Problems in Contemporary Chinese Political Economy

Early last month (November 2011), a putative "school bus" with a capacity for nine people was carrying over 60 preschool and kindergarten children in a rural Mainland Chinese town.  The bus got in an accident, and as we in the West can only imagine, many children died and suffered injuries.

In reaction, the local government has purchased five American-styled school buses (the yellow behemoths).  But these new buses are to be used to ferry TEACHERS from home to school.  Here is a poignant reflection by a Chinese netizen on this and related issues. His reaction speaks volumes on the contradictions in contemporary Chinese political economy.

 From Chinasmack.com

Original Chinese text

他们对医疗不重视，因为他们有高干病房； 他们对教育不重视，因为他们的孩子留洋； 他们对食品安全不重视，因为他们有特供食品；他们对堵车不重视，因为他们出行警车开道； 他们对国家未来不重视，因为他们妻儿已经移民美国！ 他们对维稳很重视，因为他们怕失去这些!这就是我们的领导！能买光全世界的飞机，却买不起一辆校车；能把卫星送入太空，却造不一座小桥；能给别国花数亿， 却不肯多几所小学；一年能吃掉几十艘航母，却逼着孩子捐出午饭钱。真是量中华之物力，结老爷之欢心，聚十三亿之艰难，供数人之享乐，无话可说，强作欢颜。 甘肃幼儿园校车车祸丢的是性命还是民心

English translation
They don’t attach importance to medical care, because they have special wards for government cadres; They don’t attach importance to education, because their children study abroad; They don’t attach importance to food safety, because they have specially provided food products; They don’t attach importance to traffic congestion, because they have police to open the road for them; They don’t attach importance to the country’s future, because their wives and children have already emigrated to the United States! They attach importance to stability, because they are afraid of losing these things! This what our government leaders are like! Able to buy all the world’s airplanes, yet can’t afford a single school bus; Able to send satellites into space, yet unable to build a single small bridge; Able to give other countries hundreds of millions to spend, yet unwilling to build a few more primary schools; Able to spend several tens of aircraft carriers worth of money on dining, yet force children to donate their lunch money. Truly taking the material resources of the Chinese people, the hardships of 1.3 billion people, for the enjoyment of the few. There’s nothing that can be said, one can only force a laugh. Does the Gansu kindergarten school bus accident result in the loss of life or the loss of the people’s hearts?