XPost: soc.culture.baltics, soc.culture.czecho-slovak, soc.culture.russian   
   XPost: soc.culture.nordic   
   From: ddfr@daviddfriedman.nopsam.com   
      
   In article ,   
    Anton  wrote:   
      
   > James A. Donald kirjoitti:   
   > > On Fri, 15 Aug 2008 10:44:09 +0300, Anton    
   > > wrote:   
   > >> Second: Finland built after WWII a "wellfare state" structure, with its   
   > >> publically funded healthcare, free education from elementery school   
   > >> education to university level etc etc. If the Finno-Soviet trade had   
   > >> been all tribute with nothing or next to nothing in exchange, it could   
   > >> hardly have been possible to financially support all these sectors   
   >   
   > > Capitalism creates enough wealth that it can pay a lot of tribute, and   
   > > still make everyone better off.   
   >   
   > Most capitalist countries consider < 1% of their annual budget too   
   > expensive to give as aid to developing countries. If the economy can't   
   > afford < 1% of "tithe" to the poor how could it afford to pay "tribute"   
   > to the mean, nasty, bully?   
      
   Is that intended as a serious argument, or is the pattern of "if you   
   don't have an argument, find an irrelevant insult instead" spreading   
   beyond one poster? The fact that a country doesn't spend 1% of its   
   income on gifts to foreign governments, purportedly intended to aid   
   their citizens, tells us nothing at all about whether it could afford   
   to. There are lots of ways in which I could afford to spend parts of my   
   income and don't.   
      
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    http://www.daviddfriedman.com/ http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com/   
    Author of _Harald_, a fantasy without magic.   
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