WSJ: Who's Stingy? Ask Bono about America's generosity.

Wall Street Journal ^ | July 6, 2005 | Editorial

[OESY]

...Mr. Bush said the U.S. would "absolutely" drop its system of farm subsidies if the European Union eliminated its $40 billion a year Common Agricultural Policy. Now, that's a radical idea. It certainly trumps the calls by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and others to double official development aid to sub-Saharan Africa or to forgive more debt. Getting rid of U.S. and EU farm subsidies -- and the protectionism they entail -- would do far more to address what liberals like to call a "root cause" of poverty.

Too many African exports, particularly farm commodities, are kept out of Western markets by tariffs, import quotas and price supports for domestic producers. Open those markets and encourage better African governance and, as history has proven over and over, you'll unlock the door for poor nations to generate wealth and free themselves from dependence on handouts....

[As] rockers Bono and Bob Geldof have acknowledged, the U.S. has hardly been stingy. Mr. Geldof told Time magazine..., "Actually, today I had to defend the Bush Administration in France again. They refuse to accept, because of their political ideology, that he has actually done more than any American president for Africa. But it's empirically so."

Last year U.S. bilateral aid to Africa was $3.2 billion compared with $1.1 billion in the final year of the Clinton Administration.... Mr. Bush committed another $674 million in humanitarian aid to the region, which exceeds the entire U.S. budget for sub-Saharan aid in 1997. Amid such facts, it takes nerve for such former Clinton officials as Susan Rice to lecture Americans as ungenerous....

"I think he's done an incredible job, his Administration, on AIDS. And 250,000 Africans are on anti-viral drugs. They literally owe their lives to America," Bono said on NBC's "Meet the Press" a week ago Sunday....

[ko_kyi]

Mr. Geldof told Time magazine..., "Actually, today I had to defend the Bush Administration in France again. They refuse to accept, because of their political ideology, that he has actually done more than any American president for Africa. But it's empirically so."

I bet that was like passing a kidney stone.

[tom paine 2]

This increased aid will be sand down a rat hole until they get rid of corrupt leaders like Mugabe

[nuke rocketeer]

It's not just corrupt leaders, its a corrupt culture. Until African nations undergo a major cultural change, they will NEVER have good government. If you say it cannot be done, just look at how the Japanese changed after Commodore Perry's visit.

[agere_contra]

...And 250,000 Africans are on anti-viral drugs

Like that's a good thing. Which virus would this be again? Specifically, who isolated it, when and where?

[McGavin999]

They've finally figured it out. The way to get America to donate, happily, is to acknowledge that we are doing things.

The constant berating of the US has turned us off and we're far more likely to walk away if we continue to be bashed. Being charitable is our nature, but ingratitude will just turn that generousity elsewhere.

[DCPatriot]

I bet that was like passing a kidney stone.

LOL! Either that or the CIA has incriminating photographs of him with a sheep.

[Mi-kha-el]

That's why Bush made it a targeted aid to help those governments who want to help themselves, like Zambia, e.g.

[Mister Da]

And again after General Douglas MacArthur's "visit".

[massgopguy]

"They owe their lives to America". That club is getting bigger, Bob and Bono.

[SoftballMominVA]

You owe me a new keyboard for that comment! ROFL

[nuke rocketeer]

Agreed, but that change was forced upon them. The changes after Commodore Perry were voluntary (for most).

[monday]

"If you say it cannot be done, just look at how the Japanese changed after Commodore Perry's visit."

lol, Japanese culture has always been superior to African culture economically. Commodore Perry had little to do with it.

[SaveTheChief]

Mr. Geldof told Time magazine..., "Actually, today I had to defend the Bush Administration in France again. They refuse to accept, because of their political ideology, that he has actually done more than any American president for Africa. But it's empirically so."

Maybe there is something I can respect about Bob Geldof and Bono after all.

Sadly, this bit of truth won't be widely reported by the mass media.

[Ditto]

If you say it cannot be done, just look at how the Japanese changed after Commodore Perry's visit.

I don't think Commodore Perry changed their "culture". He just convinced them it was in their best interests to adopt Western technology. Their culture remained completely feudal including a God-emperior.

Now General MacArthur's "visit" 90 years later changed Japanese culture.