Re: government, markets, and material well-being

["Henry C.K. Liu" <hliu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rick Holt has taken the position that China, especially the political aspect of it, is
not a proper subject for this list. Suffice to point out that when China faced famine at
the end of the Great Leap Forward, both Canada and Australia were ready to offer China
unlimited credit for wheat, but the offers were vetoed by Washington. As a result many
starved in China as a result of long range weather patterns that wiped out three
consecutive years of harvest.  All this is now unclassifed as a result of the Freedom of
Information Act. So please familiarized yourself with the facts before you foam in the
month with your Cold War propaganda.  Need I are remind you of Albright's remark that
two million infants death in Iraq as a result of the US embargo was "worth it"?

As for Mao policies resulted in slow growth, you simple are not dealing with facts.
>From 1949 to 1960, economic growth in China was spectacular, before US containment
policy went into effect. Many economists were celebrating the China model over the
Indian model.

Get real.

This is the last response I will make on any further posts from Alan Issac.

Henry C.K. Liu

Alan G Isaac wrote:

> On Mon, 26 Aug 2002 19:46:42 -0400 "Henry C.K. Liu" <hliu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > There is one topic that I am unequivocally more authoritatively informed than you:
> > China.
>
> Of course.  That makes it all the more astonishing how you
> can celebrate the destruction Mao visited upon China, and
> how little you understand the nature of wealth.  Again I
> note: at 10% growth per year, you get a *doubling* every
> *seven* years.  You simply cannot explain away the market
> driven rise in China's material wealth the way you try to.
> (Which is not to dismiss land speculation and corruption,
> but only to put them in perspective.)
>
> Good intentions and even admirable actions cannot offset
> silly economics that relegate a billion people to poverty.
> If you find Mao so superior to markets, please find some
> like minded individuals a go off and create a revolution in
> steel production according to his clever ideas.  At least
> you won't starve millions to death by imposing this
> foolishness on others.
>
> One of the amazing things we learned from both Stalin and
> Mao is how light hearted leaders can be about starving
> millions to death.
>     "The chaos caused was on a grand scale, and I take
>     responsibility. Comrades, you must all analyse your own
>     responsibility. If you have to fart, fart. You will feel
>     much better for it."
>
> The idea you keep floating that the slow growth of a nation
> the size of China can be explained by external factors
> (e.g., a US embargo) rather than internal factors (e.g., the
> economic and cultural chaos visited upon a people by a
> well-meaning but ideologically blinkered demagogue) is truly
> bizarre.
>
> Cheers,
> Alan