the necessity of foreign aid

[IGIT]

hi all,

(CNN)The icy winds of US President Donald Trump's promise to cut and in some cases freeze US overseas assistance are blowing through the corridors of humanitarian agencies around the world.

Trump outlined his first budget proposal Monday, hiking military spending by $54 billion and slashing roughly the same amount from non-defense programs.
Foreign aid, which accounts for roughly 1% of the federal budget, is expected to be high on the list of areas to cut.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/28/politics/trump-budget-foreign-aid/

contrast this sentiment with the following from former President GW Bush and his response to the idea that a dollar spent overseas is a dollar that isn't being spent on down and out Americans;

"Look, we can't solve every problem. And I would tell the person who's out of work, hopefully there's enough aid there to help you transition. But, you know, the idea of turning our back on a pandemic that would've wiped out an entire generation of people, I don't think is in the spirit of the United States."

he goes on and makes this observation, when speaking of the humanitarian resources that were sent to African nations;

"When you have an entire generation of people being wiped out and the free world turns its back, it provides a convenient opportunity for people to spread extremism," he said. He added, "I believe in this case that it's in our national security interests as well as in our moral interest to continue funding this program."

on what side of the line do you all fall? slash foreign aid, or maintain it?

- IGIT

 

[Boost6]

Is it not more moral for the fuckers to take care of their own and not ask for handouts from murica.

Slash them all, every single one.

 

[Seraldo Babalu]

Slash all foreign aid. We have no business sending Israel $3 billion while kicking 3200 EPA employees out of their jobs. If we truly want to 'make America great' we would look out for Americans and our infrastructure first, before even considering foreign aid. I still don't know how republicans can rationalize this, giving money to foreign governments at the expense of American employment. What lies must they tell themselves?

 

[Tamriel Terror]

Outside of charity work by companies, cut foreign aid especially where we don't need to stick our noses.

Also giving someone free shit can backfire and make them just as unproductive as before and dependent on you. (Example: welfare)

Cut back and become more isolationists and focus on OUR infrastructure and OUR citizens.

 

[Rational Poster]

Slash all foreign aid. We have no business sending Israel $3 billion while kicking 3200 EPA employees out of their jobs. If we truly want to 'make America great' we would look out for Americans and our infrastructure first, before even considering foreign aid. I still don't know how republicans can rationalize this, giving money to foreign governments at the expense of American employment. What lies must they tell themselves?

Don't worry, the only ones keeping their money will be Israel.

You can bet on it.

If anything they'll get more.

 

[IGIT]

Is it not more moral for the fuckers to take care of their own and not ask for handouts from murica.

Slash them all, every single one.

hiya Boost6,

i have no idea what makes the suffering folks in 3rd world nations "fuckers", but i'm glad you responded.

thanks!

i'm curious to see if;

a) Mr. Trump has some kind of epiphany, like he's had on China, NATO, Russia, Janet Yellen, etc, or if he holds to his stated course.

b) if the GOP in congress him back on the initiative to slash foreign aid.

- IGIT

 

[IGIT]

I still don't know how republicans can rationalize this...

hiya Seraldo,

the answer to that question is in the OP. former President Bush speaks specifically to you're asking.

- IGIT

 

[touchedbyjab]

Stop sending money overseas when there are homeless Americans here. Africa has a huge population that's only getting bigger. We can't artificially sustain it's population forever and neither can they - something has to give. It's better that we cut the cord now than in 10 years when there's millions more that will suffer. Nature has to take it's course sometime...

 

[IGIT]

Stop sending money overseas when there are homeless Americans here. Africa has a huge population that's only getting bigger. We can't artificially sustain it's population forever and neither can they - something has to give. It's better that we cut the cord now than in 10 years when there's millions more that will suffer. Nature has to take it's course sometime...

hello touchedbyjab,

so....let them starve to death or be eradicated by AIDS?

that doesn't sound very pro-life, whatever else one might say.

what about the words of President Reagan on this topic?

“You know the excuses: We can’t afford foreign aid anymore, or we’re wasting money pouring it into these poor countries, or we can’t buy friends—other countries just take the money and dislike us for giving it.

Well, all these excuses are just that, excuses—and they’re dead
wrong.”

- President Ronald Reagan

i'm not really disagreeing with all of you, i'm still thinking about it myself. i'm just noting that your sentiments run contrary to conservative orthodoxy as we've known it for the last half century or so.

- IGIT

 

[7437]

hello touchedbyjab,

so....let them starve to death or be eradicated by AIDS?

that doesn't sound very pro-life, whatever else one might say.

what about the words of President Reagan on this topic?

- President Ronald Reagan

i'm not really disagreeing with all of you, i'm still thinking about it myself. i'm just noting that your sentiments run contrary to conservative orthodoxy as we've known it for the last half century or so.

- IGIT

there is nothing conservatives more than making excuses for their behavior, so this is still fine to slash

 

[xcvbn]

Can't save every starving or aids infested infant, but nice bait TS. However, you will definitely get a few Republican blowhards who will get riled up and say a bunch of stupid shit about Democrats, and conversely, you'll get a bunch of Democrat blowhards, like yourself, all riled up and say stupid shit about Republicans. It's the perpetual partisan hack shit-wheel so many in The War Room love to play.

As to the OP: cut aid to places like Israel(where fraud is rampant and it's only sent to make Israel better at killing people), keep aid in places like Ethiopia(where fraud is lower and the amount of aid is low and well resourced)

 

[uppercutbus]

Cut all aid to Isreal, also Somalia and those places with unsustainable populations reliant on aid. Just kicking the can down the road.

 

[IGIT]

hi and nice to meet you, Mr. Bigglesworth,

Can't save every starving or aids infested infant, but nice bait TS.

bait?

i'm merely quoting President GW Bush, and i buttressed that quote with another from President Reagan.

how am i baiting anyone?

as President Jimmy Carter said to Mr. Bush, regarding his initiatives in Africa; "Mr. President, let me say that I'm filled with admiration for you and deep gratitude for you about the great contributions you've made to the most needy people on Earth."

do you feel baited by the Presidents of the United States? if so, how?

As to the OP: cut aid to places like Israel(where fraud is rampant and it's only sent to make Israel better at killing people), keep aid in places like Ethiopia(where fraud is lower and the amount of aid is low and well resourced)

a few things here.

first, i'll believe that foreign aid will be to Israel will be cut when i see it. former President Obama has been painted as the arch enemy of Israel, but a quick check of the US taxpayer dollars that flowed Bibi's nation doesn't reflect that sentiment.

secondly, most of the foreign aid doesn't go to "places like Ethiopia", lol. they go to nations we attack and leave in ruins.

here's a breakdown of where the dollars are going;

blue is Iraq.

red is Afghanistan.

- IGIT

 

[IGIT]

Cut all aid to Isreal, also Somalia and those places with unsustainable populations reliant on aid. Just kicking the can down the road.

hi there uppercutbus,

alrighty. i'm pretty much in agreement on Israel (though our President is not) - as to the rest...

no pro-lifers in this thread, i guess.

- IGIT

 

[bobgeese]

I'm generally against it, however, places like Israel are very important to our interests.

That being said, we don't need to give them so much.

 

[IGIT]

I'm generally against it, however, places like Israel are very important to our interests.

That being said, we don't need to give them so much.

hi Bobby,

fair enough. we'll see if the money that courses to Israel abates a bit, though i wouldn't hold your breath on that one.

thanks for responding.

- IGIT

 

[xcvbn]

hi and nice to meet you, Mr. Bigglesworth,



bait?

i'm merely quoting President GW Bush, and i buttressed that quote with another from President Reagan.

how am i baiting anyone?

as President Jimmy Carter said to Mr. Bush, regarding his initiatives in Africa; "Mr. President, let me say that I'm filled with admiration for you and deep gratitude for you about the great contributions you've made to the most needy people on Earth."

do you feel baited by the Presidents of the United States? if so, how?



a few things here. first, i'll believe that foreign aid will be to Israel when i see it. former President Obama has been painted as the arch enemy of Israel, but a quick check of the US taxpayer dollars that flowed Bibi's nation doesn't reflect that sentiment.

secondly, most of the foreign aid doesn't go to "places like Ethiopia", lol. they go to nations we attack and leave in ruins.

here's a breakdown of where the dollars are going;

blue is Iraq.

red is Afghanistan.

- IGIT

1. You do this thing called playing dumb and it really makes you....well, look dumb
2. Israel-Obama? What the hell are you on about?
3. Ethiopa(and countries like it) taking up so little aid is the point

 

[GhostZ06]

Stop sending money overseas when there are homeless Americans here. Africa has a huge population that's only getting bigger. We can't artificially sustain it's population forever and neither can they - something has to give. It's better that we cut the cord now than in 10 years when there's millions more that will suffer. Nature has to take it's course sometime...

hes not using to boost instructor, hes boosting military spending because he's dumb

 

[IGIT]

hi again Mr. Bigglesworth,

1. You do this thing called playing dumb and it really makes you....well, look dumb

thanks?

2. Israel-Obama? What the hell are you on about?

well, for most of the last decade, Mr. Obama has been portrayed as an enemy of Israel. despite that reality, the US taxpayers sent a good deal of financial aid to the country.

so what i'm saying is, if this enemy of Israel kept the dollars flowing, what is the likelyhood that President Trump cuts them off?

3. Ethiopa(and countries like it) taking up so little aid is the point

what point is that? (edit) - sorry, i misunderstood your point on Ethiopia. i pretty much agree with you here.

- IGIT

 

[Jack V Savage]

Slash all foreign aid. We have no business sending Israel $3 billion while kicking 3200 EPA employees out of their jobs. If we truly want to 'make America great' we would look out for Americans and our infrastructure first, before even considering foreign aid. I still don't know how republicans can rationalize this, giving money to foreign governments at the expense of American employment. What lies must they tell themselves?

It's not a partisan thing. Pretty much anyone with any knowledge of the issue supports some level of foreign aid, though it is the least-popular category of spending among regular people.