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> Why should we send $240 million to Zambia? Is it the United States taxpayers' responsibility to treat all of the developing world's problems? If you see some
by bildung 1y ago
> Why should we send $240 million to Zambia? Is it the United States taxpayers' responsibility to treat all of the developing world's problems?
If you see someone drowning in the river, and you stand by and are a good swimmer, is it not your responsibility to help?
> There will be no aid to Zambia or any other country if we default on that debt.
US Foreign Aid was a trivial amount of money buying much soft power around the globe. China for comparison has almost double the foreign aid amount the US had, relative to GNI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_development_aid_sovereign_state_donors https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_development_aid_sovere...
- hsuduebc2 1y agoI’m struck by how some still seem unable to grasp the power of soft influence. Africa now has even fewer incentives to side with anyone but China. America’s strength has long rested on its deep alliances and its knack for creating prosperity abroad—but that advantage is eroding fast.
- mlrtime 1y agoAre you struck at the possibility of a inner-city family on welfare, or poor rural areas thinking that the US should be spending fungible dollars on them and not someone half way across the world?
- davidw 1y agoIs the current administration planning on increasing aid to those people? It seems like they actually plan on cutting it, so I don't think your argument has any weight.
- mlrtime 1y agoThey do by lowering taxes. This money can be used to keep local communities funded. We will probably never be in agreement with government having more money to inefficiently distribute vs keeping it in the pockets of the earners. Sorry.
- hsuduebc2 1y agoWell they are not doing that they actually planned to cut local welfare even more. So you make your poorer people poorer and lost influence over the world. I'm honestly struck with that. Politicians which are drastically cutting foreign aid usually doesn't increase it locally because they do not agree with the whole concept.
- mlrtime 1y agoThey do by lowering taxes. This money can be used to keep local communities funded. We will probably never be in agreement with government having more money to inefficiently distribute vs keeping it in the pockets of the earners. Sorry.
- jsnider3 1y agoThe people who oppose foreign aid oppose aiding Americans also.
- mlrtime 1y agoThey do through lowering taxes.
- nosefurhairdo 1y agoHelp me understand how HIV treatment in Zambia makes Americans better off? What is the "soft power" that it buys? And if $240 million is trivial, they can just send it to me instead.