"US Should Not Help Tsunami Victims"

[TexasLawyer]

From right-wing CNS News. First article on compassionate conservatism:


By David Holcberg
CNSNews.com Commentary
January 03, 2005

As the death toll mounts in the areas hit by Sunday's tsunami in southern Asia, private organizations and individuals are scrambling to send out money and goods to help the victims. Such help may be entirely proper, especially considering that most of those affected by this tragedy are suffering through no fault of their own.

The United States government, however, should not give any money to help the tsunami victims. Why? Because the money is not the government's to give. Every cent the government spends comes from taxation. Every dollar the government hands out as foreign aid has to be extorted from an American taxpayer first.

Year after year, for decades, the government has forced American taxpayers to provide foreign aid to every type of natural or man-made disaster on the face of the earth: from the Marshall Plan to reconstruct a war-ravaged Europe to the $15 billion recently promised to fight AIDS in Africa to the countless amounts spent to help the victims of earthquakes, fires and floods -- from South America to Asia. <more>

http://www.cnsnews.com//ViewCommentary.asp?Page=\Commentary\archive\200501\COM20050103a.html
**************


Article 2 on compassionate conservatism-- This one from HundredPercenter:

315 Million Too Much

The cataclysmic events that have gripped South East Asia, specifically Indonesia and Sri Lanka, is melancholic for every man with an iota of decency. However, as horrible the Indo-Chinese Tsunami was- is it America's responsibility to bear the greatest burden, financially?

As America deals with an enormous national debt and trade deficit, it seems foolhardy for America to donate such large sums of dollars to a place that is corrupt and riddled with Islamic extremism from the top down. The prospect of colossal sums of dollars being stolen by rebel factions in Sri Lanka and Indonesia is great. Nonetheless- many do gooders feel that we must contribute billions upon billions of dollars- in order to kiss and make up with Muslims.

As a matter of principle- HundredPercenter is not donating a dime to any charity or relief effort in Asia- where anti-Americanism runs unfettered.

Call me callous.
<more>

http://hundredpercenter.blogspot.com/2005/01/315-million-too-much.html

[FM Arouet666]

1. 315 million, what is that about two days of the Iraq war

Sorry, killing, maiming and destruction is worth our dollars, helping out fellow human beings in distress is not. Those great American values again.

[Downtown Hound]

2. The tax crybabies are at it again

Americans pay the lowest income taxes int he western world, but these whiners like to think that they would all be millionaires if they simply paid a few bucks less. Idiots.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. These "people" -- if you want to call them that --

are lower than whale shit. Some little kid whose parents are dead and whose home has been destroyed gets to starve or die of cholera because these asswipes hate Muslims and don't want to spend "their" tax dollars on foreign aid, or even donate to charities? I don't really believe in Hell, but if there is one I hope an especially hot place is reserved there for anyone who'd turn their backs on starving, desperate children. This is straight up industrial-strength evil.

[fooie]

4. Conservative moral philosophy

"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." - John Kenneth Galbraith

[satya]

7. Welcome to DU, fooie--that's a great first post!

:toast:

[TexasLawyer]

13. GREAT quote, Fooie

and a great first post. I second the welcome to DU.

[Sandpiper]

5. Anxious to spend money to harm, reluctant to spend money to help

The "compassionate conservative" philosophy in a nutshell.

The piece of human debris that opposes us spending $350 million to help victims of a disaster likely has no problems with the U.S. spending three times that amount every week to create a disaster in Iraq.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[satya]

9. No, I haven't seen that story--would you post the link? n/t

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[satya]

23. Thanks, but given I'm a liberal, I take CNSNews with a grain of salt. n/t

[Sandpiper]

10. Boy, that's a surprise

n/t

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[puddycat]

12. you would deny aid to poor people because they may be "anti-semitic"?

that's just wrong. This is the kind of stuff that gets liberals a bad name--the self-righteous attitude of "OOOh--you said something that is politcally incorrect-- bad, bad unworthy people!"

All people (except maybe Ghandi or Mother Theresa) say and do things all the time that are incorrect, unenlightened, biased, and just WRONG. That doesn't mean they aren't good human beings. And the way to educate them certainly isn't by ignoring them when they are covered with mud and scabs and sores from a tidal wave, their homes demolished and their lives ruined.

Fuck that. I'm for helping people. I don't care if they all hate people who look exactly like ME, I'm still going to try to help them--because they are human beings. Maybe I'm just funny like that. And maybe, just maybe, by reaching out and finding common humanity we can grow. For God knows our culture and society is in desperate need of that.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Skittles]

25. you sound just like a compassionate conservative

nt

[puddycat]

28. I'm beginning to think you are right. That poster talks like a freeper

[puddycat]

27. good grief! Of course I would help them! I love some of them dearly!

Some of the people I love most in the world are fundies--I don't pretend to know how to change their political views, but I know they are human beings as worthy of respect as you or I. And by the way, they would save YOU if you were in need, even though you just said you wouldn't do the same for them.

[DulceDecorum]

8. Americans have been killed by the tsunami

(CNN) -- The U.S. State Department is working to find thousands of Americans who are still missing after powerful tsunamis struck countries bordering the Indian Ocean.
Spokesman Richard Boucher said Thursday the confirmed death toll of Americans killed in the disaster has risen to 14.
The exact number of missing Americans in the region is unavailable. "We're working, at any given moment 2,000 to 3,000 names,..." Boucher said.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/30/tsunami.americans /

Twelve US citizens died in "embassy bombings"
and we all know how the US went on the rampage after that.
No talk of revenge this time?
Fourteen is more than twelve.
How can the US suffer this indignity in silence?
Is no-one going to whip the sea?
It could use a thorough lashing.
It hasn't had one since Xerxes showed it who was boss.

[Kablooie]

11. Well damn! We need to send our troops to attack that tsunami!

We can probably be in and out within a week and put the lead tsunami on trial for human right violations!

[ThoughtCriminal]

14. Some other things that are extorted

Quote:
"Every cent the government spends comes from taxation. Every dollar the government hands out as foreign aid has to be extorted from an American taxpayer first."

Every cent the government spends on faith based funding.
Every cent it spends in Iraq.
Every cent it spends on republican pork.

Oh, but if it's going to wealthy white republicans that's not extortion is it? Astonishing. Historians will marvel at this with the same facination we now find in 19th century apologists of slavery.

[non sociopath skin]

18. Thanks for sharing this, TL.

I have reposted on a UK NeoCon site where I troll around sometimes: so far, their main response to the disaster has been crocodile tears so it will be interesting to see their reaction ...

The Skin

PS Yes, great quote Fooie. Thanks and welcome.

[Skittles]

19. I will call him more than "callous"

he is a sick, heartless bastard

[SOS]

21. Tsunami aid, no. Corporate welfare, yes.

The right-winger writes:

"The money is not the government's to give. Every cent the government spends comes from taxation. Every dollar the government hands out as foreign aid has to be extorted from an American taxpayer first."

Speaking of extorting the taxpayer...

"According to the Cato Institute, some 129 federal programs now spend $87 billion of our money each year subsidizing big business. Here are a few examples:

In fiscal 1995, taxpayers spent $1.4 billion subsidizing sugar farming. 40% of this money went to the largest 1% of sugar farms.

Taxpayers spent $465,000 to help advertise McDonalds' McNuggets and $2.5 million to promote Dole products overseas.

Texas Instruments received $13 million to create civilian applications for military hardware. Hewlett Packard received $10 million and Chrysler $6 million."

[daydreamer]

22. It makes me proud to see American helicopters

dropping relief supplies. It makes me ashamed to see American helicopters dropping bombs.

[underpants]

24. This message is getting out-heard it this morning on local talk radio

SO many holes in that argument it is hard to figure out where to start.

[Skittles]

26. it is disgusting, ugly racist trash

that's why it is finding its niche in talk radio

[tngledwebb]

29. Sadly American citizens are giving far less per capita,

and in every other calculation, than the UK and most EU countries. Not entirely our fault, we are brainwashed by idiots like this on far right, and more often by MSM, aka the F/T BushCoPropogandaMachine, and our attention to any important issue is consistently diverted by MSM intentional focus on trivis.

We are have become nation of brain dead sheep with ADD and Alzheimer's.

But we will receive no sympathy from the rest of the world for this tragic illness. And no charity.

[vixengrl]

30. Call me old-fashioned.

I *like* the idea that the USA can be a force for good, and that our people are basically generous and have our hearts in the right place. I like the idea that we are part of a global community, and that the other nations with which we share this globe are our neighbors. And although the aid coming from our country is from tax dollars, and although there may be those in those countries who have anti-AMerican feelings--you know what I say? I don't give a crap! Let them hate us us when our helicopters, our air carrier, our troops, bring in supplies. If in the face of enormous tragedy followed by our attempts to try to right some of it--somebody still wants to have a beef, so be it, it's on them. But we did the right thing. And for what it's worth, I think the world would see that--and it's (here's the realism) priceless.

And if the complaint is--"Well, I never voted to have *my* taxmoney helping Southeast Asians," well, I never voted to have *my* taxmoney do quite a number of things it very well may have.

[kineneb]

31. Bunch of Scrooges

from "A Christmas Carol":
"If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it and decrease the surplus population. Besides -excuse me - I don't know that."

and of course... "Are there no prisons...are there no workhouses?"

The spirit of Scrooge lives in the repugican party.
Shame on all of them!

[Sugarbleus]

32. These a holes will always find a "reason" for NOT giving dollars

to anyone or anything. I'm sure this article doesn't represent all the republicans in our country. There are many among them that do express their charity in word and deed.

When the help started pouring in for this disaster via the private sector, I was warmed by it. I've been riveted to the Tube watching the coverage. It's all very sad for the people living in S. Asia. I was/am relieved to see that we can do something positive for others..that our military can do something truely helpful. I've had high hopes for us as I watch the continuing coverage. Too bad there has to be a catastophe in order to bring all the people together for a common good.

THEN, the pundits start talking about "why" the Tsunami happened ("God allowed it"; conspiracy theories etc) and then this type of article. It's just sickening. Is there any hope for our country; for the world? I'm feeling very depressed.