Niger is suffering a famine and people blame profiteering and selfishness because of the country’s market-oriented policies. In evidence of how little attitudes have changed about the role of the market, one vendor said
he would welcome the government
purchase of his stocks to subsidize the market but that he couldn’t
afford to donate food. “That’s people’s property. They can’t just give
it away,” he said. “It’s the duty of the government to do so, but
unfortunately it has not.”
Funny enough, the would-be purveyor of yellowcake to Saddam ranks just 118 of 161 on the Index of Economic Freedom. Maybe it’s not the market’s fault after all.
UPDATE: Melana Zyla Vickers spent more time on the subject at Tech Central Station.
