From the New York Times article "Foreign Aid Set to Take a Hit in U.S. Budget Crisis":
The House appropriations subcommittee, controlled by Republicans, proposed cutting the administration’s request by $12 billion, or 20 percent, to $47 billion, with $39 billion for operations and aid and $7.6 billion for the contingency account for Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan . . .
The Republicans also attach conditions on aid to Pakistan, Egypt and the Palestinians, suspending the latter entirely if the Palestinians succeed in winning recognition of statehood at the United Nations. However, one of the largest portions of foreign aid — more than $3 billion for Israel — is left untouched in both the House and Senate versions, showing that, even in times of austerity, some spending is inviolable.
“However, one of the largest portions of foreign aid — more than $3 billion for Israel — is left untouched in both the House and Senate versions, showing that, even in times of austerity, some spending is inviolable”. …
Yet the article does not explain why aid to Israel is “inviolable.”
Perhaps you could explain to this dense old woman who doesn’t understand why social security and medicare are threatened, why teachers have been laid off, along with firemen and highway patrolmen – all across America… while, Israel – which can well afford to pay its own way… gets $3bn. Do you know how many teachers we could rehire, how many seniors barely live on the little social security they now get (while Congressmen, with their pockets bulging from the largess of the Israel Lobby, are only too happy to continue paying. It’s similar to a protection racket, imho.
Please, explain to me why another country needs our tax dollars more than we in the USA do.
All good questions my friend. Let’s see if u get a response. 3 billion is just the tip of the iceberg. That doesn’t include the military gifts we constantly give to our “most important ally in the world” (according to abe foxman).
it is a moral choice. Clean water and schools for Africans, or bunker buster GBU-28′s for Israel.
We are known by our actions
Presumably Congress has been told there’ll be another 9/11 in the event of noncompliance. With nukes or something.
And there is no money to support small business.
That the authors felt no need to explain is a testimony to the grip the israeli lobby has on the American legislature; any senator, congressman or congresswoman would fear for their job if they even discussed cutting aid to israel as a possibility.
Looks like I read it differently than others.
I took the lack of explanation for the “inviolable” spending as reflecting the fact that the reasons are so well-known for that inviolability that no explanation was necessary.
in times of austerity – the phrase always brings me back to this song .
link to youtube.com
I was a miner
I was a docker
I was a railway man
Between the wars
I raised a family
In times of austerity
With sweat at the foundry
Between the wars
I paid the union and as times got harder
I looked to the government to help the working man
And they brought prosperity down at the armoury
“We’re arming for peace me boys”
Between the wars
I kept the faith and I kept voting
Not for the iron fist but for the helping hand
For theirs is a land with a wall around it
And mine is a faith in my fellow man
Theirs is a land of hope and glory
Mine is the green field and the factory floor
Theirs are the skies all dark with bombers
And mine is the peace we knew
Between the wars
Call up the craftsmen
Bring me the draughtsmen
Build me a path from cradle to grave
And I’ll give my consent
To any government
That does not deny a man a living wage
Go find the young men never to fight again
Bring up the banners from the days gone by
Sweet moderation
Heart of this nation
Desert us not, we are
Between the wars
and when he sings
For theirs is a land with a wall around it
And mine is a faith in my fellow man
he sings about the difference between Zionism and decency
Thanks, seafoid.
I love it how you link your musical knowledge to Mondo and to life. Keep ‘em comin’.
Our foreign aid to Israel is more like an organized crime kickback.
The Israeli Lobby has an ironclad grip on American political campagins these days and every candidate is visited by AIPAC and asked one simple litmus test question … ‘Will you or will you not vote to continue the billions in year to Israel?’
It is financial intimidation and AIPAC makes it very clear that they will launch an all out support of one’s political challenger is the answer is not in the affirmative
The Israeli Lobby selects out Congressional candidates that will vote Pro-Israel and then uses these individuals to vote all things Pro-Israeli. This is a rigging and corrupting of our political system
It is an organized crime scheme
The intimidation only works because our politicians are so attached to their jobs. They regard keeping those jobs as infinitely more important than keeping their self-respect.
There’s something wrong with the whole system of electing our leaders. The ancient Greeks regarded election as an aristocratic system of rule, whereas the democratic way of choosing leaders was by lot, randomly, from among the body of adult male citizens. In Athens, only the highest executive office — the 10 generals — and certain financial offices were filled by election. For all other offices, including the upper house of the legislature, the boule, or Council, the members were chosen by lot. (The lower house was the Assembly, the ekklesia, which all adult male citizens could attend and vote in.)
yes, representation by lottery
provided there’s a mechanism for instant recall
In something like a legislature, why is there any need for recall? Any nuts will be counterbalanced by all the other legislators.
Remember, choice of legislators by lot means that every segment of the population is represented proportionately to its representation in the general population.
\lysias, you’re right, no need for recall mechanism
And in the event that doesn’t work, there are always those evangelical nuts at Congress’s heels with their fear-mongering intimidation tactics:
if we don’t “bless Israel”, we will be under God’s curse.
Yes, a long running RICO conspiracy. Ask the FBI. Sad to say the national democrats are it’s longest victims and then us. Now it seems the republicans are on board, except one? Seems like we’re going to have to hit bottom first and then see if there is anything salvageable. It’s going to get ugly. Oh well.
Hej!
Exactly. exactly.
I strongly encourage all American zionists to really shove israel down the throats of American voters. Please I beg them to place israel above the millions of starving American children (1 in 4 children in America go to bed hungry).
The more Americans start seeing how israel is more IMPORTANT than their dying neighborhoods, the better. For the approaching backlash.
Now there is an idea for a series of posters. Make them simple.
“1 in 4 children in America go to bed hungry.
America sends $3bn to Israel every year.”
“n,000 teachers have been laid off for lack of funds.
Israel gets $3bn of your taxes every year.”
“n,000 firefighters have been laid off for lack of funds.
$3bn of your tax money goes to Israel every year.”
And so on.
Try it.
“We’re so far in debt that we’re never going to get out of it unless we look to each other around this table and say, ‘It’s time to sacrifice,’ ” Sen. Lindsey Graham
“There are people in my party, in the Senate, who are talking about eliminating aid to the state of Israel—over my dead body!”
Sen. Lindsey Graham
jajaja
link to politico.com
link to dailypaul.com