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To: Argus
"He's been out in these countries for decades, building schools, building roads, building infrastructure, building day care facilities, building health care facilities, and the people are extremely grateful. We haven't done that."

What? We spend Billions. Does anyone know how many billions?
I want to write a letter to the editor in Spokane and need to know how much we spend annually on non-domestic WELFARE.
I have relatives moving out of Seattle. As soon as they do I will give "mother nature" the go-ahead to earthquake the place to submission!!
85 posted on 12/19/2002 6:05:40 PM PST by Conservateacher
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To: Conservateacher
What? We spend Billions. Does anyone know how many billions?

This is off the top of my head.

United Nations Official Development Aid (or whatever it's called) we give about 10 or 11 billion dollars a year. This is more than any other country in the world, but on the other hand is the lowest among contributing developed nations as a percentage of GDP. On the other, other hand Bush has recently said he will ask congress to increase this amount by 50 percent.

This UN contribution is what many people (especially libs) count exclusively as "foreign aid," but of course we give much more beyond and apart from this. There's 5 or 6 billions dollars each year that we pay to Egypt and Israel as, essentially, a bribe for their peace accord. (Thanks, Jimmuh.) Then there is the 3 billion we recently promised to Afghanistan (I don't know if that is to be distributed over some number of years or not). I think Pakistan is getting big bucks in the range of billions, but I don't know the figure. Then the cost of peace keeping deployments. I don't know, but just guessing wildly, I would say, probably, some additional 20 or 30 billion over and above U.N. aid, or maybe 10 billion or less if you eliminated military aid and various intangibles and indirect benefits.

Then there is private and NGO aid. I've seen estimates that Americans contribute around 35 billion each year in this realm.

222 posted on 12/20/2002 3:36:18 PM PST by Stultis
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