"US given more aid than any other country in last 4 years" Powell

[flygal]

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/US/12/28/us-quake.ap/index.html

snip from bottom of article:

Powell, appearing on a string of morning television talk shows, said the Bush administration would contribute large sums.

"The United States has given more aid in the last four years than any other nation or combination of nations in the world," Powell said.



Is this true? Is he counting sending Haliburton to rebuild Iraq "Aid"?

[imenja]

1. military aid

per capita we are fairly low in humanitarian aid, 22nd in the world, I believe.

[ThoughtCriminal]

3. 22nd per capita or GNP?

rather than22nd total I would guess.

[imenja]

4. correction, GDP

I just found the chart and was about to post a correction.

http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Debt/USAid.asp#ForeignAidNumbersinChartsandGraphs

According to this chart, the US has the highest in dollar numbers for the past two years.

I believe I'm still correct that most of the aid we give is military.

[Florida_Geek]

10. like the two billion a year we give israel.

that is pure military aid.

[leesa]

24. Highest in dollar amounts but usually at the bottom for percentage of our

wealth. We ARE cheapskates.

[qs04]

7. Correct! $7.5 billion to Persian Gulf alone over two years

Link
In the Persian Gulf region alone over the past two years, the United States has sold, lent or given away an estimated $7.5 billion worth of weaponry, other military equipment and training assistance, according to State Department figures.

[NYC]

2. He's more concerned with image than with giving aid.

Bad priorities.

[Piperay]

6. More often than not the correct thing is done

for the wrong reason but chimp doesn't even do them at all, he doesn't even care about image which is a pretty scary thing. :-(

[DebJ]

21. can't do that right, either...the image thing!

[sweetheart]

5. Another bushishta abusing statistics

The proper measure is "per capita" or GDP weighted per capita, as in
absolute terms, a pittance for the rich man is a major contribution
for the poor one.

The EU could play a similar game and bulk up their contirbutions by
nation in to one big pot and call the amount "bigger"... when the
truth is that, on a scale of all human beings on earth, equally
weighted, american humanitarian aid contributions are stingy.

Surely the statistics of the amounts "given" for buying american weapons
for security obscure the even deeper truths regarding the amount of
aid that is actually for civil purposes.

Colin is a liar, and i need only replay his WMD video from the
united nations to recall the man's track record of making shit up.

[AliciaKeyedUp]

15. Two proper measures

One is per capita or based on GDP as you suggest. But it is fair to say the U.S. gives more than any other nation.

This is a horrible tragedy, but the world is filled with horrible tragedies. Do we try to fix them all? What do we do at a time of budget busting deficits?

[The White Tree]

20. We do what we can

This is a tragedy that continues to grow in lives and devastation and is one of the most devastating to have occurred that I can remember. The after affects from the devastation and lack of food will continue to add to the tragedy.

Aid we can provide now will save lives and make a definite difference.

Who cares what the cost to our deficit. If we are to be the global beacon we say we want to be, this is where we need to stand up and lead.

At least this is what I feel personally which is why my wife and I are also donating money that affects our personnel budget.

[AliciaKeyedUp]

22. Well, I care about the deficit

I have children. They are already in debt up to their eyeballs over Iraq. I want a reasonable approach to what we spend elsewhere.

[Bridget Burke]

25. Well--who caused the deficit?

Complain to your president about that, as well. It's a good idea to remain solvent so extra money will be available for situations like this. However, Iraq is your first priority!

[Crunchy Frog]

8. Yeah, but it was mostly in the form of bombs

dropped on people in order to "liberate" them. I think that most of what we give is military aid so that people can keep killing each other. That may not really be what the world needs right now.

[Allenberg]

9. ...

They wanted the aid, because they wanted liberated. Don't you remember the streets lined with people throwing roses at tanks and offering them nice hotel rooms and hot coffee?

Man, what war are you watching?

[Crunchy Frog]

12. Nice post. I appreciate a sarcastic sense of humor.

Welcome to DU.:toast:

[pinniped]

11. Ya, and there used a time many countries admired the US.

FY colon bowel for your help in turning this country into shit.

Have fun in NYC dropping the ball, again.

[DebJ]

13. all our drug companies should be able to afford to send lots of

medicine and money, you know....come on, Pfizer, kick it up!

[Disturbed]

14. $30 Mill for Coronation and parties?

If this Neo Fascist Admin. had any shame or compassion they would slim that down and donate most of that to the relief. You know damn well they won't do that.

[Allenberg]

16. ...

I'd rather have the money than the medicine.

The medicine might kill 'em faster. ;)

[The Zanti Regent]

17. Who cares what Powell says?

Honestly, I don't know who has done more to destroy America, the old fart or his sleazy son...

[kcwayne]

18. Another example of how to lie with statistics

Because of its size, the US gives more aid than countries with smaller GNP. But it is a laggard on a per capita basis.
This is from an article in the Washington Post that requires a registration:

Among the world's two dozen wealthiest countries, the United States often is among the lowest in donors per capita for official development assistance worldwide, even though the totals are larger. According to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development of 30 wealthy nations, the United States gives the least -- at 0.14 percent of its gross national product, compared with Norway, which gives the most at 0.92 percent.

link

[salin]

19. sorry Colin - really shouldn't include

bribes to support the war (eg the "coalition of the willing") such as giving a LOAN to Poland to buy US made helicopters (ie the money stayed in the US) just days before they announced they would participate in IRaq - that kind of aid isn't viewed by the rest of the world as foreign aid...

[ProfessorGAC]

23. A Statement Apropos Of Nothing

We have the most money, and over half the countries in the world NEED the aid. So, at least the bottom half is already eliminated, since they receive, not give, foreign aid.

So, if we cut the pool by half, then look at the overall per capita GDP of the countries that are left, we SHOULD be giving the most.

This isn't anything for Powell to brag about. It should be tautological.
The Professor