Posted on 01/27/2011 6:32:30 PM PST by speciallybland
WASHINGTON (JTA) -- U.S. Sen. Rand Paul wants to end all foreign assistance, including aid to Israel.
Paul, a Republican newly elected in Kentucky, was on CNN Wednesday outlining where he would cut the $500 billion in government spending he says is critical to sustaining the U.S. economy. His focus was on the departments of energy, education and housing.
Interviewer Wolf Blitzer then asked about foreign assistance, asking if he wanted to end "all foreign aid." Paul said yes, and Blitzer asked him about aid to Israel.
"Well, I think what you have to do is you have to look," Paul said. "When you send foreign aid, you actually [send] quite a bit to Israel's enemies. Islamic nations around Israel get quite a bit of foreign aid, too.
"You have to ask yourself, are we funding an arms race on both sides? I have a lot of sympathy and respect for Israel as a democratic nation, as a, you know, a fountain of peace and a fountain of democracy within the Middle East."
Blitzer pressed, "End all foreign aid including the foreign aid to Israel as well. Is that right?" he asked.
Paul answered, "Yes."
(Excerpt) Read more at jta.org ...
I asked you for a detailed scenario on how this would be a significant existential threat to the US for scrutinizing. Of course you couldn't deliver.
Israel's survival is the business of Israelis. Mongolia's is the Mongolians. America's health (my country) is the business of Americans.
We can no longer (if we ever could) afford to sacrifice for the sake of others. In fact, it harms us.
You mean that huge war that wiped out a major portion of the world's industrial capacity and we got to swoop in relatively unscathed and supplant it at great profitability? You might be on to something.
Would the Koreans drive Fords if NK wiped out a bunch of Hyundai plants? I think they would. Would the Chinese need Caterpillars to clean up the rubble after they took Taiwan?
It seems like much what you’ve described is in general agreement with Ron Paul. But you really really don’t like Ron Paul at all. And that’s fine. I think Rand knows what some or many Republicans don’t like about Ron, and doesn’t take the same positions on those issues.
I am keeping an open mind on Rand Paul. It would not be fair to blame him for what I perceive to be the shortcomings of his father. He appeared to run a responsible campaign for the Senate and I retain hope for him. He seems more likely than many new legislators to actually act rather than just talk. He may also disappoint me from time to time as most legislators do. I think he would do well to see Senator Jim DeMint as a mentor.
While on the surface your position may look attractive, the long term repercussions would be disastrous. You, and many others on this thread, are calling for the 100% cutting of all foreign aid to any country that receives aid. Can think of how doing this might result in counties such as Russia, China, Iran, N. Korea, and others gaining influence around the world which would be in direct contravention to our national security interests?
Can you consider how our economy might actually be negatively impacted through the course of action you're demanding? Or, perhaps you believe that the U.S. can also, at the same time, completely drop out of the global economy and become completely self-sustaining just within our own borders. That fence on our southern border that people have been asking for would need to also be built on our northern border, and we would need to build barriers on both coasts. Is this what you're suggesting we should do?
Consider that there are natural resources which our country needs, which can be found overseas, but we've ended our dealings with all of the other nations of the world. Where do we turn to obtain resources we don't have or produce ourselves? Perhaps the moon? Mars? Jupiter? The world is a complicated place, and requires grownups to manage it. Not those who would say, “I'm angry at you so I'm going to take my toys and go home”.
Those countries you mentioned were getting along and checking each other for centuries before America was conceived and would continue to do so if we disappeared.
But you know who can't survive without America? Americans, that's who.
And the only way we can go down is through the suicidal policies of overreach, moral decay, fiscal malfeasance, and mass immigration that have laid hundreds of historical powers low.
Those problems we have in spades right now and need massive and immediate correction or we'll just be another unread history book in some future university library.
LOL! Don't give a man a fish, teach him how to fish. Then we can trade fish for bread. If he steals your fish or poisons your lake...kill him. Or, send him a copy of our constitution. If he threatens our limited constitutional republic...kill him.
It's 2011. Wake up countries.
Life, liberty and the pursuit and destruction of totalitarians.
We are bankrupt! The US cannot afford to do this anymore. Germany can take care of itself. People hanging onto the 1950s concept of the American “empire” need to get a grip. 1.5trillion budget deficits are not compatible with EMPIRE, they’re not even compatible with survival of the country.
Good for Rand Paul.
Until we get our liabilities in order we need to end foreign aid to all nations including Israel. Those can afford to support Israel can do it out of their own bank account, but the time has come to end it from America’s bank account.
Secondly we need to start “charging” EVERY nation that piggybacks and depends upon our defense. Most of these nations such as Japan, Israel, Germany, France, Korea, etc are in far better fiscal shape than the USA. We need to see a national return from our military that goes to the country instead of military contractors.
ALLIES? What allies? We have very few “allies” that have ever supported the USA in any of our wars except for token forces and no money.
Let them all do it on their own.
I pity those which you ‘teach.’
Don’t. The ‘pity’ is not mutual. I don’t tend to pity those who would abandon Jews or Israeli’s to the people that allied themselves with Hitler and attempted to help him carry out the Holocaust. I like to think those who would do so are just completely clueless to God’s Covenant with Abraham to “curse him that curseth thee.” But whether ignorant or with eyes wide open, they work against God’s design to bring about His Kingdom on the Earth. That’s not a place they want to be, whether they are “believers” or not...
Who is abandoning Israel? Israel would still have full US political support.
Israelis are good people. Sounds like a win-win proposition to me.
No, I’d prefer to see the New York Times go bankrupt.
How about if we support Israel by inviting every single Israeli to come live in the United States? That would solve a whole lot of problems and save us a whole lot of money.
Israelis are good people. Sounds like a win-win proposition to me.
The Israeli’s are back in their homeland for the first time in 2000 years. There’s no reason for them to leave. And there’s every reason for them to stay.
Sorry, I was just trying to help. ;)
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