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September 15, 2005
President Bush on Nations "Struggling with Poverty"
Quick, which of these countries was not in the top five foreign aid contributors as of percentage of their national income in 2004?
Denmark
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
United States
If you said the United States you are correct. The US is not only behind Denmark, Netherlands, Norway and Portugal, it is also behind France, Britain, Germany and Japan and is barely ahead of Italy. To give you an idea of the spread; Norway contributes 0.87% of the national income to other countries; Denmark is not far behind. Portugal contributes 0.63% with the Netherlands falling between Denmark and Portugal. The United States, the richest, and most powerful country in the world contributed 0.16%. In other words, about a fourth of that of Portugal and less than a fifth of Norway's contribution as a percentage of national income. These numbers come from the 2004 report of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Of course, because of its size the US in the largest contributor in absolute dollars but with our low percentages we are not pulling our weight by a long ways.
This is why I must agree with the editorial in today's Los Angeles Times that says in part,
"To spread a vision of hope, the United States is determined to help nations that are struggling with poverty," Bush told more than 160 world leaders at the U.N. summit, which runs through Friday. "We are committed to the Millennium Development Goals. We have a moral obligation to help others and a moral duty to make sure our actions are effective."But not, apparently, a moral obligation to live up to our commitments, or even tell the truth about them. [emphasis added]
Because the Millennium goals that Bush claims he is committed to are 0.7% of their national income toward foreign aid by 2015. Three countries are already there and Portugal is not far behind. But our President shows not the slightest sign of increasing our contribution. Unless, of course, our contribution is war against nations that do us no harm.
What's really strange about the President's statement is that everyone at the UN knew it was a lie. It was strictly for domestic consumption. If you want to compare the US with other countries, here is a good place to start!
Posted by DuaneSmith at September 15, 2005 10:11 AM | Read more on Current Events |
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