But on the other hand…
by Will, 18 September 2008
Unrestrained badly regulated capitalism kills.
Truefax.
PS. So does Capitalism - whether restrained, or regulated, or not. And freedom and openness within a capitalist mode of production is not a sufficient restraint or regulatory measure (although a necessary condition for restraint) upon it’s killing modus operandi.
More than 2 million children under the age of 5 are dying every year in India because of a lack of basic care despite the country’s rapid economic growth,…
The report by the U.N. Children’s Fund focused on the Asia-Pacific region but singled out India — home to 20 percent of the world’s children under 5. It also warned that rising inequality between the rich and poor risked undermining gains made in other countries of the region.
While India has made steady progress in recent years, it’s “not nearly enough,” said UNICEF regional director Daniel Toole, calling on the government to invest significantly more money on health services.
Officials from India’s Health Ministry and the Women and Child Welfare Ministry were not immediately available for comment.
Fuck me — what a surprise.
In 2006, the last year for which there are full figures, some 2.1 million children under 5, or 76 children per 1,000 live births, died in India, the report said.
Much of this was caused by rampant malnutrition among mothers and children and resources not reaching the poorest segments of the population, it said.
Basic solutions like providing trained midwives or doctors — currently only present at about 30 percent of births — or information on caring for newborn, like keeping them warm, could make a big difference, said Mario Babille, UNICEF’s head of health care in India.
Socialise the costs, privatise the profits, reduce welfare. Capitalism kills. It’s not fucking complicated like.
To change the world, we must interpret it correctly.
Thursday 18 September 2008 at 9:26
Cracking piece.
It’s unsettling when you find that 20 percent of the world’s children under 5 are in one country.
Yes, capitalism kills. Development may lift some of India’s people out of poverty but where is the much vaunted “trickle down” effect in the remote and unfashionable parts of the country?
That “trickle” needs to be a flood of redistribution.
Thursday 18 September 2008 at 11:22
Great post. The immorality of this model of development is indeed “not fucking complicated” but needs pointing out clearly over and over again.
Thursday 18 September 2008 at 17:07
At least the communist run state of Kerala has an impressive record in public health and tackling child mortality:
“Kerala’s healthcare system has garnered international acclaim. UNICEF and the World Health Organization designating Kerala the world’s first “baby-friendly state”. Representative of this condition, more than 95% of Keralite births are hospital-delivered.” (wiki)
Thursday 18 September 2008 at 20:04
Did you hear George Osborne on Newsnight last night?
GO asked about the economy: “Well look, no one takes pleasure from people making money out of the misery of others, but that is a function of capitalist markets.”
Thursday 18 September 2008 at 23:59
The truth will out.
look — thanks to Lazy Paulie the Hippy Hater who only blogs when he has a horse win for him…
http://nevertrustahippy.blogspot.com/2008/09/reply-to-my-dad.html
http://demsoc.org/blog/2008/09/18/bearish-on-democracy/
Friday 19 September 2008 at 0:10
Know your enemy:
particularly in the current crisis of capitalism.
The Daily Reckoning is a share tip sheet run by lunatic Ron Paul fan Bill Bonner (there is a Milton Friedman nut in our office who keeps namechecking him).
I have looked at some of his articles, and one particularly snide maxim he is fond of quoting is “Capitalism is designed to seperate fools from their money”.
Nice.
Indian media actually boasts about having more Billionaires than China.
Milton Friedman nut is currently seething as he supposedly had shares in HBOS. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahaha.
Friday 19 September 2008 at 2:45
[thick tosser — not entertained here — i would gladly put this sort through a mincing machine and feed the result to pigs]