Was the grand slogan of Neoliberalism. This being the doctrine that promoted sound monetary policy, public sector austerity and export led growth as the path to prosperity for the poor of the world. When prosperous capitalism developed and accelerated economic growth set in - the argument went - a magical transition would occur, people would demand democracy, a clean environment and ordinary social amenities.

In much the same way that the five year plans in the Soviet Union were supposed to lead to the withering away of the state.

So how is it going over there? We have an unintentional but quite informative description provided in an opinion piece in today's SF Comical:

Unfortunately, there isn't much help for those who simply can't make it economically, and there are more and more of these people as conditions worsen. Nearly every time I take the main subway line in Beijing, beggars come through my car. Unlike beggars back home, beggars in China are often children, and almost every one has a disability. Many of the people I have seen have gruesome disfigurements, resulting from burns, loss of limbs and birth defects.

In addition to this lowest class of people, there is a vast and growing class of migrant laborers who live in astonishingly pitiful conditions. Before I came to Beijing, I had only read about this kind of poverty in books, and I imagined these people would somehow be sequestered from the rest of the population.

In reality, many of the people who live in my neighborhood in the heart of Beijing face life with these conditions. Most shop owners live in their shops, and many people live in homemade shacks constructed with plastic and other found materials. Five waiters from my favorite restaurant live in a roughly 8-by-8-foot room. They don't have hot water or heat, and they use an empty lot next door as a latrine. Yet, compared with many in China, they are well off.

The author of this particular piece wants us to send charitable contributions to China  - one hopes that these will not pass through the hands of the government of that nation - Wonks Anonymous wonders if there is not something else we can do.

This situation seems every bit as bad as the situation in South Africa was or the situation in Darfur is purported to be. Because the violence and repression are directed by one class against another, not one race or religion against another, we choose to ignore it.  Maybe, given the wealth and military power of China's rulers, we can do nothing to stop their criminal behavior. We can at least stop pretending that it is not there.