Reply #2: Yes, we can't do anything that would hurt economic growth! [View All]

[hatrack]

Because that would be, uh, . . . bad - yes, that's the word - BAD!!

It reminds me of the best episode of This American Life I ever heard. The episode was called "The Middle Of Nowhere" and a chunk of it had to do with the Republic of Nauru.

The phosphates which founded the island's wealth are gone, leaving most of the island a combination dump and toxic waste site. The profits from the phosphates were invested in junk bonds and a failed London theatrical production, among other items, and were quickly pissed away.

There was a plan to have Nauru open an embassy and consulates in China, paid for and run by the US Government as spy posts, but that came to naught. Nauru now makes some money from housing South Asian refugees at Australia's behest, but not a lot.

The latest scheme is to mine slabs of rock from the island's interior which can be made into decorative coffee table tops.