I’m not…especially when stuff like the latest Doctor Who (see below) is around to grab my attention.
No offense…but what is this actually going to do to get extra money out of our government for aid to the developing world? Jeffrey Simpson, in today’s Globe and Mail, points out the obvious:
They will point to those countries — Norway, Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg — that have already reached the 0.7% target. But they will not propose that Canadians pay Swedish or Norwegian taxes, because Canadians would be crazy to do so in an economically integrated North America.
They will point to commitments made by Britain, France, and Germany… But they will not ask why France and Germany should be trusted when they can’t balance their budgets, have consistently broken the fiscal rules of the European Union, and haven’t secured their own countries’ future pension obligations.
Reality always has an unfortunate effect on good intentions, especially when it comes to the developed world helping the developing world. No amount of singing in day long concerts will change this fact…no matter how much we might wish otherwise.
OK..now I’m depressed.
