Word: poorer
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...ever-present fear of arrest, I found Burmese to be worldly and eager to talk; I quickly formed lasting friendships, and Burma became the subject of my second book, The Trouser People. I returned perhaps a dozen times, witnessing changes that were usually for the worse. People grew poorer, stalked by disease and malnutrition. Inflation lurched ever upwards. Schools and hospitals crumbled with neglect. Insurgencies raged along the rugged borders. The brightest Burmese sought lives abroad. The only real constant was the junta, which had seized power in 1962 and run a promising nation into the ground...
...says Stephen Green, Shanghai-based economist with Standard Chartered. Another problem is that monetary and fiscal policies are intimately tied up with politics. For example, Chinese President Hu Jintao's centerpiece program of building a "harmonious society" by raising wages and improving state services such as health care for poorer workers plays well with the masses, but may undermine efforts to contain inflation. "As low-income earners enjoy higher incomes they tend to spend money," says Simpfendorfer, the Royal Bank of Scotland economist. "Ultimately that's an inflationary story." Political considerations can also prevent officials from taking aggressive, timely action...
...rich culture, breathtaking landscapes and hospitable people. Despite their isolation and the ever present fear of arrest, I found the Burmese worldly and eager to talk, and I quickly formed lasting friendships. I returned perhaps a dozen times, witnessing changes that were usually for the worse. People grew poorer and were stalked by disease and malnutrition. Schools and hospitals crumbled from neglect. Insurgencies raged along the rugged borders. The only real constant has been the junta, which seized power in 1962 and has run a promising nation into the ground. But there have been some positive changes...
...rate, get a much lower rebate for giving to charity. Although the amount that one can deduct is capped, this translates into the government paying for donations made by the rich. This system makes a mockery of the notion of fairness. If anything, it should be easier for a poorer person to give to charity, not harder. The charitable deduction system also leads to the problem of under-donation to charities that actually serve the poor that Reich and others have identified. Research has shown that wealthy people are four times more likely to donate to education or the arts?...
...economy is what has most alienated the Burmese populace. Coup leader Ne Win quickly ruined one of Southeast Asia's most promising economies by unveiling the "Burmese Way to Socialism." The army took over colonial-era business concerns like shipping and banking. Even as civilians have grown poorer, the military continues to enrich itself through timber, mineral and natural-gas deals with Burma's neighbors. In 2005, the junta mysteriously moved the nation's capital from Rangoon to a new city called Naypyidaw, carved out of the jungle at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars. A lavish military...