This is Controversial

After a week of not blogging anything (I've been really busy, looking for a place to live, if you must know), I came across this article. For those of you too lazy to click on the link and read it, I'll summarize it very quickly: people all over the world are protesting, mostly because they have a very strong sense of entitlement.  Greece and Montreal (over tuition increases) were specifically mentioned.

Though I have always felt that I have fairly left-leaning political views, and I believe that a government's job is to take care of its people first and foremost.  Which means providing all sorts of things that the free market can't provide, such as police, health care, infrastructure (roads, rail, ports), and education. I know government isn't very efficient at a lot of the things it does, but the anger againts governments these days borders on the ridiculous. Though I expect to have all the conveniences of living in modern times (see my above list of what a government should provide, though it's not comprehensive), I'm not so deluded into thinking that I should get it for nothing or that it doesn't cost anything.  Yes, big business has its hands in government and yes that does influence some decisions it makes.  But unions influence them just as much, and it feels like once someone has something good, they'll do anything to protect that even at the detriment of others.

I'm not saying we should all just sit down and accept every government decision that comes about, especially when it means cutting services and rising taxes.  But governments must be run in a way that doesn't lose money. Someone loses out when that happens.  Who are we to say we should get all the good things and someone else should pay the price.

In my field, I've had to witness hundreds and thousands of people who have it way better than me (and many others) complain about small concession they are being asked to make.  They just don't seem to get that there are hundreds and thousands of willing people who would kill (well, maybe not kill) to have the opportunity to work at their jobs. It makes me want to shake each and every one of them and shout: "DO YOU NOT REALIZE HOW GOOD YOU HAVE IT!?!?!" Which would (in my fantasy) be followed by a lot of swearing and more shaking - though, this being reality, I'd never do that.

In the past, unions and protest movements (ok, even some today) have been helpful in advancing many worthy causes, but in many places those times have passed. At some point it switches from ensuring fairness in society to taking more than what you've earned.

So yes, I've also noticed this sense of entitlement, or "entitlement addiction" as the article calls it.  It is very frustrating for me to see since I'd love to have it as good as some of these people.

Microfinancing and Loaning Money to Third World Countries

Some of my readers may have heard about Muhammed Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. An economics professor, Yunnas won for being the founder of the Grameen Bank. Why is this bank so great? What their bank provides is microfinancing. What is microfinancing? It is simply loaning money to people who wouldn't be able to qualify for loans from a regular bank. The money is usually loaned in small amounts from individual donors. These small loans are consolodated by banks like the Grameen Bank and then given to the people who need the money.

Why do this? The reason for doing this is to help those who have not been given the opportunities that we in the Western world have been given. The money goes to people who have a plan or a business and need some money to get it off the ground. The expectation is that the money is paid back. Some organizations that lend money this way have had a 100% repayment rate (according to one agency the worldwide repayment rate for these types of loans is 97%).

One of the organizations which has a 100% repayment rate is Kiva.org. According to their homepage they have over 43,000 people loaning over $4 million. I am one of those people and 50 of those dollars. Kiva is a really easy way to participate in microfinancing. They loan to many different areas of the world and you can choose who you loan to. You can loan as little as $25 and you get updates on your loan as it gets repaid. With Kiva, you don't get any interest, but they do charge interest so that they can pay their operating costs. You get your money back and can reloan it or withdraw it as you please.

Though it seems very much like a charity, it is not. It is a way of giving a helping hand to someone who needs it. You are not giving anyone money, you are loaning them money so they can work for themselves. It is not surprising that this idea led to a Nobel Prize.

I urge you to read up on this and if you have money to spare, you could loan some of it to someone who needs it.