Since you read the Spritzler Report, I assume you’ve been whacked with the Lucky Stick! Unless you’re a Millennial (ouch) you likely own two maybe three homes, a yacht, perhaps a Cessna Citation or G3 (private jets for you muggles). But ever so often you suffer a twinge of empathy for the poor underlings who toil in obscurity. For those of you who can’t move past this, I offer a modern-day Tale of Two Cities.
First of let’s talk poverty, the abject bone-crushing variety. Until 1900 about three-quarters of the globe lived in extreme poverty. Even during the 1950s, that number was 55%. Today? 9%. Perfect? No. Better? Yes.
How? Did we invite all these folks to live in the United States? No. Other nations experienced industrial revolutions. Scientists invented disease and drought-resistant crops. The great “uplift” was not accomplished by charities, well-meaning politicians, or mass population migration.
My two cities.
#1: 25,000 people have fled Venezuela’s strong man Maduro to illegally squat in Chicago. Sad because Venezuela was formerly among South America’s most prosperous nations until that socialist dirt-bag took over. To temporarily house these folks, our Mayor plans to spend almost $400 million this year. What follows? Probably more spending; a giant Band-Aid that accomplishes or helps little.
#2: 25,000 folks live in five Tanzanian farming villages formerly with no access to safe water or reliable electricity. They walked 1.5 miles to get murky unsafe water for drinking, cooking, and crop irrigation. Fun transporting that toxic water back home?
Two families (ours and a buddy’s) over 30 months put up the money to provide solar-powered wells with water towers & a distribution system to provide clean water & reliable safe electricity.
We supplied the funding, Innovation Africa (a charity sponsored by the State of Israel) provided the manpower and expertise. Did we spend $400 million? No! Did our help permanently change these people’s lives? I think so. Innov Africa of course has done more than help our five villages. Thus far they’ve provided water/electricity to 4.8 million Africans in 10 countries.
The point isn’t we’re a shoe in for the Pearly Gates. I’m Jewish. The point is we helped people where they live, not by transplanting them to the US. The money we spent wouldn’t even pay their airfare to the U.S.
Want to learn more about what we’re doing in Africa? Click the link below. No, we are not looking for additional contributions. Information only. https://www.snitzwaterafrica.com/
Final thought: There are plenty of ways to move the dial and help make the world a better place. Most of those don’t involve our government, however not for lack of trying (& failing) spectacularly.
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