No "Free" Tickets to Live-8 for Me!

To qualify for a free ticket to at least some of the Live8 Concerts, you had to answer the following multiple-choice question correctly (this is a paraphrase because I can't find the link any more):

To help alleviate world poverty, rich countries must

1. Give a lot more in foreign aid to the world's poorer countries.
2. Write off the debts of the world's poorest countries.
3. Reduce trade barriers in a way that is "fair" to poor countries.
4. All of the above.

I like (3). Research results overwhelmingly support (3).

(1) is clearly and patently wrong, and (2) is just a variant of (1) except that it gives more to the countries whose leaders were better liars.

And the bleeding-heart do-gooders, unfortunately, think the answer is (4).

My conclusion: we have not done a very good job teaching economics.