No

by Matthew Fulton

Created on: August 21, 2011   Last Updated: August 23, 2011

The US government donates an endless stream of money to countries that are impoverished every year. But is it enough? Of course not, it is too much! The United States government should not be financing other nations around the world, even if it means helping the destitute. While many would see this view as cruel, the reason for it is simple. A government's job is to work to ensure the security of its people and preserve their liberty, not redistribute their wealth to other nations by force.

The US government takes in an untold amount of different taxes every year. Income tax, corporate taxes, capital gains taxes, medicare taxes, social security taxes, and who knows how many others. This money is taken by the threat of fines and jail time by the IRS every year, and most people generally pay their taxes without too much complaint. If money is demanded from the people by the government, then the money should be used to benefit those same people. Instead, much of that money goes to other nations around the world. Millions of dollars earned by US citizens are given to places like Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, South Africa, Russia, and many African nations to help them and their people. The money is taken from the people and given to these other people. Why? Because other people do not have everything that we do?

If you look at some of the other nations that we support, you can see how Americans are giving their money to places that are either openly hostile to our nation or are producing crime, drugs, and other problems for Americans. We give plenty of money to Pakistan every year in economic assistance, topping the billion mark in fact. Pakistan is where much of the Taliban and Al-Qaeda are both located. Pakistan threw a fit when US Navy SEALs came to Pakistan to kill Osama Bin Laden. Money from American paychecks went to supporting a country that refuses to allow us to fight terrorists on their soil and refuses to fight them themselves. Are we trying to bribe them into doing more? That seems like a poor choice, as they have not changed their stance in many years of the US fighting Islamic extremism. Over a billion dollars are given a year to economic aid to Gaza and the West Bank, which are homes to people who brag about every one of their children going to Israel to be suicide bombers. These places are hotbeds of terrorism, but we continue propping them up when they attack Israel, a nation we also donate to and is regarded as our best ally in the Middle East. How much sense does this make?

We give plenty in economic aid to Mexico and Columbia each year. These countries are very well-known as hotbeds for trafficing marijuana, methamphetamine, and cocaine into the United States each year. Mexicans have been pouring across the southern border as illegal aliens in droves for decades. We are rewarding governments for letting the drug trade flourish and keeping their people in such abject poverty that they come to the US to take American jobs, use American government services, and often times spread crime in American streets. The US should cut off federal funds to Mexico so the people of Mexico can realize that they have to overthrow their government that keeps them poor for the benefit of the rich instead of putting a Band-Aid on the problem.

Global politics aside, this course of foreign aid is all unsustainable. The US government has been running an increasing spending deficit for years. The US government spends much more than it takes in, but it gives away money to fight poverty in other places. This is the same thing as someone who is maxed out on several credit cards buying lavish Christmas gifts for all of their friends. It simply does not make any financial sense. The government debt is getting bigger each year, and more and more of the budget goes toward paying interest on the loans that DC has taken out. This downward spiral will continue unless dramatic cuts are made across the board. One of the first things that will have to go is all of the money that the US gives away each year to other people.

In short, the US should not, and cannot keep pumping out so much foreign aid to help stop poverty abroad. These handouts to people who sometimes do not have our best interests in hand will keep failing and eventually help destroy the country if they are not stopped. Write your representative and tell them to push to cut it off. And if you are really committed to ending poverty, then give your money to charities instead.

Learn more about this author, Matthew Fulton.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.