From the BBC
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has said China must reverse its widening income gap between rich and poor.He said benefits of a growing economy - expected to expand by 8% this year - should be distributed more fairly...The speech touched on many issues, but on a number of occasions the premier spoke about the need to make China a fairer society."We will not only make the 'pie' of social wealth bigger by developing the economy, but also distribute it well," Mr Wen told about 3,000 delegates, returning to a theme that he has often spoken about during his premiership."[We will] resolutely reverse the widening income gap," he added later, in a speech that lasted more than two hours.As part of that project, the premier said China would reform the household registration system that classifies people as either city or rural dwellers.
If China succeeds in this, it will jump into the future, while we back here are still squabbling about whether the health care system needs reform, and what is the meaning of the second amendment if there is no state militia.
People of the Future argue about how to effect fairness and well-being. Pygmies of the Past argue about how many types of fire arms they may possess.
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3 comments:
Great post. But I found myself wondering while reading it just how China is proposing to do this leveling. And why should I regard a politician speaking Mandarin with any more trust than any good ole American pol? Just saying . . .
Well, I think the differences in philosophical background will be enormous.
The Chinese pol will be coming from Confucius and Marx, whereas the American pol is coming from God knows where. What really passes for coherence in American political thought?
Seriously, we cannot even talk about various things - health care - without madmen and madwomen yelling "Socialism! Git yer guns!", whereas in China Socialism is a foundation of their Republic.
I think - and I fear - that there is an enormous difference, and we have no coherent approach to the problems we face. As Pogo once said, we have met the enemy, and it is us!
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