U.S. Will Pay Increased UN Dues -- Despite All (Ari Fleischer confirms there is no rollback)

humaneventsonline ^ | 4/7/2003 | John Gizzi

[TLBSHOW]

U.S. Will Pay Increased UN Dues -- Despite All By John Gizzi

Despite the refusal of the United Nations Security Council to enforce its own resolutions calling for disarmament of Iraq, the administration is standing by the budget request it made in January to pay for a $90 million increase in the annual U.S. dues to the United Nations.

The budget proposal submitted to Congress by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requests an appropriation of $322 million for UN dues in Fiscal Year ’04. That’s up from the $232 million in ’03, according to the OMB. (The U.S. is assessed dues amounting to 22% of the overall UN budget each year.)

Asked on April 2, whether the administration had any plan to rollback the increase in UN dues, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, said, “Nothing that anyone’s brought to my attention.”

Some conservative lawmakers indicated they are also ready to pay the increased UN dues. A spokesman for Rep. Joseph Knollenberg (R.-Mich.), a member of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee (which has oversight over UN funding), said, “Mr. Knollenberg was certainly disappointed in the UN recently, but he is not willing to turn his back on it.” The spokesman said Knollenberg in all likelihood would support the increase.

Similarly, Rep. George Radanovich (R.-Calif.) told me, “The UN has shown how ineffective it is after passing 17 resolutions that were ignored by Iraq.

They’re [sic] League of Nations-like.” But he also signaled he would probably go along with the administration on this issue. “The President has to deal with the world community and the UN will have to have some kind of role in order to bring the rest of the world around [on a postwar Iraq],” he said.

Two other members voiced reservations about the UN’s role in post-war Iraq. “There are plenty of alternatives to the UN and we shouldn’t automatically assume the UN will be the end-all in Iraq after the war,” said House Majority Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.).

“The UN should need to prove it has a role,” echoed Rep. Jack Kingston (R.-Ga.), a Member of the House Appropriations Committee. “It was totally irrelevant leading up to the war, and contributed to the war in that respect. It ignored 17 of its own resolutions about Saddam Hussein and in twelve years never got serious about weapons inspections. It’s very much like them to come around to the battlefield when the soldiers are dead and then to claim victory. You won’t find leadership from the UN any more than you will find fairness or pro-American statements.”

[doodad]

AAAARRRRRGGGHHH!!!! Why do we do crap like this?

[Joe Brower]

THIS SUCKS.

[TLBSHOW]

Hard to believe but true, the UN is on the table even after all the BS we went through. There will be no getting America out of the UN that I see. Its just more of making the UN stronger. I can't believe it. What is the President thinking?

[dts32041]

Hey this is the NWO crowd.

Wimp II is leading the charge back to 1933.

France Germany and russia will get the largest contracts for rebuilding Iraq.

[B Knotts]

CRAZY.

I know the elite can't imagine a world without a U.N., but what good is it anymore? We should get out of the U.N., as a signal of its utter irrelevance.

Then, perhaps form a new treaty organization, to which membership is limited to civilized nations.

[PhiKapMom]

I am against giving the UN one red cent!

[c-b 1]

The inmates are running the asylum.

http://getusout.org/

[Gil4]

We ought to submit a receipt for the cost of the war as our payment.

[TLBSHOW]

requests an appropriation of $322 million for UN dues in Fiscal Year ’04. That’s up from the $232 million in ’03, according to the OMB.

over one hundred million more for a group that does nothing, its a disgrace of many disgraces we are getting from these UN promoters!

[Herodotus]

Remember guys..the intention is to make it OUR UN...to regain it for our purposes rather than leave it isolated out there.

[Leatherneck_MT]

Call your Senators. Tell them it's time to pull OUT of the Bolshevik UN and tell them to get their friggin building off of US soil or we'll drop it brick by brick into the East River.

Semper Fi


I have made 2 calls this morning.

[Fraulein]

Nice to see that this $100 million increase is supported by our so-called 'conservative' representatives. /sarcasm

[ampat]

Don't candy-coat your feelings, tell us what you really think.

[crz]

As long as the US taxpayers keep paying their taxes to the politicos who love to hand out our tax dollars, we all will continue to suffer these things happening.

Quit working for just two/three weeks and see what happens when there becomes a big gap in revenue as a result.

[Joe Brower]

[biblewonk]

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF***

[TLBSHOW]

Its getting to be a joke! I can't wait for the spin of why its such a great idea from the President can do no wrong crowd.

When the fact is, we are the worlds biggest suckers.

That money is wasted......BUT GOOD!

[Anamensis]

$322 million for UN dues ...

Oh. My. God.

[TLBSHOW]

think of it as the other part of the tax cut that got cut by our wonderful Senate!