Solution to Poverty

As a systems analyst and computer programmer, it is my job to solve software problems. I get paid to design and code system enhancements and solutions to software problems. In order to learn my trade, I had to take a few college level computer programming classes, ask lots of questions, and make more than a few mistakes. Before long and with a little experience, I was able to learn the difference between a temporary solution that appears to fix a problem, but in reality only prolongs a problem, and solution that actually fixes a problem permanently. Sometimes, the permanent solution takes a little more effort and a little more time up front, but in the long run, it saves time and effort.

I now have enough experience that I don’t have to start from scratch to analyze and solve a problem. I know what will work because a solution that has worked in the past will always work to solve a similar problem. Experience has reduced my rate of trial and error and increased my rate of immediate success in designing software solutions. However, I would not be able to design the right solution if I was not able to make the right analysis. More lines of computer code will not solve a software problem without the proper analysis and the right solution.

Poverty throughout some parts of the world including Africa is a real problem. Just as in software development, in order to solve the problem of poverty, we need to make the right analysis of what has caused African poverty, and then implement the right solution to the problem.

The poverty in Africa is not caused, has never been caused, and never will be caused by too little money or resources for the poor. It takes very little money to grow crops and raise livestock. The poor in Africa do not need more money from western governments. More money will not solve the problem of poverty in Africa because the problem of poverty in Africa is not caused by a lack of resources in Africa. Poverty in Africa is caused by the control and abuse of citizens by corrupt governments. Money from western governments will only make the problems worse.

The solution to poverty in Africa and other parts of the world does not require any more trial and error. Enough mistakes have already been made to know what will not solve the problem of African poverty. The redistribution of wealth will not all of a sudden start working in the future because it has never worked in the past no matter how many times it has been tried.

However, we do know from experience exactly what will work to solve the problem of African poverty. The problem of poverty is always solved by freedom. Free people making free choices about what to own, what to sell, where to work, how hard to work; and just as importantly, when, where, and how to give. With the exception of the mentally disabled and some physically disabled, people really can care for most of their own needs. Freedom works every time, past, present, and future to solve the problem of poverty.