Part XIII of the “Pocketbook Politics” Series
The idea is to use American economic and military aid (E&MA) as investments to raise, cultivate, or produce food and reforest in-country recipients. Instead of being outright dole-outs, the annual investments cannot easily be stolen by local corrupt officials of the foreign nation receiving them.
An ancient adage says, “Teach the people how to fish (and how to grow crops), and they will never go hungry again.” Besides, many poor people worldwide prefer livelihood projects to just receiving alms. Even the poorest of the poor have pride left in them. They want to work and not live by begging. It is human nature. The back-to-basics principle of “Pocketbook Politics” should work (pun intended) in poor countries as it thrives in developed nations like Sweden and Scandinavia.
The article “How A Biden Doctrine Can Reinvent Poor Christian Countries’ Christmas-Season Meals” was published on December 25, 2020, as a Christmas message to then-President-elect Joe Biden. Readers may like to revisit and browse it again.
But sadly, perhaps the assembled staff for Biden’s Administration never bothered to read the column article—even if mutual friends provided the link to some of them.
History teachers say that the word “yuletide” comes from the Old English word geōl, which means “Christmas day” or “Christmastide.” Geōl is related to the Old Norse word jōl, the name of a 12-day pagan winter feast that was later associated with Christmas or copied by Christians and other denominations. In modern times, Christmas now includes New Year’s Day, although many countries in the Eastern world celebrate New Year not on the first day of the Gregorian calendar.
Yuletide may also refer to a holiday celebration during the Winter Solstice. The Vatican prevailed over pagan traditions, some of which were reinvented by Christian theologists.
Here are the column’s salient points for December 25, 2020, as edited for presentation to American policy-and-decision makers again today and by Yuletide 2025. It was reprinted every December 25 thereafter: The U.S. government can more effectively fight both world poverty and global warming by converting its economic and military aid (E&MA) to investments in overseas food production and reforestation.
“Perhaps in due time, the saying during Yuletide Season will no longer be “It is better to give than to receive gifts.” The new mantra may be that “it is best to invest proactively among the masses of any developing country (or rural counties in North America) so that people can eat daily and not just good recipes on Christmas or the entire Advent Season.”
Investments can also increase the U.S. E&MA through American co-ops in fishing and reforestation or other food-manufacturing ventures, such as the operation of modern fishing boats. Thus, the local economy in the foreign country receiving the investments shall boom. And the United States can regain its status as the best trading partner of many developing countries. Good things happen if a nation’s economy is like governance, as paraphrased from a speech by a native son of Kentucky, Abraham Lincoln. Yes, if done by the recipient country’s poor people, for the marginalized people, and by needy people and their cooperatives that give them jobs and socioeconomic opportunities that lead to empowerment.
Eventually, perhaps most American voters, especially taxpayers, will support this Yuletide reminder of the original proposal, as submitted to then-President-elect Biden on Christmas Day in 2020.
If the proposed change becomes part of the United States’ foreign policy someday, it may amount to more positive changes. Because poverty and other social cancers, like homelessness, in many poor countries in the world will be mitigated, if not eliminated, massive reforestation efforts funded by U.S. investments will also aid Mother Nature.
Perhaps in due time, the saying during Yuletide Season will no longer be “It is better to give than to receive gifts.” The new mantra may be that “it is best to invest proactively among the masses of any developing country (or rural counties in North America) so that people can eat daily and not just good recipes on Christmas or the entire Advent Season. Nutritious food that they themselves grow on land or harvest from the sea.” It is undoubtedly a longer adage. But who says socioeconomic development is easy and not done on short-, medium- and long-term phases?
