If you’re like me, you watch how you spend every dollar. Now, I’m not talking to those almost fifty percent of American citizens and global corporations who paid no tax. They’re part of the problem.
Florida’s Senator Rubio stated the problem succinctly. “We don’t need more taxes. We need more taxpayers.” Right now almost half of the population pays no income tax. The rest of us pick up the tab for them.
In the earliest days of our democratic republic, citizens and businesses complemented each other. From the very beginning, fees, tariffs, taxes, call it what you may, were essential to help government provide in its small way that which would serve the citizenry in a beneficial manner.
I know I’m probably stepping into Never-Never-Land when I state that ‘you’d think the president would take into consideration the economic difficulties we face today before making any financial decisions.’
But, you can decide for yourself when you see how he volunteered a hundred billion (100 B) of your tax money to the United Nations over the next three years.
According to the U.S. State Department, the Obama Administration has agreed to contribute $4 billion to the United Nations Global Fund to fight AIDs, tuberculosis, and malaria.
That is a 38% increase of previous U.S. commitments and comes at a time when our jobless rate is over 9% and the economy is still staggering to recover from the recession and we have just increased our debt limit.
Says U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, a total of $11.7 billion has been raised from all countries for this global fund.
Do the math. Obama generously volunteered the American taxpayers to account for one-third of the Global Fund. One-third!
Oil rich nations like Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and the Arab Emirates will contribute next to nothing. China, which as you know holds most of our $14 trillion dollar debt, agreed to contribute an embarrassing $14 million.
I don’t know what the man was thinking. Sure, I know we’ve always been the biggest contributor to the UN, but in hard times like this, that extra $1.4 billion could have been used here at home for the people from whose pockets it came.
And that isn’t all.
In addition to this contribution, President Obama agreed to provide billions more for various other United Nations projects.
Take a look. Here’s what else you’re giving the UN.
· $63 billion to the Global Health Initiative during the next six years
· $1 billion annually to education programs
· $475 million to the Global Agricultural and Food Security Program’
· $800 million from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation to Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and North Africa. An additional $3.2 billion will be provided by private equity capital sources to these Muslim nations
· Unspecified millions made available through USAID for developing tech hubs in Uganda, Kenya, Cameroon, South Africa, and Senegal.
· $80 million through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation for small to medium enterprises in the Middle East and North Africa.
· $2.5 billion annually to 90 countries to “strengthen governance and democratic institutions.”
· $30 billion for Obama’s Climate Change Initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
· $100 billion a year will be provided through taxpayer and private resources to deal with the alleged threat of global climate change.
· The United States pays 22% of the U.N. regular budget and 27% for the U.N. peacekeeping budget. The president has requested an addition $516 million for the regular U.N. budget and more than $2.182 billion for the peacekeeping budget for this year
It isn’t just Obama; it’s all those jokers in Congress. They haven’t done their jobs. They’re too interested in being reelected to make tough decisions. And if we keep letting them get by with it, we’re as much to blame.
A democratic republic must have an informed and conscientious citizenry. Since only about forty percent of us vote, that means the rest of you are shirking your responsibility to our country.
In Hosea from the Hebrew Bible is the quote “They that sow the wind shall reap the whirlwind.” Best we remember that.
rconwell@gt.rr.com
http://www.kentconwell.blogspot.com/
www.goodreads.com/author/show/13557.Kent_Conwell
www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JPCK26
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