Too Much Credit

I saw this at TCS by Tim Worstall. I like what Mr. Worstall has to say about "poverty" being natural:

"...what is unusual, what is unnatural and what is man made is wealth, this thing we've only been able to do reliably and consistently since the Industrial Revolution."

However, I think he's being way too generous to the manifesto writers of Make Poverty History and their ilk (who recommend against capitalism as "unfair" and claim that it has "never been proven to reduce poverty"):

"I am often very cynical about such matters, but I do hope, pray even, that these people are misguided, ignorant even, rather than think that they know what they are doing and think that their prejudices are more important than helping 2 billion people out of absolute poverty."

Mr. Worstall, I don't think you're cynical enough. I think these people are ignorant. I believe the real crime however is that they don't care whether or not they are wrong. Let's compare the "impoverished" here in the mostly-but-not-enough capitalist U.S. to those truly impoverished in third world countries. Contrary to the manfiesto from Make Poverty History, the evidence is absolutely clear, and ignored.