And that of course is the problem – the same old problem. The member nation providing the biggest single portion of the U.N. budget is the United States. Our country is expected to provide close to one-fourth of that $5.2 billion. And we’re expected to do it promptly, without questioning how our money will be used. Without questioning why we are expected to pay such an unfairly disproportionate part of the bill.
There is no Senator Helms in our Senate anymore. There is no leader in our government who is willing to square off with those who profit from our work and say, “we are not going to fund your foolishness.” Without a Helmsian willingness to back words with actions, we have been reduced to politely joining forces with the nation of Japan. Along with Japan, the U.N.’s second largest funder, we will have to request that Ki-Moon’s office consider restructuring the budget with priorities noted and indicate where their budget might be cut in order to fund those priorities. We should not be surprised when our request is ignored.
In his memoir Here’s Where I Stand, Senator Helms wrote, “It would be wonderful if I could point with pride to permanent changes under way at the United Nations because of our efforts, but that is not the reality. I am convinced that there will never be real change at the United Nations without our constant watchfulness.” Sadly, in this instance like so many others, Senator Helms was exactly correct.
The only thing that he didn’t predict was how much bigger the bureaucracy will have to grow before we’re willing to stop feeding it.