The usual morons - lefties, socialists, but I repeat myself triply - keep telling us that it’s capitalism that creates poverty. You know, morons, like there’s ever been a place that is rich that hasn’t been at least middling capitalist?
True, we should slightly modify this and insist that it’s the interaction of capitalism and free markets that creates those riches but still.
An example:
The car whipped by and Brumm took off across the four-lane road. It only took only a few seconds to cross, and the journey was uninterrupted.
Northern red-legged tree frogs aren’t often so lucky.
The frogs in the area, northwest of Portland, spend most of their lives in Burlington Creek, a forested property owned by Oregon Metro. But twice a year, they travel to breeding grounds in the Palensky Wildlife Area wetlands. Until recently, this journey entailed crossing Highway 30.
“You have this frog that's maybe … 3 inches big, having to cross four lanes of traffic at 55 miles per hour,” said Rachel Wheat, the Wildlife Connectivity Coordinator at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. “And it's just a death trap for these animals.”
OK, so only rich places have four lane roads. Well, nearly, the poor places only have those between the President’s palace and the international airport.
Only rich places have protected wildlife wetland areas and the like. Only rich places have people being paid, full time and year round, to be “wildlife connectivity coordinator”. Poor places have people studying the same things, to be sure, but they’re looking for the choke points which are good places to trap that wildlife - hey, meat is meat, protein is protein.
And only rich places…..
This journey is now much safer for the frogs, which are classified as an Oregon sensitive species and a federal species of concern. In December 2024, construction was completed on the Palensky Wildlife Underpass, allowing frogs to travel safely under the road.
We’re all living in a society that builds road underpasses for 3 inch frogs. How rich as fucking Croesus is that?
The only economic system, ever, that has produced wealth like this is that capitalist free marketry.
So is it very stupid or very very stupid to wander around sagely opining that capitalism creates poverty? Further, how damn stupid do they have to get before we can cull them?
El Salvador has giant frogs that come out at night during the rainy season May-Sept/Oct); driving the country roads you run over them with a heavy crunch ...
We have a turtle underpass in my town. Wonderful.
In India, on rural roads, they only have overpasses for railroads. Speed bumps and striped crosswalks, cows, slow down often, max speed, 48 mph. We go 70-80 mph in rural areas with only stops when we want or go through cities.
We are surrounded by the riches of capitalism and the hard work of our parents and grandparents.
All I ask is that we all remember that every day and be grateful.