How much unaccounted for money and weapons are we going to send to Ukraine? The list of some of the things we are funding for that nation reads like a list of funding usually given to democrat controlled cities in the U.S. We are funding their D.E.I. initiatives for goodness sakes!
[How much unaccounted for money and weapons are we going to send to Ukraine? The list of some of the things we are funding for that nation reads like a list of funding usually given to democrat controlled cities in the U.S. We are funding their D.E.I. initiatives for goodness sakes!]
Kamil Galeev, a young Russian analyst from Kazan, attributes this kind of accusation to envy, on both sides of the fence, and I think he’s got a point:
https://twitter.com/mcminn_bill/status/1607055839763877888
Like, ok, I understand that you’re poor, constantly stressed about money and necessity to pay the bills. I also understand that you’re envious about yachts and villas. That doesn’t mean that “they’re crooks” theory is all explaining. If they were, this war just wouldn’t start
“They’re just crooks” narrative is not successful, because it is so true. It is so successful, because people are obsessed with their unreflected envy and cannot distance from it. If this war is going on, it means they’re not *just* crooks. They’re something else, too
This goes far beyond Russian problem though. Much of the moral fervour induced narratives (Crooks! Corruption!) draw their strengths from the meanest human instincts. Hence their success. People are so incredibly envious, that their critical thinking just turn off at some point
Honestly I’m just tired of this constant moral fervour. If the missiles 1) take off 2) hit the target, it means “they are all about stealing” theory is false. Or rather used far beyond its limits of applicability. If the stuff works, plenty of managers steal little to nothing
I would even say that if the missiles take off, that suggests there are (not so few) administrators who are not only not crooks, but who are absolutely selfless. Who identify with their work 100% and are ready for personal self-sacrifice. That’s why stuff works
Russian capacity to raise cities to the ground is not based on “crookery” (how did you come up with this insanity?). It is based on hard work, integrity and personal self-sacrifice of not so few people. Proof? Cities razed to the ground]
Even the UK ran out of cash to finance its war against Germany, and only the Channel Islands were ever occupied by Germany. And this was the empire upon which the sun never set, possessor of vast holdings in Asia and Africa mostly untouched by Axis occupation.
Before long, however, the British empire was bankrupt and could no longer afford to buy the American goods it needed, nor was there anything of value left to trade. Shortly after Roosevelt’s election to his third term in November 1940, he came up with a bold plan to help the British, Lend-Lease. Essentially, Lend-Lease stated that the United States would give Britain whatever it needed in order to fight the Nazis. Once Britain won the war, the the two countries would sit down and figure out exactly how much Britain owed the United States. Roosevelt used the analogy that if your neighbor’s house is on fire you wouldn’t stand around arguing about the price of your garden hose. Rather, you’d give him the hose and he could pay once the crisis was over.]
Ten Myths about US Aid to Ukraine, for the May 2022 Ukraine funding bill:
"Myth 1: There is not enough oversight of US aid to Ukraine."Accountability is part of the legislation for the appropriations. Ukraine is not getting money to buy what it wants; the money is not actually going to any Ukrainian back accounts. It is going to the US and European suppliers of weapons, munitions, equipment, aid and shipping, with all the accounting that comes along with it."...Reality: There has likely never been more accountability or transparency measures in place for US foreign assistance than what is available for Ukraine aid. Take the biggest (and most controversial) supplemental from last May, which allocated $40.1 billion. This bill was 699 lines long. Of these, 110 lines dealt with accountability, transparency, and reporting requirements. Therefore, 16 percent of the bill's text was dedicated to oversight."