forign aid lol what a joke

[bj229r]

We support Israel because it's the right thing to do--would you stand by and watch a bunch of thugs beat the crap out of someone if it was in your power to stop it?

[cobia38]

Quick!  Let's move as fast as we can to appease the arabs!

ALLAH BE PRAISED!


ALLAH ACKBAR!

  appease the arabs !
 far from it, acually i could care less about them.
 i just hate seeing money going evrywher but here at home
 

[storch]

We support Israel because it's the right thing to do--would you stand by and watch a bunch of thugs beat the crap out of someone if it was in your power to stop it?

spot on

[bozon]

As of 2005, direct U.S. economic and military assistance to Israel amounted to nearly 154 billion, a policy that has served to cause a widening rift between the Arab population and the United States
...
  and just think this is only one leaching country sucking our lifeblood
  if we cut the $$$ to all the leaching countrys just think of the $$ we would save. 

I said it many times before and I'll say it again: As an Israeli I am FOR cutting back the military aid.

The US is not doing Israel any favors. Its main goal is to protect its military industries - actually aiding friends and having diplomatic means of pressure are just by products. The US military is not a big enough market to support this big industry and especially expensive R&D against an enemy that doesn't exist (you don't need a new fighter to fight terrorists) is not economically viable. If the US goverment would tell the american public that it plans to subsidize military industry and just pour money into it (making a few people very rich) there would be a huge outrage. However, if you pour money into your own industry, produce things you do not need and give them away you can keep the public content and pleased with itself (who doesn't like to fee like a philanthropist?). In practice you give away a product which its actual manufacturing cost is a tiny part of its market value (most is R&D).

At the same time, the countries receiving the aid will have a hard time developing technology of their own since it is much cheaper to just buy it with the "aid" coupons. Even if they do, the actual paying market will be flooded with cheaper, mass produced american equipment. This way the US is shielding its industries from competition.

And finally, the aid is used as a whip against countries hooked on it to defend non-military industries or other American interests. Example: I think it was two years ago that the US goverment forced EL-AL, the Israeli national airline to buy Boeing instead of Airbus (after it was decided to buy Airbus) which has nothing to do with the military or aid, but the US threatened not to sell several things Israel was interested in.

There's a lot more to it, but I'll stop here.
So, yes the aid to Israel should be cut back, but if you think that your country is doing anyone a favor with the military aid you are fooling yourself - and more importantly, your government is fooling you.

[cobia38]

We support Israel because it's the right thing to do--would you stand by and watch a bunch of thugs beat the crap out of someone if it was in your power to stop it?

  Darfur is in the midst of getting the crap beat out of them.
  and yet no one is stoping it.

 

[evenhaim]

I said it many times before and I'll say it again: As an Israeli I am FOR cutting back the military aid.

The US is not doing Israel any favors. Its main goal is to protect its military industries - actually aiding friends and having diplomatic means of pressure are just by products. The US military is not a big enough market to support this big industry and especially expensive R&D against an enemy that doesn't exist (you don't need a new fighter to fight terrorists) is not economically viable. If the US goverment would tell the american public that it plans to subsidize military industry and just pour money into it (making a few people very rich) there would be a huge outrage. However, if you pour money into your own industry, produce things you do not need and give them away you can keep the public content and pleased with itself (who doesn't like to fee like a philanthropist?). In practice you give away a product which its actual manufacturing cost is a tiny part of its market value (most is R&D).

At the same time, the countries receiving the aid will have a hard time developing technology of their own since it is much cheaper to just buy it with the "aid" coupons. Even if they do, the actual paying market will be flooded with cheaper, mass produced american equipment. This way the US is shielding its industries from competition.

And finally, the aid is used as a whip against countries hooked on it to defend non-military industries or other American interests. Example: I think it was two years ago that the US goverment forced EL-AL, the Israeli national airline to buy Boeing instead of Airbus (after it was decided to buy Airbus) which has nothing to do with the military or aid, but the US threatened not to sell several things Israel was interested in.

There's a lot more to it, but I'll stop here.
So, yes the aid to Israel should be cut back, but if you think that your country is doing anyone a favor with the military aid you are fooling yourself - and more importantly, your government is fooling you.

bozon was spot on in a more forward manner than i could have ever delievered.

[BaldEagl]

I thought the only foriegn aid we had around here was Lusche in the Help and Training forum.  How much does he get?

[lasersailor184]

  appease the arabs !
 far from it, acually i could care less about them.
 i just hate seeing money going evrywher but here at home
 

You yourself said it.

"a policy that has served to cause a widening rift between the Arab population and the United States"

[Bodhi]

keep up the support for Israel. 

Cut the foreign aid to all countries that are not supporting us.

[cobia38]

 this post wasent started to flame Israel.it just happend to be on top of the list for recipients.
 it was started to bring to the attention the kind of $$ we are dishing out.  if you add up all non millitary forign aid that U.S. dished out in 2007 it is 35.1 billion. thats alot of money.and this is just what the U.S. state department is makeing availible to the public.
 then you factor in the aditional millitary aid.it gets even higher.
 i just think its time some countrys stand on ther own feet instead of ours.
 
 

[bozon]

...if you add up all non millitary forign aid that U.S. dished out in 2007 it is 35.1 billion. thats alot of money.and this is just what the U.S. state department is makeing availible to the public.

And yet not a single dollar is leaving the US. Cut it back (paying your own industries) and you have a few tens of thousand angry unemployed in addition to a few very rich, very powerful and very angry people. No politician would like that.

[bj229r]

  Darfur is in the midst of getting the crap beat out of them.
  and yet no one is stoping it.

 

Well...ya'd figger the Europeans could do SOMEthing, as very few are involved in Afghanistan or Iraq

[cobia38]

Well...ya'd figger the Europeans could do SOMEthing, as very few are involved in Afghanistan or Iraq

  yeah that would be nice if they would,but we all know they wont.
   in the end it will fall on our shoulders.

[Chalenge]

Im all in favor of moving Israel to Maine or Massachusetts.

[Dago]

I admit to not being an expert on Israel, but how exactly are they "supporting" us?  Financially?  Nope.   Militarily?  Not really.

What is it then, what is the great support?  Giving a bunch of money, gifts and freebies to members of congress?

I fail to see standing by with hands out, saying "we are your friends" as being supportive.