[Rhodes22-list] Fw: Fw: TAXES !

[Bill Effros]

Lloyd,

Thanks for the disclaimer.  As I think you know, my real point is only that we all think a little about what we are sending out, and spend a little time trying to find out if information presented and forwarded as "factual" is "true" as that term is commonly understood.  Then we can meaningfully discuss how we interpret the facts.

This piece is harder to fact check--I can't do it from memory.  Some of it looks right.  

The point, as I understand it, is that we should save taxpayer money by cutting out all foreign aid and UN support because the recipients of our aid vote against us most of the time.

The problem with the piece is that the largest single aid recipient is Israel which receives almost 1/2 the total--over $6 billion a year.  They, of course, vote with us almost all the time.  There are many anti-Israel groups campaigning for totally stopping foreign aid because Israel has more to lose than anyone else.

Columbia also receives a lot of aid from us--probably more than any other nation on the list below, with the exception of Egypt.  Columbia votes with us most of the time.  I can't find Egypt's voting record, but I would be surprised to find they voted against us 79% of the time.

Meanwhile, there are benefits from having all the diplomats in NYC where we can easily keep track of what they are doing and saying.

Also there are benefits from being able to yank aid from nations that displease us and have become dependent on our aid.  We did this to Yemen recently.  That snapped everyone else into shape, and resulted in the 15-0 Security Council vote in our favor in November--a victory widely reported to have been based on our threats to yank aid from any country that voted against us.

So it's kind of a mixed bag.  Does the writer of the piece want to yank Israel's aid?  Egypt's aid was a payoff for recognizing Israel.  Colombia's aid is a payoff for fighting drugs in Colombia instead of waiting for them to get here.  And so it goes.  Making all these countries dependent on us has its advantages.  Is it worth it?  You tell me.

Bill Effros 

----- Original Message ----- 
From: lcrowther 
To: New Rhodes22 List 
Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2003 10:50 PM
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Fw: Fw: TAXES !


If this source is as screwed up as Grandpa's memory was, I  apologize!

Lloyd


>    The United States gives out $13.3 billion tax dollars  in direct
Foreign
>    Aid annually. The United States is above and beyond  the single most
>    generous benefactor of the United Nations, donating  $2.4 billion
>    dollars of YOUR money, to primarily third-world dictators.
>
>      This amount is 25% of the United Nations budget. In  addition, the
> United States also gives another $1.4 billion tax dollars to United
Nations'
>    programs and agencies. The American taxpayers fund  more for the United
>    Nations than ALL of the other 177 member nations  COMBINED.
>
>      What most Americans do not realize is that the vast  majority of the
>    recipients of the of US Foreign Aid routinely vote  against the wishes
> of the United States in the United Nations at an average  rate of 74%. In
>    other words, of the $13.3 billion tax dollars invested  in direct
> Foreign
>    Aid only about 26% or $3.5 billion went to support  people who endorsed
>    American  initiatives or causes. A staggering $9.8 billion tax  dollars
>    went to  causes and people who were and are in open and direct
> opposition to the  United States' interests and objectives.
>
>      Listed below are the actual voting records of various  Arabic/Islamic
>    States which are recorded in both the US State  Department and United
>    Nations' records:
>
>      Kuwait votes against the United States 67% of the  time.
>      Qatar votes against the United States 67% of the time.
>      Morocco votes against the United States 70% of the  time.
>      United Arab Emirates votes against the U. S. 70% of  the time.
>      Jordan votes against the United States 71% of the  time.
>      Tunisia votes against the United States 71% of the  time.
>      Saudi Arabia votes against the United States 73% of  the time.
>      Yemen votes against the United States 74% of the time.
>      Algeria votes against the United States 74% of the  time.
>      Oman votes against the United States 74% of the time.
>      Sudan votes against the United States 75% of the time.
>      Pakistan votes against the United States 75% of the  time.
>      Libya votes against the United States 76% of the time.
>      Egypt votes against the United States 79% of the time.
>      Lebanon votes against the United States 80% of the  time.
>      India votes against the United States 81% of the time.
>      Syria votes against the United States 84% of the time.
>      Mauritania votes against the United States 87% of the  time.
>
>      US Foreign Aid to those that hate us:
>
>      Egypt, for example, after voting 79% of the time  against the United
>    States, still receives $2 billion annually in US  Foreign Aid.
>
>      Jordan votes 71% against the United States and  receives $192,814,000
>    annually in US Foreign Aid.
>
>      Pakistan votes 75% against the United States receives  $6,721,000
>    annually  in US Foreign Aid.
>
>      India votes 81% against the United States receives  $143,699,000
> annually in US Foreign Aid.
>
>    Perhaps it is time to get out of the UN and give the tax savings back
to
>    the American workers who are having to skimp and
>    sacrifice to pay the taxes.
>
>



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