Jeffrey D. Sachs, in Time Magazine's special edition on the "End of Poverty":
"Since Sept. 11, 2001, the U.S. has launched a war on terrorism, but it has neglected the deeper causes of global instability. The nearly $500 billion that the U.S. will spend this year on the military will never buy lasting peace if the U.S. continues to spend only one-thirtieth of that, around $16 billion, to address the plight of the poorest of the poor, whose societies are destabilized by extreme poverty. The $16 billion represents 0.15% of U.S. income, just 15 cents on every $100 of our national income. The share devoted to helping the poor has declined for decades and is a tiny fraction of what the U.S. has repeatedly promised, and failed, to give."
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Lol, sweet, I got mentioned in your blog! Hello everyone, I am the nemesis. I am the fair and balanced voice to Caitlin's blog. First of all, I agree that we are not a perfect country. We are an imperfect country because we are led by imperfect leaders, elected by imperfect people. But! Well,here's some different I found in five minutes of researching on google:
"Many have criticized the US for cutting back on its promised obligations and responsibilities, and that furthermore, when it has provided aid, it has been tied to its own foreign policy objectives. Yet, many (Kasey says all) rich nations that provide aid can be criticized in a similar way."
"Of the $122.8 billion of foreign aid provided by Americans in 2005 (the most current data available), $95.5 billion, or 79 percent, came from private foundations, corporations, voluntary organizations, universities, religious organizations and individuals"----Props to the American people and props to the Private industry, and props to capitalism.
"U.S. foundations gave more -- in money, time, goods and expertise -- than 11 of the 22 developed-country governments each gave in 2005, and U.S. private voluntary organizations totaled more than the governments of Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany and France each."----Wow, again, way to go Americans. The private sector kicks the trash of the public sector once again.
But, in all honesty, will foreign aid really help developing countries? Sure it has helped a little, but look at how much money we have just poured into Africa. We have spent so much more money in Africa than in Europe or Japan after WWII. After going to Africa I don't think we're getting the bang from the buck (or something like that). Our government has given SO much to the rest of the world, yet American money isn't necessarily the answer to the world's problems. We are the financial backers of the UN, the World Bank, IMF, etc. We have given more money than any other country in the history world. And we currently give more money that any other country in the world.
America is the greatest nation ever. No other country has ever given as much as we do and ask for so little in return. When we liberated European countries, the only land we requested was land to bury our soldiers.
So I'm thinking the answer to improve the developing world is:
“Trade, not aid”
...and go Romney, lol.
Wow, I LOVE your new nemesis!!!
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