2 September 2005

What if...America would invest in itself?

After watching the news films and reading all the media about the hurricane disaster in along the gulf coast in the USA, I realize that American politicians need to make some defining decisions about the future of their country. How can such a political giant treat its own people as if they were worthless? I ask this question because they are investing millions of dollars in a war in a foreign country that does not want their presence or involvement. They are not investing in their most important asset in their own country - their human beings.

People caught up in the disaster of this hurricane are fighting for their lives and for the lives of their children. They desperately need help. Beyond this, there is now proof of an emerging poverty class that makes up 12.7% of the population. 13 million children under the age of 18 live in poverty. The number of Americans living in poverty increased by 1.1 million in 2004. Please download the 2004 Census Report of Poverty in the USA to fully understand the impact of these statistics.

The reason that this hurricane has had such an impact on human life has more to do with the destructuve forces of poverty than it has to do with destructive forces of weather.

What if the American government would take half the money they spend on the outside world, wars and defense...and apply it to the health, education and welfare of its children? What if America would strategically rebuild the infrastructure of its human network based on this? Could the possibility arise that real innovation on a socio-economic level might evolve from this investment?

I seriously question whether the wealth of a nation should only be measured in money and defense power. What about measuring the wealth of a nation based on the well-being of its children?

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