From: gerald_a_levy (gerald_a_levy@msn.com)
Date: Mon Oct 07 2002 - 08:29:20 EDT
The following poem, written in 1962, has just been added to the www.marxists.org site. It might be used in the classroom when discussing opportunity costs and public finance. E.g. you could ask: "If a poem similar to the following was written today, how would it be different?" Or, you could offer an _answer_ to that question yourself here on OPE-L. In solidarity, Jerry > UNITED STATES BUDGET, 1913 > > by Rewi Alley > > Rulers of the world's richest > state, look over their income > reckoning how best to spend in > the coming year; shall it be > > on rockets to the moon, space > ships, or more napalm burning > of Vietnamese villagers; > blockade, subversion, against Cuba; looting > a prostrate South Korea; planting > new bases in a re-armed Japan > or putting new spy satellites > into orbit; pouring new billions > to ensure India help for an > invasion of China; paying to build > new bases up the Amazon to keep > Brazil's poor, poorer, or for > a nice new nuclear base in Paraguay? > > Then of course, a lot of cash > can be spent on meeting CIA > budgets in Laos, Thailand, Malaya > to say nothing of the millions > that can be spent in Africa, > Latin America; the forty billion > needed to plaster armed men > all around the globe, in the air > and under the sea. > > Quite a few dollars, too > are needed to provide > cushy corners for party plugs > hangers on of the shiny, plastic > Kennedy Dynasty; then there > are new fascists to be nurtured; > decision made which of the dictators > to be paid in full, which > can be bargained with. > > In all, a wide selection; > you pay your money, they > make their choice; you, the > pitiful taxpayers of this > twentieth century whose > Struggle finances all. > > Peking, Nov. 20th, 1962 > http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/strong-anna-louise/1963/letters_ch ina/ch05.htm > `~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
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