Our Tax Dollars

"Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt."

Herbert Hoover

 

The amount of time it would take to cover this entire subject is much more time than I have left on this planet. That being said, I want to start with the United States Agency for International Development.

 

In USAID's FY 2011 Budget they have asked for moneys to provide various types of assistance to 40 Nations that do not like us. These 40 Nations stab us in the back in the United Nations, tell the world how terrible we are, and some of them support or harbor terrorists. Does that make any sense to you? Why are we giving money to Saudi Arabia? Do they really need it? Why are giving $1.6 billion to Pro-American Nations like Somalia, Red China, North Korea, Vietnam, Libya, Cuba, Columbia and Venezuela? We're giving money to Red China and than borrowing money from them. Is there any logic in that?

 

USAID's FY 2010 Budget showed that the Top 20 recipients of Congress' largess received $982.5 million of our tax dollars. Nine of those nations belong to that group of 40. But what I really like is USAID's Top 20 Vendors. These organizations received $2.3 billion from USAID in FY 2010. Which brings me to a few questions. We gave $484.1 million to the World Food Program and the World Health Organization. Both are branches of the United Nations. When did the UN ever do anything for us? Where were they for Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Oil Spill?

 

USAID gave $112.4 million to the International Organization for Immigration. This not an American organization, but a not for profit group based in Switzerland. The IOM's budget for FY 2010 was $40.3 million. WE GAVE THEM 279% OF THEIR BUDGET! Couldn't these funds have been better spent on our southern border?

 

USAID has given $181.4 million to NFC Payroll Services, a unit of the US Department of Agriculture. Is that to pay USAID employees? Is some of that fee's to the agency to pay USAID employees? If so, what does the US Treasury do?

 

They've given $300.3 million to various organizations to combat AIDS/HIV, TB, and Malaria. Very worthwhile causes, except none of those dollars were spent on fighting those diseases within the United States. Shouldn't some of that been spent helping eradicate illnesses in this country? Couldn't it have been split between the DVA's Veterans Health Administration and the US Public Health Service? One of those recipient organizations has employees filling 41 job titles. I don't know the actual head count in each position, but the average salary for the group is $77k and only five of those job titles earn less than $50k - and this is a non-profit!! Average salary for a non-profit is $77k, average salary in Mercer County, WV is about $28k.

 

The last organization I want to mention is IBRD/WBI. They received $160.5 million from USAID. USAID only lists them by initials, but the initials mean INTERNATIONAL BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT/WORLD BANK INTERNATIONAL. We're giving money to a bank? What they do is the same as any bank. They make loans, provide guarantees and risk management services, and provide analytical and advisory services. Do they do that for free? They're a bank, what do you think?

 

I did leave out one little thing. These FY 2010 expenditures are only for the FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THE FISCAL YEAR! In FY 2009, USAID spent $2.7 billion in the first six months, compared to $2.2 billion in the first six months of FY 2010. However, in FY 2009's third quarter they spent another $1.8 billion and in the fourth quarter they spent $12.1 billion. Do you know why they spent that much in the fourth quarter? Very simple, it's the way bureaucrats work. I learned in the Navy, during a six month stint as a squadron supply officer, if you have any money left at the end of the fiscal year, Treasury takes it back and your budget is cut by that amount of money for the following fiscal year. The civil servants and military refer to the fourth quarter as "use it or lose it!"

 

I strongly recommend that you take a close look at the Federal budget. We have the highest national debt ever, and are borrowing money from other nations to maintain solvency, but we spend it rather recklessly.

I urge you to write your Congressman and Congressman Eric Kantor about this. USAID should be eliminated as a government agency and it's budget used to reduce the national debt.

 

"A billion here, a billion there. Pretty soon you're talking about real money."

attributed to the late Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois

 

God Bless the United States.

 

Gunner sends.