Aid and development are deeply complex and there are no easy answers. The physical donations of goods, be it food or clothes, often have negative impacts on the local economy. It would be far better for aid organizations to buy products locally. Aid shouldn't be about making North Americans comfortable with a culture of mass consumption and waste. It has to be actually making the lives of people in the recipient country better.

We've all heard the message time and time again: We need to send more people to colleges and universities, and ensure our country is well-educated. This is great in theory; after all, no one is against apple pie. But the reality is that we can't flip a switch and guarantee everyone has a university degree in 10 years. This isn't necessarily a bad thing.