President James Monroe a Genius?

President Monroe an Absolute Genius

     In 1823, President James Monroe played the political card and to what would later be termed the Monroe Doctrine proclaimed, "In the wars of the European powers, in matters relating to themselves, we have never taken part, nor does it comport with our policy, so to do."

     Skip ahead to 2009, add the Middle East and Latin America to the quote and you have President Genius Monroe.  Does the United States have to be the Police Captain of the world? I know the argument is that if America does not step up to the plate others will, like the Chinese and the Russians, but can we not find some middle ground?

     The United States spends 37.7 billion dollars of our tax money on foreign aid to countries who despise the United States. Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, all oil rich countries, who need foreign aid like we need more taxes.  Here is a list courtesy of Fox News on just how our foreign aid is being spent:

Much of the foreign aid budget is spent on military, disaster and humanitarian assistance; but some of the spending for 2010 will be heading to countries where dictators rule:

·                          $98 million to persuade Kim Jong-il of North Korea to give up nuclear weapons

·                          $20 million for political prisoners and political rights in Castro's Cuba

·                          $6 million to promote civil society in Hugo Chavez's Venezuela

·                          $500,000 for border security in Muammar al-Qaddafi's Libya

·                          $26 million to help train police in Evo Morales' Bolivia

·                          $56 million to support the rule of law and human rights in Vladimir Putin's

         Russia, arguably one of the world's richest nations

Yet large blocks from the economic aid budget are being parceled out for the Middle East:

·                          $360 million to Jordan to advance political reforms and make local health

         improvements

·                          $250 million for Egypt to push political and economic reforms

·                          $109 million to help foster democracy in Lebanon

·                          $400 million to the Palestinian Authority, which doesn't even represent the 1.5  

         million residents of Gaza

Some of that funding strikes critics as shortsighted and possibly dangerous to U.S. interests.

"I don't think we're really creating security forces for the Palestinians," with that money, said Bolton. "I think we're helping to subsidize an army for a putative Palestinian state."

Other large pieces of U.S. are going to fund objectives that may be of far less use for the U.S., including:

·                          $200 million to integrate Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina into the EU

·                          $177 million to fight greenhouse gas emissions in other countries

·                          $90 million promote energy independence and sound economic policy in former Soviet bloc Ukraine

·                          $62 million to develop a more vibrant civil society in Georgia

·                          $11 million to encourage reunification in Cyprus, which hasn't happened in 35

         years

·                          $28 million on peace in Somalia, where pirates room free, and there is no   government

·                          $3 million for climate change in Jordan

     The United States has to decide as a nation how to make sure that our foreign aid money, our tax payer money, is spent where it will do the most good to countries that actually need it. Who makes the decisions to frivolously spend our tax dollars? Is it the same congressmen claiming that we do not have the money to fight terrorism or to pay for our new healthcare legislation? Where is the accountability?

     Washington D.C is full of thinkers and think tanks, where some of America’s best and brightest hammer out our foreign policy. It is understandable that America needs to protect our interests and our way of life at all times, however we are dropping the ball if we are spending $360 million dollars in Jordan to improve THEIR local healthcare. Was it not the people of Jordan who cheered when our towers fell?

     Time and time again countries have snubbed their noses at America, but have always extended their hands out for need. It is time for Americans to hold our policy makers accountable for how our money is spent. America will always be there and should be there when there is time for real need. Have we ever turned our backs on countries who need us when there is a natural disaster, a drought, etc. etc.. Absolutely not! President Monroe you were a genius. You knew long before our time that America should stay out of the affairs of others.

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