Short of what the Brits did for India (and Hong Kong), it is better to have the government do nothing.
Posted on 02/16/2008 1:33:48 PM PST by Virginia Ridgerunner
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania - President Bush is betting Congress will hear him better from the heart of Africa than it does from down the street in Washington.
Foreign aid programs that Bush sees as crowning achievements — and which he holds dear — are having their spending levels questioned on Capitol Hill. By visiting Africa for six days to showcase their results, Bush aims to change that in the short term and secure the programs' future beyond his presidency.
His first stop Saturday was Benin, a tiny sliver on West Africa's coast. Hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars are helping to pay for an aggressive anti-malaria campaign, the training of tens of thousands of teachers and reforms to Benin's judiciary, port and financial systems.
"My trip here is a way to remind future presidents and future Congresses that it is in the national interest and in the moral interests of the United States of America to help people," Bush said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
And Bush has the temerity to call himself a Conservative?
Jeez!!!!!!!!
Africa has sucked billions in the world economy and provided nothing. Our congress demands we leave Iraq and let them handle it locally yet continues in Africa.
But, he probably is spending this to counter China in the future, instead of building infrastructure and such like China, Pres. Bush is try to win them over with aid.
How backwards.
JUST KIDDING! What we'll get is something like the UN's former Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, Stephen Lewis, spitting on our outstretched hand for our miserliness.
“Does this picture make any sense to anyone?”
Apparently it does to Bush. Big surprise, eh?
Nothing to see here, let’s all move along to the latest “Pray for President Bush” thread...
Africa, from Tripoli to Capetown, has proved itself to be worthless financially, academically, scientifically, culturally, spiritually, and in every other way when compared to social contributions from other large land masses. Seems like the Africans and the Arabs, not Persians, are in a race to see who can suck the most. Africa’s problems are many and somewhat complicated. But not that complicated. It’s not lack of resources or aid; it’s lack of motivation, corruption, tribalism, brutal brutality, and endemic racism that dooms that sorry continent. Africa is a beautiful cesspool. It is beautiful because of God’s gifts; it is a cesspool because of its inhabitants. Of course, I am speaking generally. I’m sure there are many fine folks in Africa. Never been there; never want to go there.
The President can ask his Saudi friends to front the cash.
We’ve been doing it for 63 years.
Besides, they have all the money now, along with China.
It’s called “alms for the poor” in Muzzie-speak.
WTH? i guess the nut doesn’t fall far from the tree.
President Bush is delusional! Why are we spending money when we ourselves are knee deep in dept? It is too easy for the Congress to spend other people's money. That is OUR money that they are literally throwing away! There is no accountability, no criteria for results, no one to measure or take appropriate action to keep the "investment" on target, no positive feedback from the recipients, etc. Are we nuts or what?
Short of what the Brits did for India (and Hong Kong), it is better to have the government do nothing.
“..it is a cesspool because of its inhabitants.”
That’s why we invite them to emigrate to our country so that we too can become a cesspool. Don’t worry, your grandkids won’t see the difference between the continents and will think that the whole world is a cesspool because, by that time, liberalism will have triumphed. Koom-bah-yah!
I’ve never understood how he can run around the Third World handing out great gobs of cash and resources, with no approval of congress. Does he have a multi-billion dollar slush-fund to spend, or is there nobody to tell him “NO!”? Tell them you weren’t authorized to give them that big gift, George. Sorry.”
Stop spending my money you drunken pirate!
I have been around conservatives all my life (a lengthy one at that), and if you ask me to define a conservative, one of the qualities I would give is that they are the most generous people I know.
And in extension, I would expect a conservative administration to be more generous than others. But, the difference with our administrations is that our giving is responsive to real needs, and comes with measured goals and oversight.
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