Sunday, February 8, 2015

A Bureaucracy of Dunces

How else to describe government support for ‘Zombie fleets‘ grimly reaping the depths of remote ocean waters…massive public loss (and unsustainable environmental costs) for tiny profit-- and that is for only 4% of the entire fishing industry, i.e., over 95% receive no such support.
These zombie fleets are causing not only ecological damage, their activity engenders problems for the other fishermen, the 96% remaining who are of local/independent, sustainable fisherman not given handouts by governments. These 96%  then have to cope with depleted seas and artificially lowered costs in unfair competition.
The following provides the full story about Zombie Fleets that have been operating under the public's notice:

http://qz.com/225432/rich-countries-pay-zombie-fishing-boats-5-billion-a-year-to-plunder-the-seas/

From the above-linked article, “In economics, you’d call these zombies—unprofitable companies that would fail if governments didn’t prop them up. There are two big problems with zombies. First, they take resources that could go to support new, productive companies. And by subsidizing zombies, governments allow them to keep prices low, driving productive companies out of business.”

Unfortunately, the zombie description is fitting for a preponderance of Zombie I/NGOs. Most would serve ‘development’ best by closing their gilded shutters. Even if doing everything absolutely brilliantly, they indirectly sustain misgovernance , a significant downside that perpetuates chronic poverty and its ills.

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