I watched the Republican debates from my hotel in London this week, where I am meeting with other World Vision leaders. Being overseas, and watching them hours after the live event, provides a more objective perspective on home. During part of the discussion that evening, I found myself thinking: This is not the America I love.
One audience member asked a question on foreign aid. She said, "The American people are suffering in our country right now. Why do we continue to send foreign aid to other countries when we need all the help we can get for ourselves?"
Truthfully, this is a tough question. More Americans than ever since the Great Depression are out of work. Families have lost billions of dollars in net worth as their investment accounts have plummeted and housing values have sunk. Many people have lost their homes. Shouldn't we get our own house in order before trying to sweep up someone else's?
I have to be honest. While America's house needs a thorough spring cleaning, millions of the poor around the world are barely hanging on to survival, living in mud huts or under no roof at all. Those fleeing the famine now occurring in the Horn of Africa are building tents by tying pieces of cloth to sticks.
The very real needs of Americans pale in comparison to the needs foreign aid addresses. Poor families around the world are right now starving to death. If we cut American aid, we can be sure that millions will die. At a time when our politicians are considering how to cut as much as $1,500 billion from the federal budget we shouldn't try to cut the $33 billion we spend annually to assist the victims of malaria, famine, or natural disasters.
If I were advising the Republican candidates, I would encourage them to clear up some misperceptions about American foreign aid.
First, American aid is a small fraction of the US budget. Aid to the poor is less than 0.5 percent of the federal budget. It amounts to 14 cents per American per day. It hardly makes sense to think we can solve our fiscal problems by cutting funding to the poorest people in the world.
Despite its small proportion to the budget as a whole, American aid is extremely effective. Three million people today are alive because of the PEPFAR AIDS program, which provides lifesaving drugs and 2.5 million AIDS orphans are being cared for. American assistance in the fight against malaria has saved an estimated 1 million lives. Preventable child deaths have declined from more than 20 million in 1960 to 7.6 million in 2010. Lives are at stake in this discussion.
Foreign aid promotes liberty and prosperity. A study of American assistance found that it led to increased democracy in the countries that received the aid. We are providing to others the freedoms we enjoy, allowing them to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. This wins America friends and creates goodwill. It even leads to jobs back home as half of US exports go to developing countries.
Ron Paul was wrong when he said, "Foreign aid is taking money from poor people in this country and giving it to rich people in poor countries." Foreign aid isn't perfect, and not every dollar spent is as efficient as it could be. Solving poverty means dealing with a complex equation. But the money spent on foreign assistance for the poor is some of the most effective in the US budget. I've seen the rigorous controls our government has in place. Just because it's not perfect, doesn't mean we should stop doing it.
Doing good around the world is what I love about America. I have seen first-hand the incredible work our country does. I've seen the goodwill it builds. I have met people who are alive today because of American assistance. I believe in America, and that is why I believe in American aid.
In his parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus told the story of the man who had compassion on the victim of robbers. While others passed by, Jesus commended the person who acted as a neighbor. "Go and do likewise," he said. (Luke 10:37)
Are we accurately reflecting our great nation if we simply pass the buck to others, with comments like, "We ought to get the Chinese to take care of the people," as one candidate said? We are not the kind of nation that asks others to do the hard work and to care for the most vulnerable. Throughout its history, American has acted as Good Samaritan, as neighbors, to the world.
Foreign aid isn't a campaign issue to bicker about. It's not an issue of left and right. It's about right and wrong. In the toughest times, the choices we make reflect our deepest character and values. Now, more than ever, the world needs America to go and do likewise.
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Why should taxes pay for this aid rather than private charities? Because it allows programs on a vast scale, and because it engenders good will abroad for, yes, our government. To me, this is an important thing.
I recently read a related post exactly on the topic of foreign aid:
http://www.ilovepayingtaxes.com/2011/10/26/foreign-aid/
Perhaps Mr. Stearns fails to understand that it is absolutely immoral to argue that American citizens should not be free to decide which nations/organizations receive their hard earned money. Yup. Charity of the kind that Mr. Stearns is advocating should be left to private citizens. The idea that TAX DOLLARS should be used is just plain wrong.
Let's address the idea that foreign aid fosters goodwill towards America. As Mr. Stearns says, "A study of American assistance found that it led to increased democracy in the countries that received the aid". REALLY?!?! What study? I know of one: former US Ambassador Ken Adelman performed a computer tabulation to show the correlation between other nations' receipt of U.S. foreign aid and their foreign- policy stances. His analysis found no demonstrable relationship between the United States' ability to positively influence events abroad and the amount of U.S. foreign aid a country receives.
(See: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/04/18/not_so_smart_power)
Yet another guilt monger trying to demonize anyone who cares about their own country and their own families first. Please stop trying to paint people who want to cut foreign aid as selfish and immoral.
Perhaps the author is unaware of the fact that, right now, in THIS COUNTRY, there are more than 46 million people living in poverty. Of those people, 15.7 MILLION are children. Tonight, 1 in 4 American children will go to bed hungry.
(See: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/14/us/14census.html?pagewanted=all)
Maybe the author doesn't realize that AMERICA IS A SOVEREIGN NATION. What that means is that we have neither an obligation nor a responsibility to provide eternally for the "undeveloped countries" of the world who have failed to raise their own standard of living through their own efforts.
MORE IN PART 2
We have our own problems which we are barely addressing.
the day will come when america will be asking for foreign aid to help its have nots.
lets us see how many friends we have then.
china learned much from japan to loan americans hundreds of billions to build up their own industrial might. then cut us off.
we are like a person out of control with a credit card. but oh the interest that is to come. of course we get to pay them back with a dollar worth next to nothing.
The problem is corruption. The foreign aid program is and always has been deeply corrupt - not only the foreign governments but even the American AID staff. I can see no way to prevent the corruption - it is automatic, given the situation. Government to government charity is a waste of money. Private charities can become corrupt but usually they are much more effective and, if corrupted, they are easily destroyed.
No particular action needs be taken apart from stopping US government spending for foreign aid. Private charities can handle the rest.
Economic and Military
$3,175,000,000
Total Israel Population
7,500,000
equals $423 per person
If Mr. Stearns was really concerned with morality he would demand that all the military foreign aid (which is most of it) end at once.