There are many things morally and constitutionally reprehensible about foreign aid, i.e. forceful government seizure of citizens’ private wealth for redistribution to foreign countries. Ron Paul’s The Revolution: A Manifesto makes a very strong case.
Among his arguments, Ron Paul quotes Kenyan economist James Shikwati of the Inter Region Economic Network who said about foreign aid: “For God’s sake, please just stop.”
Ron Paul also cites a Hudson Institute study which found that in 2006, private, altruistic Americans gave well over three times as much foreign aid as the government. Were the government to stop the unconstitutional practice of foreign aid and allowed to keep more of our money, the amount of foreign aid would likely go up, not down.
From hudson.org about the study:
To capture the magnitude of [private] giving, the Center for Global Prosperity, at the Hudson Institute, has launched the first Index of Global Philanthropy. This in-depth study of U.S. private giving to the developing world combines existing surveys with original research to reveal the true magnitude of American generosity.
U.S. private giving to poor countries—at least $71 billion in 2004—was more than 3 1/2 times U.S. “official” foreign aid. What this shows is that Americans like to give abroad as they do at home—privately—while Europeans assist people overseas as they do domestically—mainly through their governments.
In fact, U.S. private giving abroad comes close to the amount of official foreign aid from all donor nations combined. Private giving and volunteerism by U.S. foundations and other non-governmental organizations, such as CARE, World Vision, and Catholic Relief Services, top $13 billion.
There’s more to be said. Not only do private citizens give more, but I’d bet the house that dollar-for-dollar their money accomplishes more. The people administering private charities sleep on floors, eat local food, and are motivated by compassion, whereas the bureaucrats administering our government’s altruism need armored SUV’s, thousand-dollar office chairs, computers, and bilingual staffs. Careerism inevitably plays a greater role in their motivation. Government altruism also has many more political strings attached that private charity.
Were we in charge of our own money not only would more of it go to charity, it’d be spent much more efficiently.
www.whatarewedoinghere.net/
Wow. Thanks for the link.
i havent read this, but this’d probably also interest you..
www.amazon.com/Dead-Aid-Working-Better-Africa/dp/0374139563