant. What is relevant is the goods and services those wages provide for the people that live there and how it relates to their standard of living.

Indian VA’s that I use are paid a fair wage and say they get satisfaction from their jobs. They are paid a wage that allows them to support their family. In India, working for a call center or for one of the many companies set up to provide services for businesses and governments worldwide is a good job. Our relationship is symbiotic in that it benefits both parties involved. They get a good job, and I get results that are often superior to what I can get here. In no way can that be considered exploitation. In my opinion, capitalism “lifts all boats”.

What other capitalist countries are you refering to? There are not that many. The protections you refer to are spreading to the rest of the industrialized world. With the help of corporations who insist on decent working conditions for their foriegn sourcing partners, the working environment is beginning to improve overseas. Much of the abuse of workers overseas was at the hands of foreign bosses, not Americans. When the conditions were uncovered, many corporations acted to stop the abuse.

The character of the men who operate internationally is of great importance. Most people I know who operate internationally have good moral and ethical character. One of capitalist’s image problems is that the “bad apples” get all the 24/7 media attention, while the majority who do the right thing are only occasionally noticed for their good works.

Capitalism is the “system of liberated brainpower” that allows for better living for all who merit it. The people are free to choose their path. There are simply too many accounts of people who went from abject poverty to wealth to argue that point. If a man is poor here, it is not because of a lack of opportunity, but rather, the lack of character requisite to “pay his dues” to achieve his desired station in life. In all countries where thought is supressed and punished, the general standard of living is equally lower for all who live under that system. What we need to export more of is capitalism.