Tripe. I'm sure the informal miners living in poverty in Senegal are celebrating. Guess it makes all the Chardonnay Socialists feel good about themselves . :/
Having spent a month in South America in July, a continent of poor governance, sanitation, telecommunications, it is not surprising that an operation performed properly is called ethical. They could of gone to Kalgoolie and bought ethical gold! I expect we'll start stamping it 999 ethical, 9999 fineness, and 100 BS.
Those living in poverty are faced with two choices - continue to do what they and their parents and their grandparents have done every day for their whole lives ie live hand-to-mouth working in subsistence agriculture, or try something else with the promise of bettering their own lives and the lives of their families. Just like Nike sweatshop workers, these miners, called artisinal miners are attempting to raise themselves above abject poverty. Sure it's potentially deadly for themselves and their environment, but the alternative is to continue living with harvest uncertainty at the mercy of the seasons. But the opponents of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) - social advocates, governments and large-scale mining interests - ignore this fact and repeatedly point to the environmental damage, the illegality of the work, low productivity, its seasonal nature, its economic uncertainty and that it may attract workers away from other jobs (ie subsistence agriculture ) as justification for their policies, all the while ignoring the ramifications of them. According to Fairtrade International, some 100 million people work in the ASM (artisinal and small-scale mining) industry and make up 90% of the total mining workforce. By adopting the moral high and guilting consumers into adopting policies such as "ethical gold" and "blood diamonds", and encouraging governments to enforce legislated solutions, we restrict the livelihoods of these 100 million workers and their families and confine them to a life of abject poverty. Rather than forcing our values onto others, concerned consumers should be offering to financially support the use of safer mining practices and defend the ASM workers access to a better lifestyle. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9SxCxihhrQ[/youtube]
This thread reminds me of the progressive libs here in the US who think one day everyone in the world will hold hands and sing together and everyone will have money and a good home, etc. Unfortunately the world has never been like that (at least not in the last few thousand years). There will always be one group taking from another, then centuries later the previous loser is the new winner, etc. Ever notice the countries like in Africa and such are the same as they have ever been and never seem to improve no matter how much $$$ they get sent? I remember the whole "we are the world" stuff when I was a teenager. Has anything changed in those countries? You can blame the dictators and such but at some point the populace has to step up and fix things or they will never change and will always be subservient (sort of like how the young and future US broke free from mother England years ago). In a sense life on this planet is a zero sum game. I know that is unfortunate but a bunch of progressive libs (commies- speaking of those in US ONLY) who want to tax everyone else's wealth to give to those (less fortunate), while those progressive libs at the top live as millionaires and billionaires, aren't going to do anything but make those living in the "better off" countries descend to the same living conditions as those in places like Africa, maybe that is the plan of those at the top? Ethical gold- poppycock! Just my opinion. Jim
