And yet the greater majority of Chinese people wallow in dire poverty, hunger, ill-health, low-education, low {HIGH BM surely means} child-mortality rates, ..., and a slew of other such national tragedies.
Billy, what's the percentage of Chinese people who enjoy the advantages of those Chinese investment of which you speak so fondly? Baron Max
"dire poverty" - probably true by US poverty standards. I can remember when the average income of Canada was below the US defined poverty level. "Poverty" is hard to define and very relative. When I still had my cattle farm in Brazil I paid my main 44hours /week worker ~100 dollars / month, and that made some of my neighbors mad. - Their labors were asking for a raise. He would never have proclaimed himself to be in "poverty" - He too had a farm, chickens, pigs and cattle, locally caught fish, big garden, fruit and coffee trees, tobacco etc. He lived outside the cash economy, buying only salt, sugar, some oil for his garden fresh salids, and a little flour* plus a beer or two saturday nites at the local mud and sticks constructed bar (all gathered there to shair stories etc. - it opened once per week for about 8 to 10 hours I have seen more than 20 horses tied outside) His cooking oil was lard* from his pigs, the cigarette "paper" for his roll your own was the intermost layer of the corn husk**, etc. Clothing came from my hand me downs and the essentially free supply at the church that other urbanites had given. (I was only at farm a couple of week-ends each month.) His major expense was electric power. -The stove was wood fired. I think it is much the same in rural China or ancient Egypt for than matter. I am not too impressed with cities and their "progress."
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*His wife made corn meal with large mortar & pissile made from tree stump so not much wheat flour needed. - Lots of thin corn bread wrapped packets of meat and herbs deep fried was typical main course. Good but not for my health so I tried to avoid accepting without offening. Home made cheese and fruits for dissert.
**Once when in town together, I offered to buy him a pack of regular cigarettes, but he said his were better - sweeter and just thanked me for the offer.
"hunger" - Social custom dictates (in rural Brazil) that no one eats in presence of others without offering to share. (My laborer returned from his field labors for lunch and always offered to shair with me. I suspect this is true in rural China as well so doubt there are any truely hungry in China, now - perhaps 30 years ago there were. When I was a kid, still going to church, there was a monthly collection for the "poor staving Chinese" but those days are long gone except for major droughts etc. but then the CCP provides from other regions.
"health care" - I will grant that one, if we discount a lot of folk medicine. (My hired man's wife had a tea for everything that ailed you. Only if really sick would one try to get into the town's free clinic on the milk truck.) China's CCP has not been much concerned about keeping the sick alive, unless well connected. - The recent contaminated milk problem exposed that the food for the leaders and well connected comes from special farms etc. Pesants the CCP had plenty of - why waste state resources on their health? That too seems to be changing:
The CCP now understands that exports to US and EU will fall as they sink into depression. That China needs to turn to domestic market for future growth, but that is hard to achieve if population saves 40% of their income. (They do that because of their history and fact there is no adequate health care system provided. - not an insignificant part of the new stimulus is for health care services.
"low education" - Not sure about the average but definitely getting better, with a lot of remote transmitted classes now to aid local teachers (and to make sure all know the party line) At university level it is very competive and high quality. (They just made the planned controlled crash of their more than year long moon orbiting satellite and shot down one in Earth orbit recently.) - It is very rapidly improving as China is in the process of stealing the best western educated professors and building 50 Harvard or MIT level universities. - See my first post this thread (#3, I think) for the names of some world leading professors China hired away a few years ago with big salaries and new labs.
High infant mortality. - probably true with lack of pre natal care and female infanticide still not rare in rural areas under the one child only policy.
I do not "speak fondly" of all China's strengths - but it does help to be realistic and well informed about your enemy. Can you support any of your claims I have tried to refute above?
