The Saudi High Life

Here is an interesting story. It's not too surprising when you think about it.

In the annals of excess, it could be a new high: a more than $300 million dollar, super-sized luxury airplane, bought and outfitted solely for the private comfort of a Saudi Arabian billionaire.

Instead of funding schools that teach kids that Israel and the U.S. are responsible for the sufferings of the Palestinian people, you'd think they could build schools that teach kids how to control their own destiny, feed kids, and create jobs with ventures that employ the people that live in Gaza and the West Bank.

But no. They would rather use every bit of oil revenue on the countless palaces, jet liners, and other extravagant purchases, while their brethren suffer.

Now, I am no socialist by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I pretty much loathe it. But, they are so far ahead of people they claim to have a kinship with and yet they do not invest their vast surplus into real people with real lives. What little money is given, quickly ends up in terrorist hands, because of the network they were able to build (because the area has been kept so impoverished).

I would think all of the good socialists of the world would be appalled at this. If they are, it rarely gets said. But, just let something happen in Gaza or the West Bank and we'll all hear our share of how it's America's and Israel's policies that make these people hate us so much. Never mind that Saudi Arabia's royal family is living the high life and using passive techniques to withhold aid from people, in order to oppress them.