True Causes of World Poverty - Feb. 5, 2002

Cal Thomas | Syndicated columnist | Updated: Feb 05, 2002

True Causes of World Poverty - Feb. 5, 2002

The World Economic Forum is winding down in New York. There predictable speeches denounced America and claimed we are stealing from the rest of the world because we are rich and much of it is not.

This is a faulty view of economics. What we sometimes call the Third World is poor, not because of us, but because of them. Most have dictatorial governments. The people cannot participate in political discourse or select their leaders. Most have an economic system that lacks incentive and does not create capital. And most have the wrong religious system, which views God as an angry deity who must be appeased, rather than a loving father who wants the best for us.

The wrong government, economic system and religion are primarily responsible for poverty throughout the world. If all banks and western governments forgave all Third World debt and sent them gobs of new money, they would end up where they are now because of their government, their economics and their religion.

I'm Cal Thomas in Washington.

True Causes of World Poverty - Feb. 5, 2002