Eventually We All Resort to Murder

I've been wanting to comment on my brother's post regarding Zimbabwe and its requests for aid. But, I don't really know what to say on the issue. No one really likes Robert Mugabe, not even other African heads of state. But what have they done about it? Not much, because he's still in power. 25 years of power. But, when the opposition leader is asking for international help, then things have to be pretty bad.

I'm trying to understand the difference economically between giving money and not giving money. Giving money definitely helps Mugabe stay in power, but it also has to help some people, right? We are hoping for a revolution. But in Accelerated World History, we learned that peasants aren't the people who start revolutions. Revolutions are started by the middle class.

Imagine three people. One is in a hole as deep as he is tall. The second is in a hole to his waste. And the third is standing on even ground, eating lots of food. The first person (lower class) can't even see what he's missing out on. He is so beaten down and forgotten that there is no way for him to get out of his hole and challenge the system. No, the second person (middle class) will see what he doesn't have and clamor out of the hole to get it. But what middle class is there in a society where freedoms are repressed?

I don't think that said anything. I guess what I'm saying is that I wish Mr. Mugabe would give up his post or correct his policies. Even though it might be more equal to give blacks a share of land equal to their percentage of the population, it doesn't mean they have ever worked on a farm and will suddenly understand how to grow food and sustain a business model. Just like, if you decided that I could be a surgeon tomorrow, it in no way means that I can safely remove your damaged spleen.

What we really need to do is give real rewards to good governments. $15 Billion sounds like a huge number, until you actually have to use it to improve the lot of millions of people. What if, when a country made democratic reforms, we dedicated $50 Billion to it? That would get some feet moving. And that's less than 1/8 what we spend on the military every year. Is it too much? Or has the formula for the past 50 years been successful? The answer is no.

I'm trying to find a way out of my own hole right now. It's a rut called easy street. I'd like to quit my job and run around until I tire myself out. But a real tired. Not the one that you have when you don't do anything all day. We are getting closer though. I promise. You will see me, and I will have promised.

Don't be alamed when the wound starts to bleed