Bhutan’s wealth

I write in response to the reader’s letter titled “Poverty in Bhutan” (April ’05, pg. 84).

It seems to me that Bhutan must compare very favorably to most countries, including the USA, by any objective measure of poverty.

There are no homeless and no beggars in Bhutan. There is no crime and no corruption. There is no prostitution. There are no ghettos. Even the rural “poor” live in large, freestanding, 3-story homes surrounded by their own extensive farmlands.

Education is free to all. Health care is free to all, including tourists. (Imagine that, if you can, in the U.S.!)

Contrary to one of the writer’s assertions, there are several road links between Bhutan and northern India. There are abundant natural resources, especially mineral and timber resources, which Bhutan could begin to export but for the pervasive consensus on preserving nature and wildlife habitat. The Bhutanese eschew the exploitation of their nation’s extensive natural environment.

To me, this bespeaks a wealth rare in the world.

SCOTT WILD
Bellingham, WA