the private message was so that i know someone has replied, that way i can get back with answers sooner.
I am not saying that we should not know about the other countries. but to many think that what works here will work anywhere and what works out there will work here. to many do not think about the variables in life and life styles. We have so many problems in this country and yet we still sending out $$$$$ alot of money to the rest of the world, trying to help there poor and desperate when we have our own.
Well, when Russia established a non-progressive flat tax, their economy boomed, after the prior very progressive tax, caused their economy to nearly stagnate.
When Mugabe established a massive "wealth redistribution" campaign, his economy tanked.
When Germany started printing money to pay off it's national debt, their inflation rate went through the roof.
When Mexico nationalized it's oil industry, the oil production dropped, and it's government is sinking in debt.
So why would we assume that a progressive tax, a wealth redistribution campaign, and printing money to pay for bailouts and stimulus bills, and nationalizing the banking system, would be beneficial?
Now, as to sending money to the rest of the world, I actually agree with you there. I have this basic analogy. If you are a father of two kids and a wife, and you are flat broke, and barely have enough money for food and clothes, is not giving $100 to a homeless guy a violation of your duties to your family? Of course the answer is yes.
So when the government is $11 Trillion dollars broke, should they be handing out money to other parts of the world? Of course not.
Another massive reason we shouldn't be giving out financial aid, is because it doesn't work. We give out these loans, then a few years later, forgive the debt, then since they have a good credit rating, give out more loans, and then a few years later forgive the debt... and the cycle continues.
Meanwhile, nothing improves. Many people seem to forget Clinton's learning experience with this. Remember
Black Hawk Down, in the
Battle of Mugadishu?
Does anyone remember why that happened? We didn't go there because the "war lord" was starving the people as they claim. The starvation of the people was a side effect of his actions. We had sent millions of dollars in food to Mugadishu, and Mohamed Farrah Aidid was confiscating the food, and trading it for arms and weapons to other countries.
This is what typically happens with foreign aid. The people in power, collect the money to prop up their own government, while the people oppressed by their government, remain unhelped.
Now that said, the foreign aid yearly budget is actually only $13 Billion dollars. That's total for all countries, and both military and non-military aid.
To put that in perspective the Stimulus package included...
$2 Billion for the FutureGen Power plant that's already spent $1.5 Billion (and is highly inefficient).
$6 Billion for "green" federal buildings. (a money loser no matter which way you look at it)
$1.2 Billion for "summer youth activities". (now that will get the economy going)
$0.8 Billion for Amtrak. (that will lose money the moment it opens)
$3 Billion for the Census. (a real economic stimulator there)
$1.4 Billion for rural waste disposal. (all that waste all over the place in rural areas... yeah)
That's $16 Billion, in pork and earmarks, in one single bill. And that's the short list. There's nearly 3 dozen more earmarks and pork added to the bill, but this is enough to serve my purpose.
Now, let me assure you, I'm hot to trot on cutting government spending. I'll be the first in line to cut funding for something, whatever it might be. But let's try and keep the focus on saving the ten grand, before we save the ten cents. The feds are tossing around trillions of dollars, that they will never have to pay back, be we will.
