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.

[Ben Ficklin]

That millions and millions is hard to compare to $ 91 billion. It is a bargain.

[Teacher317]

*sigh*

This has been one really good week for the Liberals. I wonder: if we do get the Senate back in November, will any of this stop?

[Ben Ficklin]

Sorry Katz, you never answered the question.

[sneakypete]

Bawling Bush-Bots Bitching.

[Teacher317]

That millions and millions is hard to compare to $ 91 billion. It is a bargain.

Wow. That's impressive. You just twisted your own mind to actually state that promising $600 million to programs (that will not work, and will see HUGE amounts of loss due to corruption and bureaucracy) in just two days is actually a bargain deal for the American taxpayer. Congratulations.

[Teacher317]

That millions and millions is hard to compare to $ 91 billion. It is a bargain.

Wow. That's impressive. You just twisted your own mind to actually state that promising $600 million to programs (that will not work, will see HUGE amounts of loss due to corruption and bureaucracy, and will never benefit a single American citizen) in just two days is actually a bargain deal for the American taxpayer. Congratulations.

[sneakypete]

Many will try to blame conservatives for straying or non support.

If the RNC wants us to vote for Republicans,they should run some actual Republicans for office,not "Dims in Disguise" like Giddy Dolt. Why SHOULD we be expected to vote for people who we don't agree with on ANY issue?

[Registered]

Ben, you are absolutely wrong to think that THESE millions are to fight ISLAM! Islam has already got deep roots in Africa! This money is nothing but an international PR fund for America.

[Sabertooth]

ST, I am neither a judge nor a policy maker, but IMHO the basis of foreign aid is found in "General Welfare" and "Common Defense".

How does a pandering, African Education pork-barrel proposal "promote the general welfare" or "provide for the common defense" of American Citizens and Sovereignty?

You are taking a page from the Leftists when you promote this type of anti-Constitutional overreach. The Welfare and Commerce Clauses in particular have been stretched and abused beyond all recognition to steal rights and power from the "we the people" and invest it in the federal government, to its corruption.

It's whoredom to sell our Constitution so cheaply.

Sooner or later a Democrat is going to be President again, and he or she will be up to all kinds of unconstitutional mischief, some of it based on precedents affirmed by this nonsense of Bush's that you keep defending.

And you're gonna wonder, "How can they get away with it?"

Because people like you told them they could, when you all found it convenient to pimp the Constitution for a President you happened to like.

[katze]

Could be a bargain, if well spent, but these dollars never are. The giveaways for social spending has to stop somewhere, and by darn, when I eagerly voted for Bush, I foolishly thought it may at least slow. What a disappointment.

Ben, you see quite a few angry people on FR for the same reason. You need to know there are many voters out here who are questioning all this spending; ordinary people who read the local newspapers, watch the local and cable news, and they're getting the same message. These are working and retired people, who have one hell of a time making ends meet with current taxes, and they simply don't have any more to give. You surely can't believe we won't have tax increases.

If the people in Africa don't know by now what is causing AIDS, I have to guess they never will, perhaps don't care, and no amount of money will change that.

[F16Fighter]

"The President's African pandering is stupid on so many levels, I can't even guess how his apologists will spin out of it.

But here they [Bushbots] come..."

All I hear is crickets chirping...

It must be said -- if an assessment of Dubya's performance as a so-called conservative, much less a RINO thus far excluded his post 9/11 handling of the "war on terrorism", it would be lame to say the least.

Are expectations of GOP candidates to uphold a committment to principled conservatism these days that low??

[katze]

Stuff it, Ben. You aren't here to ask questions; you just don't have any defense of Pres Bush. Good night, Ben.

[technomage]

its only money that we had to borrow

Actually it is our money that the government continues to confiscate and the sheeple continue to give. All politicians are the same. They will just hand money out right and left because it's NOT THEIR MONEY!! They have an endless supply, which is our hard earned cash. They could not care less about bettering the American people. They only care about keeping their power and that means spend, spend, spend. After all, very few of the sheeple complain!

Interesting that while our schools fall apart and become third world rated, we are pouring money overseas.

Ah yes, it's good to have a Republican president!!

[JSteff]

Oh yes, It's the responsibility of Americans to educate the Africans. It's the new White Man's Burden. That and reparations which will soon be forced down our throats. Since when is it our responsibility to educate the African people?

I actually believe we will see a combination. Africans will soon sue us for "the damage caused by taking the best and brightest from their continent" for use as our slaves. Reparations for the Africans, I am sure some lawyers have already thought of it.

[katze]

It is like that all over the country. We had a very good Conservative, who was beaten to a pulp in the primnary season by the local, State and Nat'l Repubs; very sad, since he had it all over the Dem-turned-Republican, who will jump when told to. OTOH, there is a good Dem waiting in the wings for the Fall election, and I won't be surprised if he wins.

[Ben Ficklin]

As I pointed out, mine is but a humble opinion. On the other hand, there is nothing humble about yours. It is unfortunate that you and yours are not in a policy making position.

[Dick Bachert]

Is THIS what you're thinking? It's sure as hell what I'M thinking.

[Alabama_Wild_Man]

Education Bump !!

. . . with the question of:
Why doesn't he ship that 'extra' tax money to the schools in the states - and see if he can gets these children readin' BEFORE the Third Grade ??

[Ben Ficklin]

It is humanatarian aid that is going to Christian/Naturist countries.

[texlok]

Well, gee, now we're going to fund them another 100 million dollars. That's 600 million total. Kiss that money good-bye. It's not going to do anything but go into the hands of warlords, and drug companies. It's a waste of time to try and educate a people who have become dependent by design, and ignorant by choice.

But we have a Republican in the WH so it's okay, right???

This is getting ridiculous. I don't like to see much spent on social/welfare type programs, but if it's going to be spent, screw Africa and spend it on our own people, we've got plenty of people here in the US that need the money/help as bad or worse than somebody overseas who is just going to end up hating us 10 years down the road. It could also be used to payoff our national debt.

Your right, it will end up in the hands of warlords and dictators and the local thugs.