Do you think America actually gives money to poor people in other countries?
Americans are regularly told by politicians and the media, that America is the world's most generous nation. This is one of the most conventional pieces of 'knowledgeable ignorance'. According to the OECD, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the US gave between $6 and $15 billion in foreign aid in the period between 1995 and 1999. In absolute terms, Japan gives more than the US, between $9 and $15 billion in the same period. But the absolute figures are less significant than the proportion of gross domestic product (GDP, or national wealth) that a country devotes to foreign aid. On that league table, the US ranks twenty-second of the 22 most developed nations. As former President Jimmy Carter commented: 'We are the stingiest nation of all'. Denmark is top of the table, giving 1.01% of GDP, while the US manages just 0.1%. The United Nations has long established the target of 0.7% GDP for development assistance, although only four countries actually achieve this: Denmark, 1.01%; Norway, 0.91%; the Netherlands, 0.79%; Sweden, 0.7%. Apart from being the least generous nation, the US is highly selective in who receives its aid. Over 50% of its aid budget is spent on middle-income countries in the Middle East, with Israel being the recipient of the largest single share. The purpose of 99% of foreign "aid" is to create foreign markets for US products, especially arms sales. Foreign aid aids the giver (America), not the recipient. The leaders get the money, not the people. Giving money to the people is both not useful to the US as well as rather impossible. There are no people driving up to villages with cash and handing townspeople money making sure to distribute it evenly. They give it to the government and or the rebel leadership to allot. Richer nations receive the most aid. 1 third of all American aid goes to Israel and Egypt. After that it goes to places like Columbia, Pakistan, Jordan etc... not Rwanda or Burundi or Botswana. When looking at how it's allotted by the US, it's clear that strategic considerations, political alignment and drug policy are the biggest considerations while the poorest nations receive the least if any aid. The U.N. Voting Record doesn't even count, if you can't do anything for the US. Sweden spends the majority of it's aid on places like Sierra Leone, Gaza & the West Bank and Liberia and the rest of Africa. When will Americans come out of their government / media induced coma and realize the propaganda that is fed them? Of course America doesn't give money to poor people. They don't even give any to poor dying Americans, why would they give it to a Botswanian? http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articl… http://www.networkeurope.org/feature/swe… http://www.vexen.co.uk/USA/foreign_aid.h…
Politics - 30 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Keep furthering your political agenda on Yahoo! Answers. That way, everybody will take you seriously.
2 :
We dont give money we give food
3 :
hell no
4 :
No i dont, i think they give a fraction to other countries or nations, but really they horde a lot of it
5 :
Americans give PRIVATE aid you ninny. We don't rely on our government to give money to charity; that's an individual's decision. Private aid given by individual citizens in 2006 was in excess of 295 billion dollars, so go fucк yourself.
6 :
Yes. Wow, this is impressive. You really spent a lot of time and effort hating on Americans. Congrats.
7 :
yes we give cash b/c we're turning socialist. Tell me how this make sense: Each year, our debt increases by a bigger percentage each time, but yet we still give away free money. Go figure. Obama Logic!
8 :
Don't be silly. We give them weapons.
9 :
No, American CHARITIES are the most generous in the world. The government doesn't organize trips to Africa to give them mosquito nets.
10 :
No we just send them empty envelopes and then sit in the bushes and laugh when they open it. WTF do you think, of course we do!
11 :
i actully dont think they give to to other poor ppl in other countries. they hardly give the poor in our country!!!!! i think the poor may make a living because of american companies, but i dont think the us gives money to them. if they did, that would rly explain the recession.
12 :
i believe we give everything from money food and aide
13 :
here's a website for you http://www.usaid.gov i don't like em but they do exactly opposite of what your question implies
14 :
I'm sorry but you are incorrect. Sounds like you listen and read too much anti american propeganda. Just look at your local church. multiply that by the millions.
15 :
how about if we stop giving and see who starts starving first? Then we'll know for sure.
16 :
Dude, if we gave money, then the poor country would use the US dollars to buy Chinese goods. Why would we support that? I think it's fantastic that we provide support in terms of US made goods that support/bolster our economy. All other countries do the same. If you had a better understanding of economics, you'd get the picture of why this is done.
17 :
does it matter whether we give money or assistance ...we try to give a helping hand...it's also a good way to keep those country's on our side..scratch my back and i'll scratch yours
18 :
I believe that people are told by politicians and the media that the US is the most generous nation not only in the country, but in all nations except Denmark, Sweden and all those who are more generous than the US.
19 :
We ARE the most generous nation, because we give an enormous amount of wealth in PERSONAL contributions. People willingly give their money to people instead of have it taken in taxes. The first link I have provided shows you that we give more in charity in terms of GDP more than any other nation.
20 :
Ok, you are correct, the U.S. sends less money than it should for foreign aid. What contributes more are charities. but you know what is also part of the problem? the less developed countries are partly to blame. We send them aid and their leaders take all the money. The people don't even revolt, and when U.S. soldiers are deployed the people protest. We send them food, we send aid, maybe not enough but the ignorance of the people of the poor countries causes them not to use the resources they get wisely. If progress is to be made they need to also help themselves, because the developed nations can't do everything for them.
21 :
I hope not
22 :
Seriously, you must research what you espouse. The United States offers more to every other country who suffers more than any other nation in our world. I understand why you're confused unless you research. The United States of America supports Botswana with food and medicine as we support every American citizen and even give food and medical support to people who are here illegally. What more shall we do? How much more shall we give? Our citizens are suffering silently most times. What more can we do, I ask you.
23 :
Yes, those poor- rich Jews in Israel are eating caviar and drinking Perrier thanks to America's dime (s) every year. Yet they're showing their tails at the current American President. Don't they have a nerve! Pfffft !
24 :
Unbelievable... You forgot one little item: Americans PRIVATELY donate close to $300 BILLION (with a "B), which overwhelms ANY other country. Not to mention the additional volunteer time Americans donate which eclipses European efforts. "Q. Are Americans more or less charitable than citizens of other countries? A. No developed country approaches American giving. For example, in 1995 (the most recent year for which data are available), Americans gave, per capita, three and a half times as much to causes and charities as the French, seven times as much as the Germans, and 14 times as much as the Italians. Similarly, in 1998, Americans were 15 percent more likely to volunteer their time than the Dutch, 21 percent more likely than the Swiss, and 32 percent more likely than the Germans. These differences are not attributable to demographic characteristics such as education, income, age, sex, or marital status. On the contrary, if we look at two people who are identical in all these ways except that one is European and the other American, the probability is still far lower that the European will volunteer than the American." Of course much of this it to the poor IN OUR OWN COUNTRY, where (I always thought) charity begins... However, the Libs believe entities such as the U.N. should be dictating to us where and whom to donate to, instead of making the choices ourselves (not unlike our current administration, who knows how to spend our money better than we do ourselves...) This just gets better and better...
25 :
Nope but we donate at least twice the amount of food any other country sends. We pay 22%of the U.N. bill when we should have told them to piss off long ago.
26 :
I tried all links provided and all said : This page not available. You've been sabotaged! I've seen those numbers before. You're correct!
27 :
I was going to answer your question, but your comments already contain most of my arguments. The idea of the most generous country in the world is a fantasy that will live on forever in the minds of most americans. Your comments are well informed and correct. The other fantasy is the idea of a freedom loving and democratic country. South America has been devastated in the sixties, seventies and even eighties, by american supported dictatorships, resulting in executions and disappearance of thousands of people.(Chile, Argentina, Nicaragua, Guatemala,etc) The US Congress, especially Senate, is a corrupt millionaire club. The turn over rate in the US Senate has been confirmed to be less than in the old Soviet Politburo. Robert Byrd,a senator who fought against desegregation and is an old KKK member, almost 90 years old and mentally disabled, has no problems with re-election. Harry Reid is by far the largest land owner in Nevada. As I was told many years ago: You will only get get respect in this country if you have money.
28 :
America is the most generous country in the world, Commie twit. How much does YOUR country give, Eurotrash?
29 :
First, using Jimmy Carter to back you up makes you look as stupid and unhinged as that old fart is. Second, consider this: Americans (individuals) give far, far more money to charitable organizations, relief funds, etc than ANY OTHER PEOPLE IN THE WORLD. You think the French, or the Danes opened their wallets when the tsunami hit? Were THEY collecting millions and millions of dollars to help those people? No. We did. And no, we didn't make money off of it. Furthermore, it was the American Navy that sent ships and provided supplies, food, and medical care to those people. How many ships did Denmark send? Norway? Hmmm? Whenever there is a natural disaster or humanitarian crisis in the world, it's America and Americans who send most of the aid, not the Danes, not the Norwegians. As far as what the UN wants, who cares? It exists solely to drain the American pocketbook, while giving third world sh*tbags a forum to denounce us. Anyone who cares about the goals of the UN is an *sshole.
30 :
Let us assume for the sake of argument that everything you said is the gospel from on high. So! I don't know anyone personally who is in favor of giving foreign aid at all. I'm not saying there aren't any but I don't know them, maybe they just don't live around here. Your expecting us to get all emotional because the government doesn't give as much as you would like or to those you think should get it. That they confiscated (oh sorry taxed from us to start with). If we had anything to say about it the money would still be in our pockets. As for the UN. I have yet to figure out what we need them for. And I really don't care what they suggest or want. I think they should move their headquarters somewhere else. Siberia maybe. Oh well we all have our dreams.
