This morning I intended to write a post on returning from the golf course. Michael beat me to it.
My thoughts turned this way when Herman mentioned something that had appeared in the local paper this week. Immediately after Dubya promised $35 million in relief, our local editor decided that wasn’t enough. The paper identified numerous CEOs in this country who make more than that annually. Okay. And what does one have to do with the other? After all, my tax dollars aren’t paying those CEO salaries, but Dubya is promising government money. The two are not even linked.
Secondarily, which Article of the Constitution permits our federal government to expend money in this way? And this isn’t an issue of compassion–the American people have donated, and will continue to donate, many millions of dollars through private charities. It is an issue of fiscal responsibility and adherence to the Constitution.
Our government, unlike so many others, was established with a document which gave it certain powers, and no more. Yet it is continually usurped. And MSM is all over the “stinginess” of our government.
The list of US-bashers is long, but heading that list is every functionary in the UN, not the least of whom is the Secretary-General.
Michael hits all the right notes, so I won’t belabor the issue. I will echo his urging of phone calls to Congress, and many emails. The reason? The UN building has not been cared for properly and is falling apart. They want the US to take care of things by providing loans (which will probably never be repaid) for repairs–$1.3 billion worth. I believe it would be far cheaper to build a new home for the UN in Baghdad.
Let’s see. All the nations who hold membership in the UN provide money through dues. That money has been used to fund salaries, and nothing else. No aid comes from the dues. No building maintenance is included in the annual UN budget. The US, Japan, Australia, and Canada, who are working together outside UN oversight to help in South Asia, fund over half of the entire UN budget each year.
Doesn’t appear to me we really need a UN.
UN
Yeah, this pretty much sums up how I feel about the UN too. Thanks, Bunker….
Trackback by trying to grok — January 2, 2005 @ 2:21 pm
Yeah, the whole situation sucks. I would be making a much larger private donation, through the charity of my choice, if I didn’t already know that I was contributing involuntarily through the federal pledges.
Comment by Bogey — January 3, 2005 @ 12:45 pm