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Monday, February 1, 2010

Haiti: The largest per capita international welfare transfer in history.

Why is Haiti more of a mess than Europe in 1948 ?

by StFerdIII



The latest Haitian catastrophe will easily attract $2 billion in capital and emergency aid from around the world. This would give Haiti, with a population of some 9 million, well over $ 5 billion in welfare transfers in the past 10 years alone. This computes into the staggering total of over $550 for every living soul. It is the largest per capita transfer of wealth in history – 5 times greater in per capita terms, than the Marshall plan which saved Europe from starvation and began to rebuild its shattered economies in 1948. Yet we have some 'really smart people' intoning, with professorial baritones, that Haiti needs a 'Marshall Plan'. What ? It already has the Marshall plan, times 5.

Russian Fascism, named Communism, was an obvious existential and military threat to Western Europe post 1945. The Americans for a variety of geo-political, moral, cultural and self-interested reasons had little choice but to provide, what was then, history's greatest welfare scheme to the shattered remnants of 'allied' states. The Marshall plan was successful. It fed and clothed Europe, and initiated enough economic strength to create employment. It staved off internal civil war, discord, and a Red takeover. It was a singular and intelligent act. Total US aid to Europe between 1945 and 1952 totaled some $25 billion for over 250 million people – or some $100 per person. This was 10% of US GDP. The return on this investment has been infinite.

Haiti has received the Marshall plan 5 times over – at least on a per capita basis. Can anyone imagine this total ? Is Haiti 5 times worse off than war ravaged, and annihilated Europe in 1945 ? Hardly. Here we see Haiti receiving 5 times the aid received by Europe and yet Haiti is still, well Haiti. But, say the very concerned people - what about all the natural disasters ? Surely we must repair all that infrastructure, housing, and all the medical facilities, logistics and communications infrastructure so recently built up ? Perhaps. If there was any of the above, you might have a good argument.

The sorry fact – black and white – is that nothing has been built in Haiti at all, with any of the huge transfers given to it by the international welfare system. Nothing. In 2005 and 2006, US congressmen who wanted to investigate where $100 million went for the 2004 Hurricane-disaster relief, were told, not so politely, to leave the country, while they still had their heads on their shoulders. The same will happen post 2010. Any of the mighty and moral who donated money to one of the world's greatest human-created nation state disasters, and who wish to inquire how it was spent, will be quickly and rather impolitely shown the exits. The Haitians greedily and gladly accept outside money. They don't however, like the idea of audits and transparency.

Welfare systems breed generational dependence. This is true intra- as well as inter- nation state. Haitians pine for outside help because that is all they know. The culture, the systems, the institutions, laws and civil life don't exist in Haiti. Voodoo idiocy, theft, violence, drugs, illiteracy, and a contempt for work and civilization do. Haiti is a self-created miserable entity, matching in ignorance, poverty and disease other uncivilized backwaters in the Islamic, African and Asia worlds. There is no neo-Marxist core-periphery theory to explain Haiti's pre-modern barbarity. Haiti was never 'exploited' and therein lies its problem. If the Haitians had been 'colonized' by the British, like Bahamas, Barbados, Hong Kong, India and Jamaica, than the Haitians would be extraordinarily better off. The Haitians have manufactured their own misery.

In light of the recent disaster the usual countries have responded. In per capita terms the Canadians have easily been the most generous with $130 million in monies thus given or $4 per person – the same aggregate total as the American. France and Britain, with 2 times the Canadian population have given only about $30 million each. Russia less than $1 million. Africa, Latin America and the Muslim world have given little or nothing. But of course this does not change the multi-cultural chorus that these pre-modern states with barbaric ideologies are still the 'superior' nations and cultures.

[http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/jan/14/haiti-quake-aid-pledges-country-donations]

One thing must be obvious. None of the money given to Haiti over the past 10 years has done a damn bit of good. The Haitians are welfare refugees, eagerly awaiting the next US army food bag, or the incoming chest of medicines from Canada. The entire Haitian society cannot create, build, innovate or do much of anything productive. The real Haitian economy of drugs, crime and theft, overshadows any purported modern economy and society. The reality is that Haiti, like all welfare cases and states, needs to be cut off from the money drug and let loose. Maybe then it will find rationality, independence and self-worth. Some $ 2 billion, just in 2010, will flow into the country. That is $220 per person. And that should be the final welfare cheque.