Dear Friends,
It seems to me, people across the planet seek to come to America or Europe, but if offered a chance to bring the laws and customs of America and Europe to their homelands, they balk. This seems like a contradiction. Why would people rather hazard travel, but loathe the idea of that place coming to them? People risk their lives to get better lives. So why not risk nothing? Because they’re unwilling to change their homelands. The way to national economic prosperity is well documented. A well educated workforce with a strong work ethic, low regulations, taxes and limited government results in prosperity. Examples abound. Like Singapore, Luxembourg, and Macao. These aren’t nations rich in natural resources, or on valuable trades routes, they’re open for business, but not unlimited immigration.
Fostering a work ethic is easy as giving kids chores. Starting people at an early age to embrace work will inculcate a work ethic. That work ethic can be supplemented with a basic education. Instead of plowing money into higher education, make sure all kids can read, write, do basic math and know how to find information. Moreover, the arts can’t be ignored because they build the right brain’s power to connect the seemingly unconnected. Which is a source of innovation and entrepreneurship. The problem is these all require cultural changes. Most people will move to a different culture, and acclimate to it, rather than allow a new culture to grow at home… even a more prosperous one. So people flee their own culture, risking life and limb, for prosperity in another.
Low taxes and regulation allow entrepreneurs and small businesses opportunities. Both are the true engines of economic growth. The easier it is to keep a small business afloat the more small businesses there will be. Moreover, towns that aren’t dependent on a large factory but a complex system of small and medium sized firms is much more resilient. Such places can tolerate economic stresses that crush company towns… and countries. When the company closes. Plus the interplay of small businesses opens niches for new firms. Which grows and economy quickly, organically and authentically. Organically because the growth is bottom up. One can call that growth authentic as well, because the growth is a reflection of local need, instead of outside pressure to buy, rather than produce.
The elite in small nations often see corporations and their lucrative bribes as a way to leap the basic work of building a prosperous nation. They can keep the regulations high and the grift flowing. Taxes can be held high, to protect the corporate elite from competition, and fund the political elite’s opulent lifestyles. Few will lower their quality of life to benefit others… especially the psychopaths that run governments. So, if a national leader can score a corporation to come in and pay ten times the going rate for workers, they’re a hero. A hero that gets tons of bribes from that corporation. They can pretend those few jobs will pull the nation out of the debt spiral, their socialistic spending to buy votes has got it. Maybe the despot can even retire to a Greek island with his ill got gains.
People in poor nations rarely vote for the politician who promises national prosperity, they vote for the one who will raid the treasury, and give some to them. Cutting spending means austerity. Cutting regulations cuts the flow of bribes to officials and things can get done. Powerful factions are loathe to change. Even as the people themselves are used to and so are comfortable in a cage of bribes, regulations and political favor. So people will risk life to get to Europe, for work, opportunity or to collect welfare. Why make one’s own nation like the west, when one can simply go to the west… and get welfare? Which is why poor countries stay poor and the west is turning into the third world. People mulishly refuse to change their own culture but risk life to get to another.
Sincerely,
John Pepin
