Blog #6: Gates' Prediction About Ending Global Poverty Is Built On Progress Already Made

Summary:
Bill Gates and his wife Melinda recently participated in the annual shareholder letter of their foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. They predicted by 2035 there will be almost no poor countries left in this world, and even if there are still poor people in every region, they will be in countries that are self-sufficient. They have been actively involved within the issues related to poverty amongst populations through their work with their foundation. They base their predictions on three myths: Firstly, there is a myth that poor countries are destined to remain poor forever. He demonstrates the progress made throughout the developing world. In the last quarter century, the percentage of very poor people has decreased by more than half and within the next quarter century it should go down again to more than 70%. The second myth is that foreign aid is wasteful. Less than one percent of the United States' budget  is spent on foreign aid, which equals around $30 billion. This money is helping build  foundational changes such as, building schools, roads/irrigation systems, providing life-saving vaccines, family planning, and other health services. Foreign aid from our society has decreased child-mortality rates, and in twenty more years it should continue to fall as low as developed nations. Foreign aid is an investment which helps these developing nations obtain greater sufficiency. The third myth states, "that saving lives leads to overpopulation." It starts with the basic knowledge that people in poor countries procreate more than those in developed countries. Improving economic conditions of poorer people provides them with certain incentives to reduce the size of their families which controls overpopulation. These three myths shows progress which has been made in the last decades, and the collective work will help lift our world out of global poverty. 

Analysis:
After reading this article, it is clear these myths are largely supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as many other people around the world. While poverty is a major issue around the world, especially in developing countries, there are underlying factors which help or hurt this problem. The myths are which struck me the most. Poor countries should not remain poor if our economy can boost them out of their hole. It can be done, because there has been an increase of help around the world. A major point within the text showcases the aspect of investments for foreign aid. It is our duty to help others who are struggling, and this is becoming a view which is very popular in growing populations. Investments on aid is a wise decision. With poverty being a major problem worldwide, aid will help pull developing, poor nations out of crisis and create more stability. Overpopulation is a myth of this article, and I would disagree with the above quote from the text. Saving lives will not lead to overpopulation. This term seems somewhat vague, due to the numbers of factors which are attributed to overpopulation. Reducing family sizes such as the one child policy in China, is a major factor in reducing overpopulation. The three myths are important to the crisis of economics and global poverty, and it is clear they are mostly true across the spectrum of the globe. With the support from Bill and Melinda Gates and their constant research with their foundation, it is clear poverty will continue to decrease. If the studies are correct, in the next twenty five years, poverty should be drastically decreased. I am interested in seeing if their predictions will come true.

Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anne-goddard/gates-prediction-about-en_b_4994939.html
Posted 3/20/14