Addison Road

You may have noticed a new banner in the upper right hand corner of this page. It links to a coalition of non-profit organizations dedicated to ending severe poverty among the world’s poorest citizens within our lifetime. In the UK, it’s under the banner of “Make Poverty History.” In the US, it’s under the banner of the ONE campaign. I know what you’re saying …

“But Michael, you’re a politically conservative, economically libertarian free-market defender of the wealthy elite! Why are you endorsing a campaign that reeks of hippy socialism and welfare entitlement?”

A very fair question! Two reasons - first of all, when I say severe poverty, I’m not talking about a family of four in the US who can’t afford cable for their color TV. I’m talking about a mom in a Fiji squatter camp who hasn’t eaten in 4 days, and who is prostituting herself to buy a meal for her children. I’m talking about a boy in India who doesn’t have clean drinking water within a days walk. I’m talking about children who don’t have to worry about the fact that they have HIV / AIDS, because they’re going to die of malnutrition before their immune systems feels the first effects of the virus.

It is my strong belief that free markets create the strongest economies, but free people have a moral obligation to the world community, and in our prosperity we have the tools to undo this part of the fall. The world is broken, and in this small way we can fulfill the obligation incumbent on redeemed people to remake it in Christ’s image.

So why this particular group, and why this particular goal? First of all, some of the ministries that my wife and I support are linking up with this coalition, including World Vision and Bread for the World. My trust in the long-standing integrity of these organizations makes me hopeful toward the goals of the coalition group. I think that the stated goals of the group are just, well-conceived, and above all, achievable. They are promoting fair trade rules that allow developing nations to compete economically in global markets, which in turns allows them to sustain their own economic stability. They are promoting debt amnesty for the worlds poorest countries, which is more of a recognition of reality than a new policy - countries where 50% of the annual budget go to pay off the interest on trade loans are never going to repay the debt, and their own development is being crippled as a result. Finally, they support an increase of targeted and effective international aid on the part of the most prosperous countries. In the US, that means in increase of 1% in the annual foreign aid budget.

So what kind of global anti-poverty campaign would a conservative American capitalist get behind? One that you should look into …