Irvine, CA--Two years ago the G-8 pledged $50 billion more in aid for
Africa, but that promise, aid advocates charge, has been broken. They claim
that several countries failed to ramp up aid, that last year donations from
some countries actually declined--and that the world's richest countries
must give far more.
Nations accused of giving too little say that they wrote-off millions in
African debts, which they say should be counted as aid. And, perhaps to
preempt criticism, President Bush last week announced plans to spend $30
billion to fight AIDS in Africa--doubling America's current commitment.
"But instead of disputing how aid is measured or guiltily promising billions
more, the G-8 should repudiate the alleged moral duty to selflessly serve
the world's poor," said Elan Journo, junior fellow at the Ayn Rand
Institute.
"We have no moral duty to sacrifice for the poor. Those who earn their
prosperity by production and trade have a moral right to every penny of
their riches. The notion that the richest nations must serve the 'needy' is
based on the vicious moral code of altruism.
"Altruism holds that one's highest moral duty is to selflessly serve
others--and thus that the world's 'haves' must sacrifice for the sake of its
'have-nots.' The productive, on this abhorrent view, have no moral right to
pursue their own interests and keep their wealth; their only justification
for existing is to serve the needy. Thus the world's richest nations must
atone for their prosperity by sacrificing for the sake of those who lack, or
don't care to earn, values.
"Africa is poor because it is rife with bloody tribalism and
superstition--ideas that in the Dark Ages kept the Western world as poor, if
not poorer, than today's Africa. If aid advocates were genuinely concerned
with helping Africans, they would campaign for political and economic
freedom, for individualism, reason and capitalism, for the ideas necessary
to achieve prosperity.
"Instead, advocates barrage wealthy nations with reproaches and accusations
of stinginess. Such abuse is necessary to induce the unearned guilt which
impels Western leaders to do penance by sacrificing billions more in aid.
While posturing as humanitarians, aid advocates are unmoved by the financial
burdens imposed on productive individuals in donor countries who are bled
dry to pay for foreign aid.
"It is past time that we repudiated the perverse bandwagon for aid to
Africa. We should reject the corrupt moral principle that demands
self-sacrifice--and proudly assert our unconditional right to our lives and
to our wealth."
'
"Mitch__A" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:%eMoi.23760$[email hidden]...
