I've just been reading the "fact"sheet which apparently started
all this nonsense. Personally, I find it to be absolute nonsense.Besides generally being a load of bleeding-heart whining about
rich people having more than poor people, some of the assertions
it contains are total rubbish.For example, the first sidebar, titled "GROSS MISUSE OF RESOURCES",
asserts that the alleged waste of the equivalent of $20 billion
would be enough to "feed, clothe and house the world's entire
population for one year." Let's see now... Total world population
now exceeds 5 billion. So it would only take $4 per person per year
to feed, clothe and house the world's entire population, right?
Give me a break!!The second sidebar, titled "FIFTY ACRES EVERY MINUTE", asserts
that global deforestation "causes at least one species of
animal, plant or insect to become extinct every few hours." Now
I don't pretend to know exactly how many species there are in the
world, but this would suggest that the entire planet will be
totally lifeless by the end of the decade, if not sometime next
year.Come on, people! Sure we need to watch our use of resources and
guard against becoming needlessly wasteful. But we are part of
the environment, too. If we don't make of of our natural
resources, then they're not resources.And stop all this whining about rich people having more. They
have more because they've done more - period! People who are more
well off than others have done what the others weren't and aren't
willing to do. They got off their butts, turned off the television,
and built themselves the lifestyle they wanted. They don't owe a
bit of it to those "less fortunate", although they do, as a group,
give tremendous amounts to charities around the world. Remember,
poor people can't help poor people! The people who have worked
to have more should be applauded for their accomplishments, not
criticized. Anyone can criticize. It takes no particular talent.