Around the holidays, I try to think about the world's poor, it seems a fitting meditation for the season of giving. I live in one of the weathiest cities in the world, I cater to customers who have income beyond anyone's wildest dreams. When I walk to the Metro, or bike to the hardware store, I pass places like Tiffany's, Sak's Fifth Avenue, and the glittering gowns in the windows of Dior. My neighborhood wasn't always like this, when I moved in, we only had a Lord and Taylor's. Even though I don't shop at these high end places, the money that oozes from the shop windows makes me think of excess and sin. Does that make any sense? I mean, I left the Catholic Church many years ago, why should I feel guilty for my own monetary success? And I worked my ass off for it, nights, weekends, holidays when everyone else gets to relax and chill out, I miss my family, and I am the last to be served the hot dogs on 4th of July, and I arrive at Christmas and Thanksgiving exhausted. Still, the 16 years of Catholic education makes me think of those in the world who celebrate Christmas in dire poverty, without water, without medicine, and most of all, without hope.
It makes the sparkle of lights less bright somehow. If I could let go of the whole Catholic guilt thing, I'd be able to enjoy a hedonistic holiday, but when you are educated by Jesuits, the thing that stays with you is the bleeding heart of Christ. The meaning of Joy to the World should include the whole world, and not just the West. When we have eaten too much turkey on Christmas Eve and we feel we might burst, we can open the medicine cabinet and pop a couple of Tums. In Africa, children can't even get vaccinated for ordinary childhood diseases. There is no turkey, no mashed potatoes, no pie. Forget about X-boxes or Barbie dolls, those children don't have enough life in them to even play with toys.
So don't you have to wonder why Africa, the provider of gold, diamonds, uranium, and more recently oil, is still so poor? If Africa is rich in minerals and diamonds, why are it's citizens struggling for life? There was a time several years ago when rebels in Sierra Leone traded diamonds to the West in exchange for weapons. These rebels were the same ones who cut the limbs off of children, many who are now getting treatment here in the US.
In Nigeria oil resources have gone to waste. The estimated US$350 billion earned from oil by the government between 1965 and 2000 did little to alleviate poverty in Nigeria and, according to many studies, actually exacerbated deprivation through the opportunities it provided for corruption and abuse. Nigeria is among the 15 poorest countries in the world and 70% of its people live below the poverty line. Many of Nigeria's people are dying of AIDS, and the locals have had livlihoods destroyed from oil spills killing the fishing industry. What did Nigeria do with the $350 billion?
Of course, it's not our business to dictate how other countries spend our oil money, but it would make sense for us to have some conditions before we decide where we spend it. For example, I won't spend a dime at Walmart, because they don't pay their employees enough, and they don't provide good benefits. I don't buy Tommy Hilfigar clothes because he operates sweat shops in the Pacific Islands. It doesn't really matter if we don't buy oil, because if we don't, China will. I just think that some of the ExxonMobile profits should go towards poverty reduction and AIDS treatment in Africa. It should be a cost of taking a countries resources to make sure the citizens will profit in some way. I buy my gas at Citco, because that communist thug Hugo Chavez is actually trying to improve the lives of South America's poor.
Here's the thing. Africa isn't a poor continent, they have many marketable natural resources that the West needs. But we must insist that American energy companies give back to the countries that we are exploiting because we can't trust the corrupt governments in Africa to do it for us. Why don't we say we will build a well for every million gallons we buy, or build a school for every million, or trade life saving drugs for every 1000 barrels? If we have the luxury of driving to the CVS because of a headache, we do it because we have oil from Africa. There should be some sort of luxury tax on oil imported from Africa, since they don't even have a CVS.
Or let's say this, since Exxon Mobile will never implement an African Aid policy. Since 20% of US oil comes from Africa, why don't we send 20 cents for every gallon we use to an African charity?
Think of it as a luxury tax, since you are driving, and they are wasting away.
