"America Sends $200 Billion Abroad Every Year: the Case Against Foreign Aid"
FR: Never Accept the Premise of Your Opponent’s Argument
Unsurprisingly, the history of US Foreign Aid evidently began after the 17th Amendment was ratified, corrections, insights welcome.
US Foreign Aid HistoryRegardless of the constitutional power of the feds to make treaties, and regardless that there are times when foreign aid is arguably a good idea, it remains that the states have never expressly constitutionally delegated to the feds the specific power to tax and spend for foreign aid purposes. This is evidenced by the following clarification of the limits of the General Welfare Clause by Justice Joseph Story.
”If the tax be not proposed for the common defence, or general welfare, but for other objects, wholly extraneous, (as for instance, for propagating Mahometanism among the Turks, or giving aids and subsidies to a foreign nation, to build palaces for its kings, or erect monuments to its heroes,) it would be wholly indefensible upon constitutional principles [emphases added].” —Justice Joseph Story, Commentaries on the Constitution 2
"From the accepted doctrine that the United States is a government of delegated powers, it follows that those not expressly granted, or reasonably to be implied from such as are conferred, are reserved to the states, or to the people. To forestall any suggestion to the contrary, the Tenth Amendment was adopted. The same proposition, otherwise stated, is that powers not granted are prohibited [emphasis added].” —United States v. Butler, 1936.
As mentioned in related threads, all roads of corruption in both federal and state governments lead to Congress imo, but ultimately to the ill-conceived 17th Amendment.
"Article IV, Section 4: The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government [emphasis added], and shall protect each of them against Invasion; and on Application of the Legislature, or of the Executive (when the Legislature cannot be convened) against domestic Violence."
We need to repeal 16th and 17th Amendments.
Why Colombia?
WIKI REFERENCE---In 2000, the Clinton administration committed $1.3 billion in foreign aid to the corrupt country of Colombia...... and up to five hundred military personnel to train local forces. An additional three hundred civilian personnel were allowed to assist in the eradication of coca.
The Clinton deal was an addition to $330 million of previously approved US aid to Colombia. $818 million was earmarked for 2000, with $256 million for 2001.
The Clinton-era appropriations for his Colombia Plan made Colombia the third largest recipient of foreign aid from the United States at the time.
--SNIP--
As of 2008, the U.S. has provided nearly $1.3 billion to Colombia through Clinton Plan Colombia nonmilitary aid programs:
<><> Alternative Development (2000-2008 cost: $500 million)
<><> Internally Displaced Persons (2000-2008 cost: $247 million)
<><> Demobilization and Reintegration (2000-2008 cost: $44 million)
<><> Democracy and Human Rights (2000-2008 cost: $158 million)
<><> Promote the Rule of Law (2000-2008 cost: $238 million)
LONG READ--REST AT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plan_Colombia
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