Here's an article on aid to Africa in which an actual African who is an economist has a chance to have his say. Now I know that Will Smith and Sting and all the other participants in the Live8 music extravaganze have studied economics for years, have spent long periods of time travelling through Africa and seeing first-hand what aid money does for the third world, and have studied the history of the region in order to realize what the consequences of their actions, but I still think this guy deserves a shot to be heard.

Turns out what he wants most of all is no aid. He wants Africa to stop being dependent on foreign aid and food and goods, and start making their own. The greatest countries in the world now, the U.S., Britain, and Chian, got to where they are with no foreign aid. Why should we expect less from Africa? Add to that the repeated lessons of history which clearly show tat throwing money at the problem is more likely to create an angry underclass of terrorists than solve any problems, and you'd think the musicians would get a clue. Somehow they never do. Is it a feeling of inferiority, in which they realize that they have done nothing to deserve what they have, so they try to makes themsevles feel better by trying to sound intelligent about things they nothing about? At least I've taken some economics, and majored in history.