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Broken Window Fallacy and Haiti

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krazy kaju Posted: Mon, Jan 25 2010 12:40 PM

Just a thought that randomly occurred to me: I wonder why leftists are so insistent on sending aid to Haiti when all of them believe the broken window fallacy. Shouldn't Haiti's economy be booming, according to them?

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Giant_Joe replied on Mon, Jan 25 2010 12:47 PM

krazy kaju:

Just a thought that randomly occurred to me: I wonder why leftists are so insistent on sending aid to Haiti when all of them believe the broken window fallacy. Shouldn't Haiti's economy be booming, according to them?

Let my try their logic.

...

Stop being so heartless!!

 

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krazy kaju:

Just a thought that randomly occurred to me: I wonder why leftists are so insistent on sending aid to Haiti when all of them believe the broken window fallacy. Shouldn't Haiti's economy be booming, according to them?

I honestly don't believe that it is intellectually honest to state that "leftists" believe in the broken window fallacy as it would apply to the current situation.  Even an ardent believe in the fallacy would state that Haiti's economy will boom after the disaster as a result in the necessary reinvestment, but he would not state that the economy would be booming now.  In addition, there is no logical contradiction between the two positions; in fact, they are mutually compatible due to the fact that the aid will create a boom in the Haitian economy due to reinvestment.

Abstract liberty, like other mere abstractions, is not to be found.

          - Edmund Burke

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True enough, but even without aid, one would expect these leftist "economist" types to exclaim that the destruction boost consumer spending over saving, thereby helping the economy of Haiti.

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