I was listening to NPR this morning and was reminded of yet another reason why we shouldn’t be attempting to solve the world’s problems.  In case you haven’t heard–there is a war on drugs.  I know crazy. I have always believed this “war” was a complete waste of money and well my beliefs have been validated.  Columbia one of the most dangerous countries in the world and the country that produces them most cocaine in the world has been America drug enemy #1 for a couple of decades.  The US has spend billions and billions of dollars trying to eradicate the growing of coca plants.  We poison them and then the farmer go somewhere else and replant and the cycle repeats and repeats.  Well, Columbia came up with a solution–I know what a novel idea–granted the US is helping with some aid–but it was not in anyway our idea.  The government picked a remote area where the coca production is high and was a hot spot for guerrillas and drug traffickers–what did they do you ask?  Well they put in roads and build schools and provided the farmers and the community with health services, seeds and training on how to farm.  They are basically subsidizing these farmers to grow other crops.  Sound familiar?  Yeah it’s what we do here for our farmers.  How else can we keep them from growing more lucrative crops like weed? 

In a years time the coca production is down 70% in this one area and the violence has subsided.  This makes so much sense.  Maybe instead of bombing and killing people in other countries we should be building infastructure for them so that these people can have their basic human needs satisfied and therefore remove the need for these folks to be recruited into the drug trade or the business of terrorism.  If this works in Columbia–maybe we should be using some of the millions and millions of dollars we use on the war on drugs here in America to build better schools and different types of schools in urban areas and more medical/health clinics.  Helping people meet their own needs and helping them become self-sufficient really can help eliminate and reduce the issues that hinder the progress.