printGovernments are good at talking-up the “charitable” nature of their wealth transfers, especially when budget cuts loom (the kind that threaten bloated bureaucracies). U.S. government aid, however, doesn’t come close to private American charitable donations in any given year (link). Private foreign aid greatly exceeds U.S. government aid. And the former, unlike the latter, can be channeled to recipients the donor – not government – favors. The depth and the consistency of America’s voluntary giving obviate the need for political pelf, i.e. foreign aid.
No devotee of Sir Peter Bauer, author of “Dissent on Development” and the foremost authority on foreign aid, takes seriously the warning (here) that the GOP’s meager proposed budget cuts “would cause the deaths of at least 70,000 children around the world who rely on American funding, according to the government agency in charge of foreign aid.”
Here is another interesting figure that further puts in perspective the $15 billion or so of foreign aid stolen from American taxpayers:
According to the “Atlas of Human Migration,” published in 2011, thanks to the opportunities created (indubitably, by and large, in developed nations), the remittances “sent back home by migrants in 2007 was an impressive $250 billion, putting the $103 billion sent in development aid, in the same year, to shame.” (TLS March 4, 2011)
I sent money to relatives overseas but what happens to that money other than people spending it in the private sector where, of course, it gets wasted since only “governments” and/or CIA-trained hooligans know properly how to spend money from America!
Previous recipients of American charity and benevolence via the US Taxpayer include: Ho Chi Minh, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Noriega, the Shah, Marcos, Diem, Karzai, the Bhuttos, Saddam Hussein, Arafat, the Somozas, Thieu, Rhee, Park, Chiang, Tito, Chalabi, bin Laden, Mubarak, and Mobutu – a veritable who’s who of tzaddiks (righteous) among the nations!
Millions of American nurses, bus drivers, plumbers, and grocery baggers sleep more comfortably every night knowing that this money is being put to good use to murder and bribe people overseas. Some of it even comes back to the West in terms of bank accounts in Zurich and the Cayman Islands, luxury homes, weapon purchases, and investments in Goldman Sachs funds. What would these ordinary American taxpayers be doing with the money anyway?
Besides, many of our “allies” later turn on us, giving us excuse to invade their countries so we can “SUPPORT OUR TROOPS”. SUPPORT OUR TROOPS by creating enemies overseas!
Peeps are getting more educated every day on how the Federales have been giving them the Royal Screwing … on most issues on both sides of the politico isle !
If the Republicans don’t cut the few paltry dollars from the budget and those “70,000” children survive to grow up and be good anti American Marxists, I wonder what will happen in the not too distant future when the entire US federal budget crashes. We will have our hands full just feeding American children. I wonder if the third world will loan us a few bucks.