"Alun" wrote in message
...
"Kim W5TIT" wrote in
:

"Dave Heil" wrote in message
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JJ wrote:

Kim W5TIT wrote:



You know what? I am not so sure that it would take all that much,
Jim. I am not even going to pretend to be a financier, but I
wonder how much of the Federal Budget, i.e. your and my tax
dollars, get spent away from our country. Then, how much foreign
debt is "forgiven" each year?

I would wager we could cut the foreigh aid we send to support those
little ****ant dictators in some of those ****ant countries and have
more than enough to provide good health care for every citizen.

Foreign aid goes a long way toward having those countries vote in the
U.N. in line with our policies.


Yeah, money always has been very easy to throw around, 'specially when
it's someone else's. There's other ways to win friends and influence
people--and ways that would mean a lot more and build better alliances
in the longrun.


Some of it puts military officers from
third world countries through *our* military academies. It gives
those officers a chance to live in the U.S. and see how our system
works.


Yeah, so they can go and influence a bunch of rebels in their or other
homelands and train enemies to the US. We don't need someone learning
"our" way of doing things...let them figure it out for themselves.


Some of the aid brings scholars to the U.S. to study.


So they can go back to their land, grow a company, and somehow through
many different ways, we end up losing jobs and capital over here.


If we build a
needed flood control dam in Sierra Leone, good will toward the United
States is generated.


Give them a very, very low interest loan with a good down payment and
let them build their own damned dam.



A decade or so back, Botswana actually weaned
itself from U.S. aid and thanked us.


'Sbout damned time...although I doubt they're as "weaned" as they
should be or are.


Why would paying for your doctor visits and your medications be the
government's responsibility?

Dave K8MN


Uh, because *we live* in this country? So, you disagree with programs
that improve our infrastructure that is pitiful, helps our kids and
elderly with healthcare and even education, begins an effort to ending
welfare for the capable, improves health conditions nationwide--and
more, while our government is off in other lands playing Godfather?!
Figures, Dave.

The people of this country who are being taxed to the hilt are paying
for the backbone of crap in this country and the rest of the world.
It's time the rest of the world and the nitwits in this country get
pushed out of the nest. But, of course that ain't happenin' any time
soon.

Kim W5TIT




FWIW I agree 100% with you, Kim. Paying for health care and mass transit
would be far more worthwhile than most of the things the government does
with tax revenue. Their priorities are completely backwards.


And, it's not unique to the US Gov't. The priorities of a gov't. are not
the priorities of its people; it is the people's priorities they defy.

Kim W5TIT