If a Sun King, or a Robespierre, could bring about no identifiable or lasting increase in the commonwealth of the proud people under their rule, what do we really think can be done by such a pale shadow of absolutism, by such a petty, latter-day tyrant, as a Sarkozy, or a Blair, or a Bush-Kerry—or by any of a thousand other vainglorious elective monarchs who fill the council chambers of the world with their empty babble? [Full Article]
Source link: http://archive.mises.org/2511/ooh-la-la/
Ooh Là Là!
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Great article. Chirac and his cabinet minister just proposed a global tax on financial services to be administrated by the United Nations. The tax will bring in about $50 billion a year, which Mr. Chirac claims will be used to fight hunger in the poorest countries around the world.
The Bush administration (God bless them) strongly opposes the tax, but Chircac commented yesterday, saying they had 100 countries supporting the idea. Needless to say, these where the poorest countries in the world mainly in Africa, Latin America, Central Asia, and the middle east; there was however some teemed support from a few European nations.
Aside from the issue of surrendering our national sovereignty to a group of bureaucratic tyrants at the UN, there is also the issue of making these countries relent on aid. Development is the answer to these nations problems, but many prefer to beg for hand outs, rather then make the hard choices needed for development.
In an up coming article I wrote for the IREN Kenya newsletter (a free Market Institute in East Africa) I point out that in 1965 had the nations of sub-Sahara Africa kept a growth rate of just 10% until 2000 they would be the wealthiest economic block on earth. Kenya would have been the richest with a per Capita GDP of $43,000.00 and Rwanda the poorest with a per Capita GDP of $14,000.00. But with the soviets pushing communism on one end and the west pushing socialism on the other and a corrupt leadership in the middle, what could we expect of Africa. However, Botswana has done well, it did not achieve it’s potential, but it has kept a stable and clean government and since 1971 a higher living standard then even Whites in South Africa.
“Aside from the issue of surrendering our national sovereignty to a group of bureaucratic tyrants at the UN, …”
Would it have been better if the proposal were to surrender our individual sovereignty to a group of bureaucratic tyrants in Washington? Do assaults on liberty somehow get worse when they come from ineffectual international bureaucracies instead of the tightly-organized, heavily-propagandized, heavily-armed national central governments that are giving you hell every day?
Remember: nations aren’t sovereign; individuals are.
The tax will bring in about $50 billion a year, which Mr. Chirac claims will be used to fight hunger in the poorest countries around the world.
Have a heart. The Oil for Food program administered by the U.N. was such a roaring success for Monsieur Chirac and his buddies – he has been having a hard time since it was terminated.
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