"I would like briefly, today, to mention three problems which menace man's welfare and will threaten it even when armed destruction and war are things of the past. They are the problems of poverty, of disease, and of diminishing natural resources. First is the problem of poverty--the growing division between the rich and poor nations. Today the per capita product of the developed countries is $1,730 a year. In the developing countries it is $143. And the gap is widening, not narrowing. Our own growth must continue. But we must find ways to step up the growth of others or we will be an increasingly isolated island of wealth in the midst of mounting misery. Second is man's struggle against disease, the focal point in his war to control the destructive forces of nature. Each year 3 million people die from tuberculosis. Each year 5 million die from dysentery, 500,000 from measles. In some countries one-sixth of the entire population suffer from leprosy. Yet, we have the knowledge to reduce the toll of these diseases, and to avert millions of separate tragedies of needless death and suffering. Third is the need to develop new resources, and new ways to use existing resources. It has been estimated that if everyone in the world were to rise to the level of living of the United States we would then have to extract about 20 billion tons of iron, 300 million tons of copper, 300 million tons of lead, and 200 million tons of zinc. These totals are well over 100 times the world's present annual rate of production."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Presidents of the United StatesPoliticians from TexasMembers of the United States SenateUnited States presidential candidates, 1968United States presidential candidates, 1964
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Imported from EN Wikiquote
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Related Quotes
"During the 2012 campaign, Obama’s advisers heard the same thing in focus groups with sympathetic voters. These voters…"
"Johnson’s presidency will always be shadowed by the tragedy of the Vietnam War and the domestic civil unrest it trigg…"
"This year, while House Speaker Paul D. Ryan helped to shape the Trump proposal, the president did not show deep knowl…"
"In pushing his health care bill, Mr. Trump had the superficial advantage of controlling both houses of Congress. But …"
"We know that Mr. Trump dismissed the counsel of some advisers not to risk his entire legislative program by asking Co…"
"At his best, Lyndon Johnson was one of the greatest of all American presidents. He did more for racial justice than a…"
"Among Woods’s many achievements in this fine biography is to allow us to see not only the enormous, tragic flaws in t…"
"President Obama is no President Lyndon Johnson — and wouldn't be even if he tried. To those who might wish the presid…"
"When Lyndon Johnson -- President Johnson -- spoke here in 1964, he addressed issues that remain with us. He proposed …"
"Chris Cillizza: If there is a list of the 15 greatest senators ever, is McCain on it? Why or why not? Ross Baker: He’…"