Foreign Aid

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What do you think about your nation's government giving tax dollars in foreign aid?

Personally I think we should stop giving any. Not only can we not afford to right now, but we've been throwing money at Africa for decades and it hasn't gotten any better there.

DISCLAIMER: I am a capitalist, and am not arguing against it, only advocating for a raise in consciousness.

That is because of a fundamental misunderstanding that capitalist nations have: Money necessarily makes things work. Simply put, a helping hand is many, many times more useful and productive than printed paper placed in the hands of a leader that is almost certainly corrupt in the first place.

My position? Take the money we're giving to them and use that to fund massive expansions on operations like the Peace Corps.

My view is that our efforts are terrible. A more directed approach would work better if this is done at all. In any case, is the poll for government foreign aid, or personal? I think the former is more problematic than the latter for two reasons, the lack of consent, and the greater inability to be directed.

More money should be given, though that money should be actually used to something useful. We have so much, they have so little.

of course. if rich people dont donate to poor people, they're evil.

We also have to ask why the distinction "rich - poor" exists in the first place.

it's not about whether or not we (1st World countries) should do it, but how.

I think the way it's done now is just so uncontrolled, the money goes to fund the Swiss accounts of local tyrants and not to the people in need.

I recently read about how much money was spent on the salaries of UN workers in Kosovo, their luxurious hotel suites, their drivers and security, and how little was actually done there and how much corruption flourished because of the UN bureaucracy. it was an eye-opening read.

so yeah, if that's how it looks like then I say let's just forget about it. either let's have more control and personal responsibility for how the funds are spent, or let's just leave the poor countries to themselves and not do more harm by funding corruption.

also, I think food giveaways to Africa are very, very wrong. we should encourage people to get jobs and not to sit all day waiting for the UN food deliveries.

foreign aid is NOT the responsability of the civilian, to dig out pennies, and send to africa.

i get all mixed feeling ish when they come and ask me for pennies, mostly cus im BROKE most of the time, and i live in the richest country in the world, and they ask ME for money :S

i give pennies to beggars, i do. even those allegedly involved in organized crime, such as these romanian beggars. but i cannot feed sudan. i know my country could. if they just stopped all the bullshitting around, cut the debts, as if we need the money some crappy little african country sends to us western nations, my god

cut the debts, cut the BS, and stop the famines.
famines are easily stopped with the following: functioning irrigation, jobs, grocery stores - - - cash.

but here's the truth: none of us (western nations) can afford a healthy africa. its not "time" yet. sad, but true.

also, as banana-above says, the money currently given to aid, is precisely given to "aid" itself, that is running the organisation. noble enough, in a sense, but as long as it stops there, it doesnt really serve the ones in need, which is basically why they keep starving, and why these organsations need more money. being on your way to help the poor is a lucrative business.

The poll is about government foreign aid.

Not much for it. Government aid has traditionally been used terribly. People don't care about the actual actions taken with the money so much as the number and the sound, so there is no reason to suspect that the money will be used well. Not only that, but government aid is often a preferential moral decision that is better left to the populace. I mean, I do not want to just have politicians decide whom to like, and then waste money doing nothing for them.

I have been wondering about colonization being possibly the best or perhaps the only way to put an end to poverty in undeveloped countries (at least currently), from independency to becoming a new state of a developed nation, and living conditions getting better because of that.

I know, our government should stop pissing away tax dollars on silly pork barrel spending. Look at any bill and you will see how much our government throws down the drain.

Your post is a joke, right?

What do you think of foreign aid?

( ) MORE! WE NEED TO GIVE A LOT MORE!
( ) We should give a bit more.
( ) I think it's fine the way it is.
( ) We're giving too much. Cut it by a bit.
( ) We shouldn't be giving them any!
(·) Other

I believe that the U.S. should call in all its markers and demand that all countries that have received foreign aid from the U.S. in the last 60 years pay it all back, in either cash or real estate - maybe both!

Yes, we should also pay back all the countries that have lent us money.

I agree with a lot of the posts on here about HOW we give assistance to other countries.

1) Organize with other nations and prioritize resources and needs
2) Send food, clean water, soap, clothes, and basic medical
3) Demand social responsibility, that is birth control and proper usage of supplies given.
4) Demand accountability for each dollar spent
5) Allow private organizations to run the show when it is more cost effective
6) Crush corrupt governments that prevent aid to people for sustained power
7) Establish goals for helping those with assistance become self reliant

Screw giving away money... I say that as long as we are running at a deficit, we need every cent we have to help our own people... we don't have any extra money, and our country is sufferring... why should we pay to feed starving people in other countries when we have starving people right here at home?