On 9 Jul 2005 00:37:18 -0700, "Hatfield"
wrote:

"East Germany and East Germany's economy was in shambles. "

Excellent point. Reagan didn't cause E. Germany nor Russian GNP to be
so low, and it was economic realities which ultimately toppled
communist Europe, not politics.

Most Islamic countries have terribly low income, too. Ditto for Latin
America who are all Catholic. Protestant countries, like Scandinavia,
the U.K., Germany, U.S.A., the Dutch, seem wealthier. But so are non
Christian Japan, Taiwan, and then too China is making great progress.
On the other hand Hindu India has rock bottom standard of living.

What makes some nations wealthy, some not? Religion, economic system?
Not education because India are full of the educated poor. Not music
either, witness the tone dead skree skraw atonal noise of Japanese
theatre, whose nation is fabulously wealthy.

I have no answers, but somehow perhaps it occurs to me that religion or
tradition or values seem to be most important to the ultimate economic
success of a people, a nation, a culture.

Material abundance does not equal wealth.