Funding Other Governments

I know I'm dipping into a pool where I only have a tiny bit of knowledge - so please forgive and enlighten me.

Why is it we (and other countries) provide funding for other governments - and if they "hate" us so, why do they take it?

The glaring example of this is the Palestine / Israel situation, where I heard on NPR the other day that both the US and Israel would stop providing Xbillion $ for Palestine unless they said they no longer wanted the destruction of Israel. Why on earth was Palestine ever taking HELP from Israel, all the while trying to destroy them, and why were we funding them as well??

[PrincessFiona]

The big global mystery! I suppose countries pay because there is somthing in it for them....support as an 'ally', first dib on contracts, etc...

[Rapunzel]

Well, we pay other nations for various reasons including: humanitarian aid, guilt (if public perception in this nation is that we've wronged a nation), follow-through for other actions (such as war), etc.

We pay a sizable chunk of the United Nation's budget that goes to various nations (many of whom could be classified as hostile to the U.S. and its concerns). In fact, you could count the UN itself as usually hostile to U.S. concerns. But, we still pay more than any other nation to this organization.

The bottom line is that the U.S. government is responsible for protecting its citizens. When I pay my taxes those tax dollars should go towards things the federal government is obligated to provide to me (including maintaining trade, a national defense, coinage, paying the salary of federal employees, etc).

It is a great kindness that the U.S. government gives so much money to so many other nations. However, those actions are, arguably, unconstitutional. As a U.S. citizen I have representation in our government through my vote. And, that representation gives me a degree of control over the use of my tax dollars. When those tax dollars are given to another nation I have completely lost control over their use. Essentially another nation is taxing me and using my taxes without any input from me or other citizens. It's essentially taxation by another nation without representation.

And, it is, in the end, a tax of sorts. These nations that the U.S. government gives money to in the name of "charity" have now come to expect, nay, DEMAND that we give them this income. We are, in some nations, a major supplier of funds for their governments. They have learned to use U.S. tax dollars as a crutch and some nations seem to feel receiving our citizens' tax dollars is a "right".

I think the origin of U.S. payments to other nations is diplomacy, charity, and various levels of guilt. If these payments were one-time occurances for specific causes delivered directly to the parties in need in the form needed (such as sending FOOD rather than MONEY in order to prevent misuse of funds - often dictators use U.S. tax payer dollars to buy weapons rather than feed their starving people) then I would have less of a problem with them. But, as it is, with the Palestinian gangs the U.S. may be a partial funder of terrorism by giving them an income. Yasser Arafat reportedly embezzled millions from foreign funds given to the Palestinian organizations for example. That was millions of your tax dollars going directly to the personal expense account of a known and notorious terrorist.

[Rapunzel]

As far as why the Palestinians take U.S. and Israeli money my best bet is: Out of a sense of entitlement. They have a complete superiority complex (just read Hamas' mission statement for proof of that) as the end-all and be-all of civilization. For all we know they see these payments as theirs by right (being our superiors and all ).

AND, it's not publicized too much but the other Muslim theocracies that are always banging the "Save Palestine from the Evil Zionists" wardrums do NOT generally aid the Palestinians very much. In fact, they've been refused entry to just about every Middle Eastern nation. Egypt actually built a huge wall along the Gaza strip to keep the Palestinians out. When a gang of Palestinians recently breached the wall the Egyptian army sent in tanks to "contain" them. While these nations rail at the West and Israel as being racist and evil for not destroying Israel for the benefit of the Palestinian cause these same nations do NOT give the Palestinians the support that the West does (particularly the U.S. and Israel).

The Palestinians are held up as "brothers" of these theocracies but, the actions of these other governments speak to a fear of them as uncontrollable, violent "rabble" that must be kept out of their own nations.

So, their claimed brothers of other nations will not help them in ways that they actually need. Their leaders spend more time trying to figure out the best way to kill Israeli civilians rather than figuring out how to educate their population and have a real economy. Their doctors - rather than seeing patients - choose to become part of a government that condones suicide bombers so can you guess the medical situation (they have to go to Jewish hospitals where doctors actually practice medicine rather than terrorism). The Palestinians are in a pit of their own digging and they just keep digging further down.

So, yes, if we throw money at them they will definitely take it.

Notice who joined on in our War on Terror? All sorts of emerging and post-Eastern Bloc nations who depend heavily on US aid. That's also part of why we do it.

As for taxation w/o representation, we don't have to leave the borders. Just look at DC.

[Rapunzel]

But, Tracy, I think Jenn has a good point in being completely dumbfounded as to why we give so many billions to nations that would never, never, not in a million years support the United States in any action (other than to destroy Israel ). The Eastern bloc nations we could get some necessary help from - they could be of use in our pockets. But, some of these nations we give funding to are avowed enemies of the United States. I share her disbelief that we give money to such entities (although, I do see why they take it - it's free money after all). I mean, with some of these nations to which we support we WILL see promises kept in return. But, with a lot of them they will make empty promises to get their hands on the billions and then - nothing.

Crazy.

Good point about D.C. They also don't have the right to the second ammendment there. I guess if you live in D.C. you don't count....

Yeah - I get the "hush money" and the "do as I say money" idea ... and of course I get the "free money" idea (where can I get some?). But what I'm stuck on is that by accepting the money, it seems that the Palestinians are acknowledging that they NEED the help, therefore they NEED Israel.

[DCJenn]

Actually-

In DC, WE voted to ban guns- and do allow people who are supposed to have guns to have them.

and, we have a duly elected mayor, and city council. And we're allowed to vote in the primaries and for the President. What we don't have is voting rights on Capitol Hill. We have a Representative without voting rights (like Guam, Puerto Rico, etc.) and we have a Shadow Senator who is useless.

And, the Federal government still controls sections of our budget and likes to throw that around as a threat every now and again. and the Feds don't pay real estate tax on their properties in the city, either. (like the Treasury building, etc- the people have to pay property tax for privately owned homes) Nor are they responsible for providing the Homeland Security money- but they can spend the city dollars. For example, for the last Inauguration they insisted on using DC's Homeland Security funds to pay for some of the security costs (not to protect the DC consistutents, but to beef up the parade routes, etc.) AND, then the Capitol Police decided to close down Independence Ave for mandatory checkpoints, they failed to notify and coordinate with the Metropolitan police. There are 38 police forces within the city limits, the majority of which are Federal...

So, yes, we're a third rate entity. But we've banned smoking in restaurants, so we're a healthy, gun-free, third rate entity.

Jenn

[Rapunzel]

Which begs the question: Can a city's citizens vote to destroy within the bounds of their city a constitutional right that exists on the federal level?

And, anyone who thinks D.C. is "gunfree" is kidding themselves. You're more likely to be gunned down as a U.S. citizen in D.C. than as a U.S. citizen in Iraq.

[Rapunzel]

Yeah - I get the "hush money" and the "do as I say money" idea ... and of course I get the "free money" idea (where can I get some?). But what I'm stuck on is that by accepting the money, it seems that the Palestinians are acknowledging that they NEED the help, therefore they NEED Israel.

Yeah, it's a catch-22 for them. Maybe that reliance on their "enemy" makes them hate the enemy even more? Who knows? I guess it's one of those things that I just can't wrap my mind around right now. Maybe I'll have an epiphany in the shower one morning and finally understand....

[PrincessFiona]

Here's an interesting question....CAN we actually 'afford' to stop giving money to Palestine? If we aren't the ones handing it out, do they get money from Iran? Terrorist networks?

kris