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A good use of tax dollars?

A good use of tax dollars?

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Remember y'all posting about the USAID money?

What about this? $200 million seems like A LOT!!!

https://www.salon.com/2025/08/03/trump-expands-white-house-with-rose-garden-overhaul-200m-ballroom/


@wildgrass

For hosting POO-tihn in style.


@wildgrass said
Remember y'all posting about the USAID money?

What about this? $200 million seems like A LOT!!!

https://www.salon.com/2025/08/03/trump-expands-white-house-with-rose-garden-overhaul-200m-ballroom/
$200 Million is small potatoes when USAID for the average year is about $70 Billion.

I dont think I ever saw anyone condemning US aid. Aid is a good thing. What people condemn is aid that is useless, ie it does not reach the intended recipient, or it is for ridiculous reasons. Aid can also lead to corruption, and end up in the bank accounts of politicians which happens all over Africa.

Here is an example of Zimbabwe. They receive US aid, money and medical supplies. Some of the money ends up in peoples bank accounts. Medical supplies are sold to pharmacies, and then sold to the poor. Over 2000 pharmacies were found to be selling the free lifesaving drugs provided by the US.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e6pl6302zo


@wildgrass said
Remember y'all posting about the USAID money?

What about this? $200 million seems like A LOT!!!

https://www.salon.com/2025/08/03/trump-expands-white-house-with-rose-garden-overhaul-200m-ballroom/
no tax money was involved...you have allowed salon to make you look foolish


@Rajk999 said
$200 Million is small potatoes when USAID for the average year is about $70 Billion.


https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1e6pl6302zo
actually 42.8 which is considerably less than 70.

Joseph Pisani, Betsy McKay, Joseph De Avila: What to Know About USAID, the Agency Elon Musk Wants Dead. In: WSJ.com (The Wall Street Journal). 6. Februar 2025

1 edit

@Ponderable said
actually 42.8 which is considerably less than 70.

Joseph Pisani, Betsy McKay, Joseph De Avila: What to Know About USAID, the Agency Elon Musk Wants Dead. In: WSJ.com (The Wall Street Journal). 6. Februar 2025
Ok ... the correct term for all money, food, medicine, machinery etc disbursed to foreign countries is 'Official Development Assistance'. USAID is the agency in charge of disbursing these funds. So in 2024 this ODA was around $63 Billion. It was a bit higher before that.

Either way the entire system is corrupt and it is obvious to US embassies, and honest politicians all over the 3rd world, that systems need to be put in place to ensure that these funds do not end up in the wrong place.

https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/policy-issues/official-development-assistance-oda.html


@Rajk999 said
Ok ... the correct term for all money, food, medicine, machinery etc disbursed to foreign countries is 'Official Development Assistance'. USAID is the agency in charge of disbursing these funds. So in 2024 this ODA was around $63 Billion. It was a bit higher before that.

Either way the entire system is corrupt and it is obvious to US embassies, and honest politicians a ...[text shortened]... rong place.

https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/policy-issues/official-development-assistance-oda.html
A lot of these funds were ending up in politicians pockets.


@Rajk999 said
Ok ... the correct term for all money, food, medicine, machinery etc disbursed to foreign countries is 'Official Development Assistance'. USAID is the agency in charge of disbursing these funds. So in 2024 this ODA was around $63 Billion. It was a bit higher before that.

Either way the entire system is corrupt and it is obvious to US embassies, and honest politicians a ...[text shortened]... rong place.

https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/policy-issues/official-development-assistance-oda.html
The proper procedure is for Congress to charge the government accounting office to investigate how the funds are being spent. The president has no constitutional authority to terminate, curtail, or delay funds which Congress has already approved. as you might recall, Trump’s threat to delay arms deliveries to Ukraine if they did not turn up dirt on the Bidens, his self-proclaimed perfect phone call, was what led to his first impeachment.

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@Rajk999 said
Ok ... the correct term for all money, food, medicine, machinery etc disbursed to foreign countries is 'Official Development Assistance'. USAID is the agency in charge of disbursing these funds. So in 2024 this ODA was around $63 Billion. It was a bit higher before that.

Either way the entire system is corrupt and it is obvious to US embassies, and honest politicians a ...[text shortened]... rong place.

https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/policy-issues/official-development-assistance-oda.html
You spout what Trump wants people to hear. That program LITERALLY saved millions from starvation so take your propaganda BS and shove it,

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@moonbus said
The proper procedure is for Congress to charge the government accounting office to investigate how the funds are being spent. The president has no constitutional authority to terminate, curtail, or delay funds which Congress has already approved. as you might recall, Trump’s threat to delay arms deliveries to Ukraine if they did not turn up dirt on the Bidens, his self-proclaimed perfect phone call, was what led to his first impeachment.
Here we have yet another great example of the uselessness of 'proper procedure'. This situation is decades old, and is particularly pronounced in African countries. The investigation has already been done, but nobody is prosecuted and nothing is put in place to fix it. From the link I posted earlier about Zambia ...

But US officials said they had discovered the "country-wide theft" of medical products that were intended to be distributed for free to the public and were now being sold by private pharmacies .... The US embassy said it had presented its findings and offered experts to help stop further theft and bring the culprits to justice in April last year but no action was taken.

Talkers v Doers.

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@sonhouse said
You spout what Trump wants people to hear. That program LITERALLY saved millions from starvation so take your propaganda BS and shove it,
Rather than post emotional nonsense, maybe you can try to post the facts, preferably with a link so that interested people can read it. This constant reference to Trump when there are other issues is really childish.

So, what program are you referring to.
Where did you get the figure of millions saved from starvation.

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@Rajk999 said
Rather than post emotional nonsense, maybe you can try to post the facts, preferably with a link so that interested people can read it. This constant reference to Trump when there are other issues is really childish.

So, what program are you referring to.
Where did you get the figure of millions saved from starvation.
TRUMP is the one LITERALLY killing starving children where a ONE FKING DOLLAR peanut butter roll keeps kids from dying from starvation but all that is gone now and LITERALLY hundreds of thousands of children are now dead and if you, well, clearly DON'T believe me, google it yourself, I am not your librarian.

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@Rajk999 said
Here we have yet another great example of the uselessness of 'proper procedure'. This situation is decades old, and is particularly pronounced in African countries. The investigation has already been done, but nobody is prosecuted and nothing is put in place to fix it. From the link I posted earlier about Zambia ...

But US officials said they had discovered the "cou ...[text shortened]... nd bring the culprits to justice in April last year but no action was taken.

Talkers v Doers.
Procedures matter. Due process is designed to prevent tyrants from throwing people into prisons without charge and without access to legal counsel.

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@sonhouse said
TRUMP is the one LITERALLY killing starving children where a ONE FKING DOLLAR peanut butter roll keeps kids from dying from starvation but all that is gone now and LITERALLY hundreds of thousands of children are now dead and if you, well, clearly DON'T believe me, google it yourself, I am not your librarian.
Decent people with integrity post facts, often with supporting evidence, and without the insults and unnecessary drama. Then there are people like you.

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@Rajk999 said
Decent people with integrity post facts, often with supporting evidence, and without the insults and unnecessary drama. Then there are people like you.
LIke I said, GOOGLE the issue yourself and you will FIND how many children have died.