 Letters and Blogs
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-25 07:49 Big decisions should be based on value Comment on the article "Economy's focus should now be on creating jobs" (Page 8, March 19, China Daily) I think that this time of crisis should allow us to break our paradigms and think big. Unfortunately many people that have influence on public opinion have a shortsighted view and do not allow themselves to re-think. We already realize that the value of a country is not its GDP but its capability to provide good living conditions to their population in an environmentally sustainable way. So if we were to focus on creating jobs that may not contribute to improving conditions for people, it would represent a waste of precious resources like land, air, water and minerals. And again we would be going in the wrong direction. If the choice is, for example, to make a man commute every day to a public building to do a job that does not add any value for either him or society, wasting energy and polluting the environment, better let him stay at home, give him benefits and training to prepare for a better job in the future. China is in a better situation to cope with this new economic situation (I do not want to call it crisis, which has a negative connotation). It is natural of course to make some concessions, like favoring the production of cheap goods to maintain the export sector. But when choosing what kind of domestic consumption to boost, and what kind of jobs to create, the chief concern should be the value added to Chinese society, and if it is worth allocating precious natural resources. Marcelo Fedrizzi Via email The dancer injured for motherland I am writing to you because I have tried in vain, for many weeks, to find some news about the dancer who fell off the stage a few days before the Olympic Opening Ceremony. She was hospitalized and the last piece of news I read (during the Olympics) was that she could be paralyzed for life. Her fate would only be known about six months after the accident. I was very touched by her accident and I hope that people have not forgotten about this brave girl who has suffered for the motherland. Does anyone at China Daily know what has become of her? Any information or update will be highly appreciated. Tan Wan That, Singapore Via email Readers' comments are welcome. Please send mail to Letters to the Editor, China Daily, 15 Huixin Dongjie, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029 China. Send faxes to (86-10) 6491-8377. Send e-mail to opinion@chinadaily.com.cn or letters@chinadaily.com.cn or to the individual columnists. China Daily reserves the right to edit all letters. Thank you. (China Daily 03/25/2009 page9) |
