Why does it matter? AIDS is a terrible problem, bad here but much, much worse in places like Africa. We're an absurdly rich country, why shouldn't we do what we can to help?
"We're an absurdly rich country, why shouldn't we do what we can to help?"
I would agree that it would be nice for those private citizens who wish to contribute some of their resources to help the AIDS epidemic. They are free to write a check to whatever organization they choose. However, I would not want my tax money used for that purpose; that would essentially be an involuntary redistribution of my resources by the government, otherwise known as socialism.
I would like to reserve the right to make my own decisions on how much I donate to charity, and to which charities I donate. The US government taking my money to donate to people I don't even know is not charity; it is robbery.
If you want to waste your own damn money, go right ahead. But don't throw $15 billion of our tax dollars on African AIDS.
By the way, Nigeria is also an "absurdly rich country". But you don't see them chipping in one thin dime for their "African brothers".
WE don't HAVE to do ANYTHING.
Aids is a self resolving issue.
We know what causes it and how it spreads.
Choose to engage in risky behavior, get sick and die, end of problem!