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What About The Golden Rule?
raw materials to buy vital manufactured goods
from us, thereby raising their standardofliving
-–
a "Win--Win" relationship.
In that sense, I was also describing the eastern
seaboard of North America some two to three centuries
ago. From the colonial era until World War I, America
was heavily reliant on foreign capital to build its
industrial base. After World War I, and until the mid-
1980's, we became a creditor nation, investing more
abroad than other countries were investing in the
United States.
Then, after World War II, a prosperous America
rebuilt the western world through the Marshall Plan. In
today's dollars, that aid amounted to approximately
$100 billion. Remember: Poor people cannot help poor
people very much; prosperous people can help poor
people a great deal. Out of our abundance and a love
for mankind, capitalism and Christianity have apparently
teamed up and delivered the goods.
Pragmatically superior and more morally sound than
any other alternative the world has to offer, capitalism
has an amazing track record. We have a higher
standard of living than anyone has ever had before.
Capitalism didn't create poverty; it has probably
eliminated poverty for more people than any other
economic system we mortals have devised.
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