As the American economy continues to struggle through a mortgage crisis,
credit crisis and job losses, part of the immense worldwide phenomenon,
it would be wise for our elected representatives to consider reducing
the amount of taxpayer money they spend annually. One area where
substantial cuts could be made is in foreign aid. The United States
spends more money on foreign aid than any other nation in the world.
Some of this is beneficial in both a humanitarian and a strategic sense.
Some, however, should be eliminated.
President George W. Bush's Fiscal Year 2009 Foreign Operations Budget
for the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) and other foreign affairs agencies totals $26.1
billion. The requested amount is an 8.9% increase over the total Fiscal
Year 2008 (October 1, 2007-September 30, 2008) amount enacted to date,
including emergency funding. In addition, the United States contributes
well over $3 billion to the United Nations, an organization which in
turn welcomes our enemies to speak against us. The U.S. State
Department notes that the United States is a generous supporter - in
many cases the largest supporter-of key U.N. programs. In 2004, the U.S.
contributed 48% of the budget of the World Food Program to help feed 104
million people in 81 countries; 17% of the budget of the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) to feed, vaccinate, educate and protect
children in 157 countries; and 31% of the budget of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees to safeguard the rights and well being of
19.2 million refugees in 116 countries. According to USAID, such large
amounts of money are needed to promote "responsible sovereignty, not
permanent dependency" among recipient nations.