Overseas aid money, is it a waste?
- Thread starter ColinEssex
- Start date
Dick7Access
Dick S
- Local time
- Today, 10:43
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2009
- Messages
- 4,321
Yes, doesn't open?
Dick7Access
Dick S
- Local time
- Today, 10:43
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2009
- Messages
- 4,321
Jax old buddy. I don't see a web URL in the email. Any way to send the contents of the email?
Vassago
Former Staff Turned AWF Retiree
- Local time
- Today, 10:43
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2002
- Messages
- 4,748
I'm not sure without seeing the actual email. You can't just copy and paste the body? It probably isn't very legit if you received it via email anyway.
Always good to check urban legend pages like Snopes.
Always good to check urban legend pages like Snopes.
Dick7Access
Dick S
- Local time
- Today, 10:43
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2009
- Messages
- 4,321
I tried it and it came out a little gobbled, but maybe its understandable. I friend usually makes sure its legit before he sends me something. It certainly exemplifies what has been discuss on this thread. Let me try it again.
Please share this with everyone you can.
--
THINK BEFORE YOU DONATE
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE making CONTRIBUTIONS:
----------------------------
The American Red CrossPresident and CEO Marsha J. Evans'
salary for the year was $651,957 plus expenses
MARCH OF DIMESIt is called the March of Dimes because
only a dime for every 1 dollar is given to the needy.
The United WayPresident Brian Gallagher
receives a $375,000 base salary along with numerous expense benefits.
UNICEFCEO Caryl M. Stern receives
$1,200,000 per year (100k permonth) plus all expenses including a ROLLS ROYCE.
Less than 5 cents of your donated dollar goes to the cause.
GOODWILLCEO and owner Mark Curran profits $2.3 million a year.Goodwill is a very catchy name for his business.
You donate to his business and then he sells the items for PROFIT. He pays nothing for his products and pays his workers minimum wage! Nice Guy. $0.00 goes to help anyone!
Stop giving to this man.
Stop giving to this man.
Instead, give to ANY OF THE FOLLOWING
AND PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE IT WILL DO SOME GOOD:
The Salvation ArmyCommissioner, Todd Bassett receives a small salary of only
$13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 billion dollar organization.
96 percent of donated dollars go to the cause.
The American LegionNational Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary.
Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!
Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!
The Veterans of Foreign WarsNational Commander receives a$0.00 zero salary.
Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!
The Disabled American VeteransNational Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary.
Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!
Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!
The Military Order of Purple HeartsNational Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary. Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!
The Vietnam Veterans Association
National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary.
National Commander receives a $0.00 zero salary.
Your donations go to help Veterans and their families and youth!
Make a Wish:For children's last wishes.
100% goes to funding trips or special wishes for a dying child.
St. Jude Research Hospital
100% goes towards funding and helping Children with Cancer who have no insurance and can
not afford to pay.
not afford to pay.
Ronald McDonald Houses
All monies go to running the houses for parents who have critical Children in the hospital.
100% goes to housing, and feeding the families.
Lions Club International
100% OF DONATIONS GO TO HELP THE BLIND,BUY HEARING AIDES, SUPPORT MEDICAL MISSIONS AROUND THE WORLD. THEIR LATEST UNDERTAKING
IS MEASLES VACCINATIONS (ONLY $1.00 PER SHOT).
--
- Local time
- Today, 09:43
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2001
- Messages
- 30,330
Col, I must say that in the USA, there is a lot of low-level talk about this around office water coolers. We see or hear discussions on small-market local media all the time about throwing money at problems hoping they will go away.
This is the government solution to most problems. I cast no aspersions here - I will simply say that from your comments, I believe I can safely infer that you folks feel very much like we do on the subject of foreign aid - and if I may presume it, you probably believe that government's favorite ploy is to spend someone else's money until that runs out. You don't like it any more than we do, particularly when that money is draining through a hole in your wallet.
Personally, I think there is no solution to this problem that will satisfy everyone.
If we stop the handouts cold, the have-nots will see us as stingy, greedy, money-loving bastards and will try to take that money from us at every opportunity by theft or fraud. See, for example, the scams coming out of Nigeria. Look at the piracy schemes in the Indian Ocean. Or they will push like crazy from the outside to try to change our immigration policy or claim asylum. Sometime - anything - to work their way to our countries where they think the streets are lined with wealth. Except that when they get here, they get lost in the back streets of poverty yet again, with a few notable exceptions - but only a few.
If we continue the handouts but try to assure that the money goes where we think it belongs (with the poor people) then the greedy politicians will force their hands into the money stream. If not up front than indirectly somewhere further down the pipeline. As long as the petty bloodsuckers are in power, that's the way it will be.
If we take more stringent measures to assure the money goes where we think it should go, we are accused of meddling with their country's culture. They will then find a way to force us to get licenses or they'll find another elegant way to take the money and run anyway. OK, it's not much of a culture if all they care about is bribery, larceny, and skimming off the top (and middle and sides...) so we shouldn't care if we interfere, but somehow... we do care. (Stupid us?)
If we say, "OK, we'll cut off aid and close our borders" then they have enough clout in the UN to impose sanctions of some sort or another. Oh, heck, we'd survive, but it would make everything else tougher for all of us.
If we say, "No more money until you start attending to civil rights violations" they counter with the idea that their view and our view of civil rights are different. Never mind that we believe that rights are inherent in the individual. Those countries that give us the most trouble in such violations prove that civil rights aren't God-given. They are government-tolerated. See, for example, "V for Vendetta."
As long as there are people in power in third-world countries and those people see their positions as licenses to steal foreign aid, I don't see a solution that doesn't involve sniper rifles at long range. And that is ALSO a good way to get UN sanctions. Not a way that I would personally recommend. (Despite the UK viewpoint of the USA and our gun-happy culture, I am actually NOT suggesting that this is a good solution.)
Therefore my first solution is to abolish the UN. If you want to take apart the EU next, I don't have a dog in that fight but I wouldn't be surprised if it happened. Once the UN is gone, be prepared for the shooting wars that are GOING to happen if you do that. Be prepared to arm tourist boats or escort them. Be prepared to watch nations vanish when there is no more source of somebody else's money to spend. It should be a very interesting little shake-out. The chaos will disrupt a lot of markets and a lot of folks who made their living with international trade will suddenly go on the dole because there IS no international trade any more.
Or... we can just continue to appease the petty tyrants just enough to keep them from starting yet another riot. After all, it's only money we are talking about, right? What's a country to do?
Sorry if that came out as a rant, but it just started flowing.
This is the government solution to most problems. I cast no aspersions here - I will simply say that from your comments, I believe I can safely infer that you folks feel very much like we do on the subject of foreign aid - and if I may presume it, you probably believe that government's favorite ploy is to spend someone else's money until that runs out. You don't like it any more than we do, particularly when that money is draining through a hole in your wallet.
Personally, I think there is no solution to this problem that will satisfy everyone.
If we stop the handouts cold, the have-nots will see us as stingy, greedy, money-loving bastards and will try to take that money from us at every opportunity by theft or fraud. See, for example, the scams coming out of Nigeria. Look at the piracy schemes in the Indian Ocean. Or they will push like crazy from the outside to try to change our immigration policy or claim asylum. Sometime - anything - to work their way to our countries where they think the streets are lined with wealth. Except that when they get here, they get lost in the back streets of poverty yet again, with a few notable exceptions - but only a few.
If we continue the handouts but try to assure that the money goes where we think it belongs (with the poor people) then the greedy politicians will force their hands into the money stream. If not up front than indirectly somewhere further down the pipeline. As long as the petty bloodsuckers are in power, that's the way it will be.
If we take more stringent measures to assure the money goes where we think it should go, we are accused of meddling with their country's culture. They will then find a way to force us to get licenses or they'll find another elegant way to take the money and run anyway. OK, it's not much of a culture if all they care about is bribery, larceny, and skimming off the top (and middle and sides...) so we shouldn't care if we interfere, but somehow... we do care. (Stupid us?)
If we say, "OK, we'll cut off aid and close our borders" then they have enough clout in the UN to impose sanctions of some sort or another. Oh, heck, we'd survive, but it would make everything else tougher for all of us.
If we say, "No more money until you start attending to civil rights violations" they counter with the idea that their view and our view of civil rights are different. Never mind that we believe that rights are inherent in the individual. Those countries that give us the most trouble in such violations prove that civil rights aren't God-given. They are government-tolerated. See, for example, "V for Vendetta."
As long as there are people in power in third-world countries and those people see their positions as licenses to steal foreign aid, I don't see a solution that doesn't involve sniper rifles at long range. And that is ALSO a good way to get UN sanctions. Not a way that I would personally recommend. (Despite the UK viewpoint of the USA and our gun-happy culture, I am actually NOT suggesting that this is a good solution.)
Therefore my first solution is to abolish the UN. If you want to take apart the EU next, I don't have a dog in that fight but I wouldn't be surprised if it happened. Once the UN is gone, be prepared for the shooting wars that are GOING to happen if you do that. Be prepared to arm tourist boats or escort them. Be prepared to watch nations vanish when there is no more source of somebody else's money to spend. It should be a very interesting little shake-out. The chaos will disrupt a lot of markets and a lot of folks who made their living with international trade will suddenly go on the dole because there IS no international trade any more.
Or... we can just continue to appease the petty tyrants just enough to keep them from starting yet another riot. After all, it's only money we are talking about, right? What's a country to do?
Sorry if that came out as a rant, but it just started flowing.
MarkK
bit cruncher
- Local time
- Today, 07:43
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2004
- Messages
- 8,472
Foreign aid is not altruistic. It buys influence and allegiance and in this respect provides enormous diplomatic benefits that would be far more costly to arrange using other means. If you don't (some combination of) fund them, train them, arm them, support them, some other agent will step into that vacuum and your global influence and power will be reduced.
I think the diplomatic calculation is that foreign aid is worth every dime. Look at how oil markets markets respond to global instability, and look at how the US economy responds to the price of oil. Markets like stability. America likes markets. American markets afford it the capability to buy friends. This is the pattern of the post-war, pax americana prosperity.
If there is a stick and a carrot, and if foreign aid is the carrot, foreign aid is way, way, way cheaper than the stick.
I think the diplomatic calculation is that foreign aid is worth every dime. Look at how oil markets markets respond to global instability, and look at how the US economy responds to the price of oil. Markets like stability. America likes markets. American markets afford it the capability to buy friends. This is the pattern of the post-war, pax americana prosperity.
If there is a stick and a carrot, and if foreign aid is the carrot, foreign aid is way, way, way cheaper than the stick.
Vassago
Former Staff Turned AWF Retiree
- Local time
- Today, 10:43
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2002
- Messages
- 4,748
I thought you were trying to post that "article."
http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/charities.asp
It's always important to take an anonymous email without references with a grain of salt.
RainLover
VIP From a land downunder
- Local time
- Tomorrow, 00:43
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
- Messages
- 5,041
I know little of the UA.
What is this £50million per DAY for. This is a surprise to me.
RainLover
VIP From a land downunder
- Local time
- Tomorrow, 00:43
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
- Messages
- 5,041
Charity should start at home, however if you are getting a return for your investment while helping the needy then do it. No return or no privileges then no money.
This is different to disasters like that tsunami. The Australian people, not the government, gave a Billion Dollars for that one. For some reason we are a generous mob.
Is buying products sold by companies made in other countries the same as aid? And wouldn't governments be better served by giving very cheap loans to native companies to help establish employment in the receiving country? Give a man a fish, feed him for a day, teach him to fish, feed him for a lifetime.
RainLover
VIP From a land downunder
- Local time
- Tomorrow, 00:43
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
- Messages
- 5,041
Fishing is no good. The Global Warming has killed most of them. We need to pay our Governments more for the Carbon Tax to cool these poor fish down.
RainLover
VIP From a land downunder
- Local time
- Tomorrow, 00:43
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2009
- Messages
- 5,041
Brianwarnock
Retired
- Local time
- Today, 15:43
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2003
- Messages
- 12,701
Vassago
Former Staff Turned AWF Retiree
- Local time
- Today, 10:43
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2002
- Messages
- 4,748
