'Bono' Gets It.....

[Zam-Zam]

“Aid is just a stopgap. Commerce [and] entrepreneurial capitalism take more people out of poverty than aid. We need Africa to become an economic powerhouse.” -U2's Bono, aka Paul David Hewson

http://www.worldmag.com/2013/08/signs_and_wonders_bono_blasts_aid_touts_capitalism_in_africa


In other words, give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Perhaps he is on to something.......

 

[Colorforms]

Ah, but give a man a fish and attack anyone who expects him to catch his own fish, and you may buy his vote. And really, isn't that what it's all about?

 

[Zam-Zam]

Ah, but give a man a fish and attack anyone who expects him to catch his own fish, and you may buy his vote. And really, isn't that what it's all about?

There are some who would prefer to keep the poor dependent on the government I suppose. Once people become self-sufficient, they are less subservient, which some in power view as a threat.

 

[Bluedog]

“Aid is just a stopgap. Commerce [and] entrepreneurial capitalism take more people out of poverty than aid. We need Africa to become an economic powerhouse.” -U2's Bono, aka Paul David Hewson

http://www.worldmag.com/2013/08/signs_and_wonders_bono_blasts_aid_touts_capitalism_in_africa


In other words, give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Perhaps he is on to something.......

Agreed and well stated.

 

[Jen]

With as many rules and regulations as the Democrats want to put on catching and eating your own fish, that might have become questionable.

 

[Arkady]

“Aid is just a stopgap. Commerce [and] entrepreneurial capitalism take more people out of poverty than aid. We need Africa to become an economic powerhouse.” -U2's Bono, aka Paul David Hewson

http://www.worldmag.com/2013/08/signs_and_wonders_bono_blasts_aid_touts_capitalism_in_africa


In other words, give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.

Perhaps he is on to something.......

You'll get no argument here. The problem comes when things degenerate into "Let a man get hungry enough, and he'll figure out how to fish without being taught. And if he doesn't, at least that gets rid of the surplus population."

To play with the metaphors a bit more, there's also the issue that even teaching a person to fish isn't much use if the fish populations have already collapsed thanks to reckless over-exploitation of natural resources.

 

[Arkady]

There are some who would prefer to keep the poor dependent on the government I suppose. Once people become self-sufficient, they are less subservient, which some in power view as a threat.

Who, in particular? I know of a lot of people who campaign for aid for the poor -- Bono included -- who also try to come up with ways to make them less subservient. That's certainly my approach, which is why I spend so much time talking about education, job training, and job creation. Back in 2009, I was annoyed that so little of the economic stimulus took the form of New Deal-style works projects that would have given recipients valuable work skills and career connections, as well as giving the overall economy new and improved infrastructure that would make subsequent generations more self sufficient.

 

[Zam-Zam]

Who, in particular? I know of a lot of people who campaign for aid for the poor -- Bono included -- who also try to come up with ways to make them less subservient. That's certainly my approach, which is why I spend so much time talking about education, job training, and job creation. Back in 2009, I was annoyed that so little of the economic stimulus took the form of New Deal-style works projects that would have given recipients valuable work skills and career connections, as well as giving the overall economy new and improved infrastructure that would make subsequent generations more self sufficient.

Those who benefit politically by keeping people dependent on the government, that's who. I'm sure you can figure it out.

 

[fairsheet]

What the HELL has the GOP done over the last 50 years, to teach anyone to fish? As far as I know, all they've done is vomit fear/hatred of those who might give a man a fish.

 

[marvin martian]

Aid is supposed to be a temporary measure, not a permanent one...

 

[Zam-Zam]

Aid is supposed to be a temporary measure, not a permanent one...

That's a fair point. Any lawmaker, however, who would suggest time limits to government aid would likely be vilified as 'heartless", and so none dare broach the subject.

 

[Arkady]

Those who benefit politically by keeping people dependent on the government, that's who. I'm sure you can figure it out.

Honestly, I don't know who you mean. I know that's a stereotype about liberals, but all the liberals I know well don't fit it. So it would be helpful to have a particular name, so we could test the idea by looking at actual behavior. The liberals I follow tend to focus a lot on education, which is inconsistent with the idea that they want to give someone a fish rather than teaching him to fish.

 

[Arkady]

That's a fair point. Any lawmaker, however, who would suggest time limits to government aid would likely be vilified as 'heartless", and so none dare broach the subject.

Are you unfamiliar with the time limits that were imposed by "welfare reform"? That passed through Congress with bipartisan support and was signed by Clinton.

 

[barbarap]

Are you unfamiliar with the time limits that were imposed by "welfare reform"? That passed through Congress with bipartisan support and was signed by Clinton.

My observation has been that many people selectively forget about the Welfare Reform act of 96/97. That way, they can perpetuate the welfare queen myth and continue to bash policies they know nothing about.

 

[Zam-Zam]

Honestly, I don't know who you mean. I know that's a stereotype about liberals, but all the liberals I know well don't fit it. So it would be helpful to have a particular name, so we could test the idea by looking at actual behavior. The liberals I follow tend to focus a lot on education, which is inconsistent with the idea that they want to give someone a fish rather than teaching him to fish.

There's a reason it's a 'stereotype'........

 

[ya-ta-hey]

Who, in particular? I know of a lot of people who campaign for aid for the poor -- Bono included -- who also try to come up with ways to make them less subservient. That's certainly my approach, which is why I spend so much time talking about education, job training, and job creation. Back in 2009, I was annoyed that so little of the economic stimulus took the form of New Deal-style works projects that would have given recipients valuable work skills and career connections, as well as giving the overall economy new and improved infrastructure that would make subsequent generations more self sufficient.

Mr. Arkady,

Liberals, in particular. Their whole existence is using the poor as a means of lining their pockets. If they ever solved any problems, they would be out of a job.

 

[Arkady]

There's a reason it's a 'stereotype'........

Of course there is. Conservatives need to find a way to make themselves feel better about being immoral people. So, they tell themselves that anyone who fights for government action on behalf of the vulnerable must be playing some angle. Thus, the stereotype about those who actually care about their fellow man merely trying to perpetuate government dependence for political gain.

 

[Arkady]

Mr. Arkady,

Liberals, in particular. Their whole existence is using the poor as a means of lining their pockets. If they ever solved any problems, they would be out of a job.

I'm a liberal. My pocket isn't lined by liberal policies. In fact, I'm close enough to the 1% that I might be the rare example of an American who is actually better served by the Republicans. So, "liberals, in particular," isn't a convincing answer for me.

I was benefited by liberal policies in my youth. I had socialized medicine growing up (I was an Army brat). I attended public schools (both DoD and state). I got government subsidies on my student loans to help with college. I owe a great deal to my fellow citizens, and now I happily pay it forward with progressive taxation, so that others might prosper thanks to liberalism, the way I did.

 

[Mytzlplk]

You'll get no argument here. The problem comes when things degenerate into "Let a man get hungry enough, and he'll figure out how to fish without being taught. And if he doesn't, at least that gets rid of the surplus population."

To play with the metaphors a bit more, there's also the issue that even teaching a person to fish isn't much use if the fish populations have already collapsed thanks to reckless over-exploitation of natural resources.

That's just it -- these clowns whine about the number of people "on the dole" and the UE rate and the type of jobs we've gained (low wage/part time) at the same time, like there's no causal relationship between the two. They expect people to fish and feed themselves out of a pond with few and scraggly fish in it.

What they are basically advocating for is "hurry up and catch one or starve!" while convincing themselves that there's some substantive diff between their work ethic, personal responsibility and accountability, etc, and that of those on the left, to support their "culture of dependency/buy votes/etc" nonsense.

It's nothing more than

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.
John Kenneth Galbraith

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/johnkennet107301.html#30sVvKtZABBGFdvk.99

 

[Zam-Zam]

Of course there is. Conservatives need to find a way to make themselves feel better about being immoral people. So, they tell themselves that anyone who fights for government action on behalf of the vulnerable must be playing some angle. Thus, the stereotype about those who actually care about their fellow man merely trying to perpetuate government dependence for political gain.

You need to feel better about yourself, so you make up the absurd claim that those who disagree with your politics are immoral.