Are Agrivillers willing more taxes for Aid?

[parsley]

If you go to:

http://sympatico.msn.ca/?lang=en-CA&pollId=p4116419891&vote=1&voteshowresults=1&pol lcontent=757336583&jsdisabled=false&polluid=633510 17754&q1=c2


They have the following question:

G8 leaders are discussing aid for Africa. Would you pay more in taxes so Canada could send more aid to that continent?

Yes

No


And why did you vote the way you voted?

Parsley

[Fransisco]

No more tax's.

I can send them a cheque myself if I am so inclined and so can every bleeding heart Liberal who claims to care so much about the poor.

And while we're talking about aid and Africa this cartoon pretty much sum's it up.

http://www.capmag.com/images2y346y/comics/cf/05.06.16.DebtSentence-X.gif

[bucket]

here is a novel idea.

Why not pay farmers in canada to grow as much as they can and write the cheques to the farmer instead of another nation who then feeds arms dealers and their own army.

You kill two birds with one stone. One - farmers get paid what the grain is worth. Two - the bleeding hearts of this country can feel good for helping out with food aid instead of money.

I would not worry too much about africa with fertilizer going through the roof. Canada may have to start worrying aabout feeding itself. As we all follow Stewie Wells organic lead and we won't be able to feed ourselves in the decades to come.

[charliep]

I will put a yes on food aid to the most vulnerable of the world. Would likely get tangled in a discussion of ideology of the governments in some of these regions but will take the philosophy people are people and sometimes need to be supported.

Will note you highlighted simply government but there are individuals who choose to support other through non government organizations (eg. Canada Food Grains Bank). This is a form of government support given there is likely a tax deduction (an perhaps matching funds) but am in support of activities like this where donors make decisions.

Also note there is support in terms of helping developing countries in terms of research and extension. Based the expression "Give a person a fish and they are full for a day. Teach a person to fish and they are full for lifetime".

[parsley]

Who, actually, is the vulnerable you refer to, charliep? Just curious.

Parsley

[charliep]

People who through no fault of their own are not able to look after their basic food needs. Survivors of drought. Victims of war. People impacted by catastrophic natural disasters. You didn't ask the next question which is timing but likely all these projects should have a beginning (meeting basic needs) and an end point (people able to look after themselves).

[parsley]

How long is your idea of timing?


Fifty years ago, Africa needed food aid.


Parsley

[charliep]

Are you saying all of Africa has needed food aid for 50 years? Within the continent of Africa, there are countries who can grow their own food needs. Other countries have required help for short and long periods depending on the country/situation.

Perhaps what is needed is for the world (with Canada a part/not the whole) working toward helping Africa as a group of nations work towards food self sufficiency as a continent. No farmer (including African ones) wants to work for free so maybe this is where the wealthier countries in the developed work to purchase crop from surplus regions and redistribute to the disaster areas. Will note that wealthy countries are doing this more now having moved from using food aid as a dumping ground for excess supplies to currently providing a source of funds that can be used to buy food anywhere based on price/recipient countries needs/preferences.

[bduke]

Charlie.....this is a subject that has no easy answer....and IMHO, alot of money will not "fix" it.

It is my understanding that Northern Africa has been warring for many many generations. The warlords...religious zealots....who are continually at odds with each other are ruthless. Corruption and crime is rampant, and much of the aid money is converted to their causes.

Southern Africa was very productive...but the British contol has ended, indeed dissipated i.e.Zimbabwe, and the food production has been greatly reduced. In the last few years Mugabe was allowing returning soldiers to confiscate the farms owned by White farmers of Britih heritage, and allowed the slaughter of these farmers when they resisted. BTW... a little press on the slayings, but no human rights outcries...I wonder if the colours had been reversed? South Africa is also sliding rapidly into economic hardship, and is very crime ridden. Our local Doctor, a South African, has purchased a home in a Capetown suburb...gated...and in what he hopes is a safe area. Not a good situation, but..

A friend of mine has started a program in SA called Enablis...a privtely funded program to develop entrepeneurship. It provides a unique blend of coaching, mentoring, networking, trading, and financing primarily designed to fill the funding gap between the microcredit and ven cap thresholds.The entrepeneurs it develops are actively building small to medium enterprises, generating jobs,and making some sustainable progress towards alleviating poverty. It is technology focussed, as it is their biggest risk of being unable to participate in future commerce.

According to Charles, the CEO of Enablis, it takes development programs...not millions of Gov't dollars.. to develop Africa sustainably.

A modern application of your "teach a man to fish" theory, CP....Bill

[parsley]

Yes there are set regions in Africa, and yes, some years some regions grow food for a time, but usually with no stocks set aside for a needy day.

Generally speaking, there seems to be an automatic and continuous calling to G8's for food aid, from first one region, and then another. You call it disaster? Iceland is the opposite weather extreme,and they do not have 24/7 growing days, but they don't call for food aid.

Is the problem really a "surprise" vulnerability, in other words, one that just popped up out of nowhere?

Or would you predict there is probably going to be a "disaster", in other words, it's not climatic.

Canada has 90 growing days. -40 degree weather. Droughts. I'd day it's a very very extreme climate. Yet, we're asked to give aid. We never ask to recieve it.

I'm asking questions because it seems as if food aid for Africa is requested in both larger amounts and MORE frequency...and it begs the question....is supplying food to a non-emergency situation, or a preventable emergency situation doing more harm than good to the recipients?

Africa is rich in land and resources. They have generations of skills which obviously helped feed them.

What do you think you are accomplishing by sending them more money or food if they have preventable disasters?


You mentioned teaching them to fish. Are yoiu presuming that they want to fish the Western/G8 way?

Do people just automatically want to "give" because: it's politically correct/feel guilty/is expected?

I'm curious.

Parsley