Zimbabwe is getting worse and worse. Mugabe has done just about everything to sabotage the economy and it shows. Bob was certain that once the colonial powers left, surely, surely fellow Africans would not treat the people so badly. Well Bob, it turns out that power corrupts. Zimbabwe is one of a host of African nations that have thugs as leaders and it costs Africans plenty. If you read this article from the NY times, you’ll get a sense of how bad it has gotten. Hyperinflation has crippld the economy, state run utilities like water and electricity no longer work, and the state run transportation system has ground to a halt. To add to the economic idiocy, the government sells gasoline to farmers at a cut rate. This is supposed to spur farm production. The farmers do the smart thing of course, they sell it on the black market for 10 times what they paid for it. Probably far more money than they’ll make on crops, and a hell of a lot easier. IF Zimbabwe had Venezuela’s oil money, Mugabe *might* be able to keep the place running, but only by hemorrhaging money to prop up state run, corrupt programs… If you want to see how to make people poor, take a look at the history of Zimbabwe…
Isaac