Posted on 12/30/2004 2:56:11 PM PST by Alex Marko
I wonder if the world calculates american soldiers lives, US defense spending, technology sharing into the equation of bettering the world?? Cause my by estimates...its the rest of the world that is stingy about world peace and health.
I would like to see the president say, "I personally give this much to help. How much do you want to give out of your own pocket." to the others in the UN.
Even the good Samaritan was thanked by the man who "fell by the wayside". Nobody should turn the other cheek to be spat on again. That having been said, all power to the real helpers that get out there and do it.
The US government gives 40% of all of the humanitarian aid given in world ~ get a grip!
That's not counting private donations.
"Thank you"
This is no time to bitch about who gives how much. It is a time for free countries to contribute to help those in need.
Hey, i'm just curious....How much international aid came from europe to the US for our hurricanes or earthquakes in the past 25 years? I do recall the US sending aid to italy and turkey for past earthquakes.
We are a so called "Superpower" - we take care of our own.
I agree.
It's not so much underappreciated as taken for granted.
The US has given so much to other countries over the years that the world now has its hand out, and thinks it's "entitled" to American aid.
The % of GNI argument is bogus... it assumes GNI is independent of economic policy and taxation. U.S. per capita productivity is 50% higher than the EU. this is due largely to 3 factors: technological innovation, lower unemployment and higher hours worked per employee. 1) technological innovation is expensive and the risk aversion of a tightly regulated economy does not lend itself well to rapidly implementing new technologies (thus the GROWING gap in productuvity growth of late between the US and the EU). 2) lower unemployment is complicated, but needless to say, socialist-leaning welfare states do not have high worker participation. 3) overly progressive taxation removes the incentive to build wealth, and thus the incentive to work long hours chasing that wealth. A handful of eurpoean countries are more productive than the US when measured on a per hour worked basis... only problem is, their system guarantees lower workforce participation and lower hours worked per participating worker. the end result is a LOWER GNI and less expendable income (such that nearly all foreign aid is through public channels). so... assuming the U.S. GNI were reduced by 1/3 to be in line with EU per capita economic productivity due to employing their socioeconomic policies, and holding our 'stingy' offerings steady would put the U.S. at .625%. not too bad. but wait a minute... the U.S. also takes in 3.5 immigrants per 1000 (per the CIA website)... a much higher rate than EU countries; there is no value associated with this in any of the estimates, but certainly should be considered as some form of 'foreign' aid. should it not? and then there are the personal remmittances abroad of those participating in the U.S. economy (approaching $30B per year about now, mostly to impoverished countries of south and central america) that are not included in these estimates. sounds like we have a pretty generous system in my opinion.
We've sent ours to the Salvation Army since the Red Cross seems to be the most publicized; but it appears from their website that the Salvation Army is really organized and already on the disaster scene with aid, too.
Hi anonymoussierra, I've been busy with Christmas and company and haven't responded to any pings lately.
Bush 'Undermining UN with Aid Coalition' By Jamie Lyons, PA Political Correspondent United States President George Bush was tonight accused of trying to undermine the United Nations by setting up a rival coalition to coordinate relief following the Asian tsunami disaster. The president has announced that the US, Japan, India and Australia would coordinate the world's response. But former International Development Secretary Clare Short said that role should be left to the UN. "I think this initiative from America to set up four countries claiming to coordinate sounds like yet another attempt to undermine the UN when it is the best system we have got and the one that needs building up," she said. "Only really the UN can do that job," she told BBC Radio Four's PM programme. "It is the only body that has the moral authority. But it can only do it well if it is backed up by the authority of the great powers." Ms Short said the coalition countries did not have good records on responding to international disasters. She said the US was "very bad at coordinating with anyone" and India had its own problems to deal with. "I don't know what that is about but it sounds very much, I am afraid, like the US trying to have a separate operation and not work with the rest of the world through the UN system," she added. |
Thank you Happy 2005 Year
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