I saw a discussion where a bunch of people were talking about how the tsunamis might be a starting point for a new era in the global war on poverty, that now people in the west might begin to make sacrifices in order to save the rest of the world from poverty. Some, however, felt that western capitalism requires the rest of the world to remain in poverty. These people do not understand the first thing about economics.

Free trade creates wealth. The more a country is involved with trade, the more wealth they will accquire. Before I go further, let me remind you that there are plenty of countries that could be well off as we speak, but their despotic leaders took that wealth for themselves and squandered. Iraq, for instance, has made billions and billions and billions of oil, but little of it went back in to the country. That's not the fault of the west, that's the fault of Saddam and the people that preceeded him. At any rate, there was a little reported World Bank report released recently that showed that poverty the world over is slowly being decimated. The report showed that last year was a banner year, with more people around the world rising out of pverty than ever before. What was the reason for this? Worldwide economic growth through free trade. It's not about the West giving money to the poor people, it's about the poor people finding something to give to the world in exchange for money or goods and services. And it's working, but it would go against the quasi-socialist agenda of many left wingers aroudn the world to admit this, and that's why you haven't seen this report discussed in your local paper. Believe me, if it had said the opposite, it would be on the front page.