U.S. set to give 40 Billion aid package to Israel without any conditions

[Skroe]

Instead of addressing the issue make snide remarks. Why give them any money?

The real reason?

Because since the Camp David Accords, regular bribes in the form of military aid to Israel and Egypt have kept the peace between the Israelis and the Arabs that surround them. THey went from frighting multiple conventional wars-per-decade to mostly just exchanging harsh words and dirty looks (Saddam Hussein's scuds during the Gulf War notwithstanding). In fact, they discretely cooperate to a great degree now.

Our paybout buys regional peace. Think of it as a subscription fee.

And until relatively recently, it also bought compliance and access. To a degree it still does. The US Army is likely going to buy Israel's Iron Dome (to be produced by Raytheon in the US) to protect bases and outposts, for example.

I'm no tireless friend to Israel whatsoever. They've been horrific allies the past 15 years and generally take the US's relationship with them for granted in a way nobody else does. They could stand to be reminded exactly who in this relationship is the superpower and who is beneficiary.

That said, even a shit ally is still one worth having, especially for the pocket change we pay for it. You know what $4 billion is? The US Government being open for business for about four hours. That's what.

[kamuimac]

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-bl...kage-to-israel



Works out to about 5000 dollars per person there.

It is ridiculous when you consider that there are so many Americans living in poverty. Why give away billions of dollars to a country which is clearly breaking international law and widely condemned by human rights groups?

i would answear that but this would resoult in forum ban - lets call it a tribute that US slaves have to pay to their "old faith" overlords.

[Daedius]

Israel has been leeching money from all over since its founding, so that's nothing new.

Numerous cities in the US falling into decay, better send that money elsewhere...!

It's funny how there was numerous satire back in the day with Tony Blair being the US's lap dog... but the US is just that to Israel. Doesn't help that a ton of people in Government hold dual citizenship with Israel.

[I Push Buttons]

Instead of addressing the issue make snide remarks. Why give them any money?

Self interest?

Maintaining the status quo is literally the goal of our foreign policy. Allowing one of our allies, perhaps our only true ally in the region, to become ever weaker because "muh tax dahllars" is pretty stupid.

[Holas]

[url]
Works out to about 5000 dollars per person there.

It is ridiculous when you consider that there are so many Americans living in poverty. Why give away billions of dollars to a country which is clearly breaking international law and widely condemned by human rights groups?

Sorry this hurts your poor Muslim fanatic heart. Suck it up.

Its 4 b$ per year which is mostly money that is used to buy USA arms. Israel is not getting this money and can't do whatever it wants. Its not something new either, the US gives this kind of aid to Israel for ages. roughly ~100b $ in last 70 years.

To end I will tell you a story on your beloved savages, the palestinians (yes yes not ALL of them are bad):

Few weeks ago there was a terror attack where few Israelies died from a road ambush by assault rifles. Nothing fancy. Not all car passengers died and some of them were hurt inside the car. A palestinian doctor who passed by stopped by and rescued the injured people (see? I told you not all of them are bad!) as well as protected them from his savage people who wanted to hurt/kidnap the kids and threatened him to stop aiding the injured Israelies.
This story got huge headlines in Israel - not everyday you find a palestinian who acts like a normal human being. I would say even a real hero considering the pressure that was put on him by his people.

What turns out? That for saving and aiding the injured Israeli civilians, this doctor was fired from his work for this solely reason. This is what we are dealing with. In a few years you (well not you as you are one of these people but the westerners) will understand what we are dealing against.

[Tennis]

Sure it's not a ton of money, it's $13/year for every American. But why do we do it? What do we get out of it other that politicians courting the Jewish vote here, and a lot of pissed off Muslims over there?

Bro go tell that to these people.

In 2014, 47 million people lived in Poverty USA. That means the poverty rate for 2014 was 15%.

The 2014 poverty rate was 2.3 percentage points higher than in 2007, the year before the 2008 recession.

They'll take whatever help they can get. Build em a new community centre. A new hospital. Better schools.

[Logwyn]

Also:


Oh no, it breaks down to every Israeli getting a decent paycheck once, in a 10 year period.

About 40 bucks a month... Not so great.

[Skroe]

What do you think 40 billion dollars could do to reduce poverty in the U.S? Quite a bit. Go tell those who are struggling to make ends meet that 40 bil isn't a lot.

http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/classic

The US Federal + State + Local governments spend $6.7 trillion a year.

$474 billion of that is on Wellfare.
$557 billion is on Medical Wellfare
$1 trillion of that is on educaiton
$172 billion of that is on sickness and disability.

PER YEAR.

So please explain to me how $4 billion more per is going to radically change the equation? It's not.

I'll tell you exactly what it is though. It's people like you yet again finding something you don't want to spend something on, just because you don't like it. It's that simple. So you begin working backwards to find LEGITIMATELY the laziest way to say "wouldn't it be better to spend the money here". No. It wouldn't be.

You want to increase anti-poverty spending by $4 billion? Then do it. Raise spending by $4 billion. No need to raid another coffer. Budgeting at the Federal level doesn't work like that.

And I'll be frank, after what about to a 25% cumulative defense spending cut under Obama, and letting our international relationships atrophy due to his bizarro foreign policy that even the State Department rank and file reject, it's time to spend money on guns, not butter, so to speak. Past time even. We're rich. We can afford both. The US is not looking for money between the seats.

It doesn't spend $4 billion more on poverty because there isn't a public and political consensus to do so.

[Deleted]

http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/classic

The US Federal + State + Local governments spend $6.7 trillion a year.

$474 billion of that is on Wellfare.
$557 billion is on Medical Wellfare
$1 trillion of that is on educaiton
$172 billion of that is on sickness and disability.

PER YEAR.

So please explain to me how $4 billion more per is going to radically change the equation? It's not.

I'll tell you exactly what it is though. It's people like you yet again finding something you don't want to spend something on, just because you don't like it. It's that simple. So you begin working backwards to find LEGITIMATELY the laziest way to say "wouldn't it be better to spend the money here". No. It wouldn't be.

You want to increase anti-poverty spending by $4 billion? Then do it. Raise spending by $4 billion. No need to raid another coffer. Budgeting at the Federal level doesn't work like that.

And I'll be frank, after what about to a 25% cumulative defense spending cut under Obama, and letting our international relationships atrophy due to his bizarro foreign policy that even the State Department rank and file reject, it's time to spend money on guns, not butter, so to speak. Past time even. We're rich. We can afford both. The US is not looking for money between the seats.

It doesn't spend $4 billion more on poverty because there isn't a public and political consensus to do so.

this ssame argument always used to come up in the UK about foreign aid, i cant remember the figures as i havent seen the media run with it for a long time. but it used to go along the lines of a trash paper like daily mail makes a big story that the UK is giving xbilllion pounds to some country a year, and get in a big rage about how we should be spending that money on british people, it sounded like a lot of money if you looked at it by itself, but when compared to what the government was spending here already and the annual spending, it was nothing, didnt stop certain news papers running with it though

[Polyxo]

Sure it's not a ton of money, it's $13/year for every American. But why do we do it? What do we get out of it other that politicians courting the Jewish vote here, and a lot of pissed off Muslims over there?

It's not even the Jewish vote that supports things like this. It's American Evangelicals.

[ButterBeast]

i'm gonna take the ban for this one.

Whats up with america being such cucks when it comes to israel.

[I Push Buttons]

this ssame argument always used to come up in the UK about foreign aid, i cant remember the figures as i havent seen the media run with it for a long time. but it used to go along the lines of a trash paper like daily mail makes a big story that the UK is giving xbilllion pounds to some country a year, and get in a big rage about how we should be spending that money on british people, it sounded like a lot of money if you looked at it by itself, but when compared to what the government was spending here already and the annual spending, it was nothing, didnt stop certain news papers running with it though

So you think it is in your interest for a country like Pakistan, a Muslim state WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS, to become a failed state? Because they heavily rely on foreign aid.

[Polyxo]

http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/classic

The US Federal + State + Local governments spend $6.7 trillion a year.

$474 billion of that is on Wellfare.
$557 billion is on Medical Wellfare
$1 trillion of that is on educaiton
$172 billion of that is on sickness and disability.

PER YEAR.

So please explain to me how $4 billion more per is going to radically change the equation? It's not.

I'll tell you exactly what it is though. It's people like you yet again finding something you don't want to spend something on, just because you don't like it. It's that simple. So you begin working backwards to find LEGITIMATELY the laziest way to say "wouldn't it be better to spend the money here". No. It wouldn't be.

You want to increase anti-poverty spending by $4 billion? Then do it. Raise spending by $4 billion. No need to raid another coffer. Budgeting at the Federal level doesn't work like that.

And I'll be frank, after what about to a 25% cumulative defense spending cut under Obama, and letting our international relationships atrophy due to his bizarro foreign policy that even the State Department rank and file reject, it's time to spend money on guns, not butter, so to speak. Past time even. We're rich. We can afford both. The US is not looking for money between the seats.

It doesn't spend $4 billion more on poverty because there isn't a public and political consensus to do so.

I would be fine with this if we talked about Israel like another moderately troublemaking country in a war-torn region, instead of a special snowflake. If we just acknowledged that they're the last European colonial state, and a $4 billion bribe keeps them from shooting it out with Jordan and Egypt, it wouldn't bother me.

[Tennis]

It's not even the Jewish vote that supports things like this. It's American Evangelicals.

Isn't their % of the population shrinking with immigration. You would think their grip would loosen.

[Deleted]

So you think it is in your interest for a country like Pakistan, a Muslim state WITH NUCLEAR WEAPONS, to become a failed state?

not really sure what that has to do with what i posted. i wasnt arguing the legitimacy of foreign recipients, just an anecdote on the whole we should be spending foreign aid on our own people argument.

[Kapadons]

Quote from Harry Truman on why he recognized Israel:

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but I have to answer to hundreds of thousands who are anxious for the success of Zionism: I do not have hundreds of thousands of Arabs among my constituents."

It's all about politicians trying to win votes from people who are willing to vote based on one issue.

And? Israel is preferable to Palestine for Americans. So it would serve that it was good for American politicians

[Deleted]

I like linking this map every time people criticize Israel for "breaking international law".

And that magically makes them not break international law?

[I Push Buttons]

not really sure what that has to do with what i posted. i wasnt arguing the legitimacy of foreign recipients, just an anecdote on the whole we should be spending foreign aid on our own people argument.

And I countered that argument with the argument that it is probably far more in those peoples' interest to keep extremists who want to annihilate them from the face of the earth from obtaining weapons of mass destruction more so than adding an extra $15 to their welfare each month.

And that is but one example. Every piece of foreign aid serves a purpose and maintains stability.

Stability, or lack thereof, has far more of an impact on people than anything else. Look at 2008.

[Synadrasa]

I like how we pretend that $40 billion is a lot of money now days.

I make that in a week. Pssh 40 billion....

[Tennis]

I like linking this map every time people criticize Israel for "breaking international law".

How many of those countries are doing this to a neighbour?