Bush to Propose Another $100 Million Over Five Years for Education in Africa

Associated Press ^ | Jun 20, 2002 | Jennifer Loven

[niki]

Bush to Propose Another $100 Million Over Five Years for Education in Africa

By Jennifer Loven Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Ahead of a summit of industrialized nations intended to focus on the plight of sub-Saharan Africa, President Bush says America should spend $20 million more a year on education there and will visit the continent next year.

Though the proposed spending boost would double the government's investment on an education initiative in Africa, the $200 million total was deemed modest by critics.

The World Bank has estimated that wealthy donor countries will need to commit between $3 billion and $4 billion annually in additional foreign aid over the next 10 years to achieve the goal of universal primary education in the developing world by the year 2015. Estimates of the number of children in poor nations who have never attended school range as high as 125 million, about two-thirds of them girls.

Gene Sperling, former President Clinton's chief White House economic adviser and now head of the Center for Universal Education at the Council on Foreign Relations, said 75 million of the children out of school worldwide are in Africa.

"The Bush announcement proposes spending $20 million more each year for education in all of Africa, which is the cost of building just one large high school in the United States," Sperling said. "This proposal is very disappointing."

A bipartisan group of congressmen urged Bush, in a letter sent Thursday, to raise U.S. spending on basic education around the world to $1 billion by 2006.

The president planned to announce his travel plans and the new spending initiative Thursday night at a dinner in memory of the Rev. Leon Sullivan, a Philadelphia minister credited with helping end apartheid in South Africa, White House officials said.

On Wednesday, the president promised an extra $500 million over three years to help prevent mothers in parts of African and the Caribbean from transmitting the AIDS virus to their children.

Africa will be a major focus of the Group of Eight meeting that Bush attends next week in Canada.

The White House hopes the new African initiative will ease criticism about U.S. spending on developing nations and projecting a compassionate image of Bush to both foreign leaders and American voters. The $10 billion U.S. foreign aid budget is the lowest among rich nations as a percentage of economic output.

Rock star Bono and Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill toured Africa last month after the singer persuaded the U.S. official to see for himself the importance of debt relief, fair trade and effective aid. O'Neill says the United States is committed to helping Africa, but that aid money should produce measurable results.

The proposed new spending will train more than 420,000 new teachers in Africa, provide more than 250,000 scholarships for girls, and, with help from historically black colleges in America, provide 4 1/2 million more textbooks for children in Africa, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said.

The president's trip to Africa next year will focus on the benefits of a law that reduces trade barriers to African nations that have market-based economies and policies on reducing poverty, fighting corruption, protecting workers' rights and fostering human rights, Fleischer said.

[Sabertooth]

All those on this thread who are complaining about these small potatoes are dishonest.

If you Bush Bashers were honest, you would be complaining about $91 Billion

Nonsense.

We Bashers are often told by you Bushbots that we need to be more patient, that this mess didn't occur overnight. Your problem is you don't recognize our patience, you're so dizzy from spinning and kool aid.

It will take a long time to get rid of foreign aid and other unconstitutional nonsense. We understand that the President can't do it overnight. So we don't make a big deal about him not being able to immediately solve problems he inherited.

Our patience with the President wears thin when he takes steps backward, conceding principle, and planting seeds for mischief to come with unconstitutional policies based on misguided compassion or political strategy.

The President almost daily puts forth these divisive initiatives. The division is his responsibility...

Unless you'd prefer Bush pass that buck too?

[Ben Ficklin]

Are you for or against foreign aid?

[Sabertooth]

Are you for or against foreign aid?

I'm for the Constitution, against foreign aid.

Furthermore, foreign aid doesn't even deliver as advertised. It's money down foreign ratholes.

[Ben Ficklin]

Answer the question: Are you for or against foreign aid?

[Ben Ficklin]

So, you are against foreign aid to Israel?

[sneakypete]

Mmmm, I'm just so happy to have a conservative president I don't know what in the world to do.

Me,too! Who knows how much US taxpayer money would have been flushed down the septic tank known as Africa if a big-spending Dim had been elected? (sarcasm)

[Ben Ficklin]

Are you for or against foreign aid?

[Sabertooth]

So, you are against foreign aid to Israel?

Since I'm against foreign aid, what do you think?

Are you for or against the Constitution?

[sneakypete]

Oh yes, It's the responsibility of Americans to educate the Africans.

Wazup,homie? We be gonna do diz cause dat be de only way dey be lernin Eubonics,you know what I be saying?

[niki]

I'm an equal opportunity complainer, I hate all foreign aid. You do have to admit Israel is and has been a good friend. What other country would take scud missiles and not respond.

[Ben Ficklin]

Where do you stand on the foreign aid issue?

[christine]

against. i see it as international socialism.

[Ben Ficklin]

Watching whining weasels waffle!

[christine]

ping

[demkicker]

"OK, he's really starting to p*ss me off with this socialist junk."

No kidding... Like father, like son. One termers. At this rate, you can bet on the conservative base staying home rather than holding their noses to vote for GW again. Elephants have long memories. He's p*ssing so many conservatives off, the dems will own the Senate and the pubs will be lucky to hold onto the House.

Many will try to blame conservatives for straying or non support. In the end, fault will be placed squarely where it belongs, on a wishy-washy president who had the opportunity to do great things, but settled for liberal mediocrity.

[Ben Ficklin]

Where do you stand on foreign aid?

[christine]

:)

[Registered]

If it is in our strategic interest,and I mean that from a security or national defense basis, then I am for foreign aid. Is this in our strategic interest? Is it?

Other than that, the money is best spent at home or returned to the taxpayers.