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Isn't it funny how India and Israel, both countries receive billions in aid, can have a space program.

powder 8 Jan 25
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It probably feels like a friend needing to borrow money to pay on a bill, then they go out and buy a new gaming console with their own money, right? I'd agree with you if this was relatable, but a country isn't an individual.

You always hear "Why help so and so? We have this and that to worry about.." And my response is 'We do have people working in this and that.' Any problem you can think of, we have groups of people working on it. Think we should help our homeless vets before helping immigrants? We got people helping homeless vets. If you truly care about homeless vets, fucking do something about it. Think we should feed starving children in other countries? We got people doing that. If you truly care about starving children, fucking do something about. Take part in the cause that you feel should take priority. There will always be someone working on a problem, join them rather than sending thoughts and atheist prayers.

It's the same with countries and government. We will always have a group within that is working on something. Our homeless vets? We have politicians and programs that are trying to help. If it's something you care about, take a part in it rather than complaining to complain. We have groups and programs in place for a variety of different causes.. so if you want to change things and help, actually help. Right now, there are people working proactively towards aiding India and Israel.. and the only way to counter it is to work proactively yourself.

I personally am not bothered by the idea of aiding them, or anyone, while they spend resources on a space program. We need as many people as possible to be working toward space. There is a plethora of resources in space and that's really the only way we ensure survival. Granted we also have to focus on the now to make sure we make it to that point, things we do today are like putting a bandaid over a bullet hole in your chest. Luckily, we have people who are also focusing on the now.. and they could probably use non-internet commentary help.

@powder No I don't, mostly for the reasons I said.

[factly.in]

This is pretty much what I was saying. You will always have someone working on a problem. Just like how we receive help while helping others, India does the same thing. They shell out a similar amount to aid things in other countries. Any problem in the world, there is someone somewhere who would be willing to proactively help the moment they learned of it. So when you have large countries, you will have numerous groups of people working toward a different goal. You will have groups accepting aid from wherever, you will have groups providing aid to whomever. Any scrutiny in a reflection really. I'm sure the UK receives some kind of aid. The US does. 3rd world countries receive aid and I am sure that if they had something to give, there'd be people giving out what they could.

So yeah, it doesn't really bother me when a country receives aid while also spending resources on something else. It happens all the time. Hell, people are trying to waste $6 billion on a fucking wall between the US and Mexico.. while there are plenty of other good causes to spend that money on. All large countries are like that. Now if they were taking the aid and using it for something that wasn't what they said, then there would be room for complaints.. a lot of room. That would really be the only kind of scrutiny I see fit, making sure it's being spent on what was said it'd be spent on.

@powder Have you looked into how much aid India receives? The number I found was far less than billions.

@powder Right. Far less than a billion.

@powder That’s the total budget for aid to all countries, or am I reading that incorrectly? I would venture to guess that is the only one percent of total government budget.

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The whole question of foreign aid is a veritable minefield.

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Are you suggesting by giving someone aid it should remove their autonomy?

@powder India isn't rich.

@powder they formed their space program 49 years ago.

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Yet kids in Africa & Yemen are starving...something is very wrong with our foreign aid.

Carin Level 8 Jan 25, 2019
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And here's me thinking that Foriegn Aid meant aid to help the poor and needy.

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Yes and others pay for it, especially the US population.

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Thats exactly the reason and excuse why they receive foreign aid..

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Both countries are of strategic importance, so what is the problem?

There are kids actually starving in countries where we could be sending that money instead of Israel, especially. Israel had better health care than the US.

@Carin Sure, but foreign aid isn’t necessarily for feeding people. More often it’s a payment to secure strategic relationships. Around one percent of our total spending is for foreign aid and I see it as money well spent. Being such a prosperous country I wouldn’t mind allowing more foreign aid.

@powder They may not need it, but being such a powerful and prosperous country it’s probably in our best interests to continue with aid.

I think a lot of people get caught up on the wording. “Foreign Aid” isn’t necessarily aid in the same sense that the word is used day to day.

@indirect76 I see--I don't think the general public is aware of that, at least as an openly stated strategy.

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Go figure!

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