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Here’s some food for thought: we in the United States are reaping the benefits of continued technological, medical and agricultural advancements, and yet nearly two-thirds of the world’s countries are not. And while some have access to a partial spectrum of benefits, one third of the world can barely tap into them at all.
2nd May 07 - Kerala Gookdin, Glimpse Quarterly
Link to the full report
Now the plot thickens: after the Bush administration’s 2001, 2002 and 2003 tax cuts, the savings enjoyed by U.S. households above the $500,000 bracket alone amounted to $50 billion per year. Compare that to the total of $15 billion that the administration gave in foreign aid in 2004.
While foreign aid is certainly not a panacea, it is a first step. And the fact is, the United States is not stepping up to the plate. While our middle and upper classes are planning summer vacations and buying second homes, more than six million children die every year from preventable diseases. How can we ensure that our world’s resources are a bit more evenly distributed?
Of course, it’s never easy to discuss such issues on a global scale. When are we imposing “Western” standards on other countries and when are we simply promoting basic standards of living to which everyone should have access? Do we really want to get two-thirds of the world on the same “track” as the
United States and other developed countries, when our ways of life are endangering the world’s environment and collective pool of resources?
All of these questions are worth asking; they should not be swept under the rug. But when people are going hungry, when they lack access to potable water, when they’re dying from preventable and treatable diseases, we need to momentarily set aside such questions to address more pressing ones. Why aren’t we doing more? What more can we do? And how can it be done effectively?
The report was compiled by Glimpse Quarterly's Editor in Chief, Kerala Goodkin, who calls upon students to think beyond Western Europe and Australia when choosing a study abroad destination. Then, she says, study abroad students can "bring back the stories--both positive and negative--that are so under-reported here in the United States. The first step toward solving global inequality is to make people care. The second step is to do something about it. And the third step is to ensure that what we do is enough."
Glimpse Quarterly is published by the 501(c)3 Glimpse Foundation, which fosters cross-cultural understanding and exchange, particularly between the United States and the rest of the world, by providing forums for sharing the experiences of young adults living and studying abroad. Primarily distributed through colleges and universities across the country, the magazine has a current circulation of 10,000 with a projected readership of 15,000. It is also available in bookstores nationwide.
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