I feel the need to respond to EC's post "On Helping Others", which you can find at http://www.sotheotherdayiwas.blogspot.com/.
I feel the need because..... well, I'm bored. I am sure EC wont mind me responding here, and using some of her words, because I know she loves a bit of a debate on issues like this.
EC writes:
"I can see no valid argument for sending aid to foreign countries, when we have starving citizens and children within our own borders. I can see no Good coming from choosing to help someone with abundant means and resources to help themselves - while overlooking the truly needy and desperate amongst us."
I am going to play devils advocate here (again, it comes with boredom).
EC, could it be because you are an American, that you have this view? Could you be a citizen of a country that has not had adequate distribution of funding to the domestic poor, because your government has been too busy spending billions blowing up certain parts of the Middle East?
With that dig aside, I have got to say that I dont agree with the view that there is no good to come from choosing to help someone with abundant means and resources to help themselves, while overlooking the truly needy and desperate amongst us.
Why do I not agree? Because I believe that poverty arises from many many causes. Poverty is often caused because of the system in which the poor live in - they can have all the resources in the world, however their inability to access basic infrastructure does not allow them to access those resources, because of civil war, dictatorship, poorly run economies by corrupt governments.
EC, I would much rather my $100 to be given to a malnurished Ethiopian 4 year old who has been left to fend for themselves because their mother was killed during civil war, than provide my $100 to some poor Australian who has the luxury of living in a democratic country and is not living in fear of having a machine gun held their their head simply for being of a certain race or creed.
At the least the poor in our countries could most probably (depending on their individual situations) CHOOSE to get out of their situation if they really tried.
Anyway, just a thought.
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- kateeighty
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6 comments:
Thanks for opening this debate, Kate! You're right - I love it when people express their views, or play Devil's Advocate! What an opportunity to learn and grow!
And right again: I posted as an American whose world view is admittedly (and ashamedly) far less informed than it should be, and who is way more familiar with the "American situation", such as it were. Also, you should know that the original motivation for my blog post was not national nor even international - it was far smaller in scale. I promise I'll get to the specifics of that at the end of this rebuttal - bear with me!
And so - rather than speak to something I admit I know little of (world views), let me speak to something I've convinced myself I'm an expert on ... ^_^
In my post, it was not by accident that the word 'citizen' was bolded. Mine is a country that has its own elected officials (California Congreswoman Nancy Pelosi, for one) espousing, "We must pass laws to fund programs aimed at aiding and supporting illegal aliens." Imagine that! A US official saying, essentially, that it is more important to help illegal aliens -- over and above its own citizens! Aliens who, by and large, have no intention of becoming citizens. Ever. Whose only reason for wanting to be in our country is to work better paying jobs than they could ever get in their own countries, and then send nearly every cent of that money back "home" to their countries! They do not pay US taxes. They do not invest money back into this country or it's economy. They have no intention of ever becoming citizens, but yet they insist on free medical care, and they demand the right to not educate their young, so these children can instead work in fields and further add to the family coffers back home! Oh and by the way, "We don't like the US child labor laws either", they say, "Please get rid of them so our kids can work fields rather than get an education."
Think I'm off my rocker? All of the above I know only because of personal conversations I've had with more than one illegal foreigner. And I've seen pictures of where they are sending their money. I literally felt ill when one once showed me photos of his 100+ acre ranch 'back home', with many large and immaculate buildings and which employed 100s of ranch hands, and he proceeded to tell me that is why he came to America - so he could run and afford that ranch! When I asked him if he ever intended to stay in America or become a citizen he replied, "No. Why? No one I know that has come here feels that way. We just work and send the money back home .... no problem!"
And in the meantime we as a nation and our officials like Nancy Pelosi choose to ignore starving and uneducated Appalachian US citizen families (as just one example), in favor of aiding illegal aliens! Why starving? Why uneducated? The reasons are many, but honestly? Not too often due to lack of drive or desire! Heads of households unable to work due to disability (most often from working in mines, the only jobs available; widow-maker work, that!). Women of those same households unable to work due to lack of education or skills. And all in those households uneducated and unskilled - again, not due to lack of desire - but due to mere inaccessibility (eg, too remote and can't get to the education + government won't bring the education to them).
The same country/government that tells a US citizen and former soldier that at a take-home rate of roughly $900/month, he makes too much to qualify for any type of assistance. I ask you: in what country can a person pay for all daily needs (needs, not wants - like shelter, food, water, utilities, auto gas/insurance, health/hospital insurance) on $900/month? Because it isn't even remotely possible in the USA, no matter what life style you choose.
Or worse - that same soldier and citizen being told point blank: "If you had a different last name, or your skin was darker, there'd be no problem. The $900/mo. wouldn't be an issue then. You'd get assistance!" This is neither a lie nor an exaggeration - it happened to my ex!
Simple fact of the matter is that mine is a country that would much rather feed the starving in Darfur and educate children in 3rd world countries, rather than have to admit they have starving and uneducated citizens in their own country - solely due to their own ineptitude! Same country that somehow thinks it has the right to preach (their version) of morality and ethics to other countries - arrogantly ignoring or dismissing significant geographic, historical or cultural issues. What right does a country have to preach morality and ethics to anyone, when they allow their own to suffer in favor of helping those not their own? I respectfully submit that charity truly does (or at least should) begin at home.
At the beginning of this tirade I hinted that the reason for my post was neither national nor international - that it was much smaller. That is truth. The reason was about a small group of peopel I know - and am a part of - rushing to help a young, not to mention quite capable and well-to-do, wife pack up her house and prepare it for sale - so she can join her husband who chose to take a better job opportunity in another country. Please don't get me wrong - I've nothing at all against this wife nor her husband, nor even that he chose to work in another country. I like them both a lot, and truly want the best for them. I simply can not justify to myself rushing to help them, when I know full well there are others in our same small group that are far less capable and far more needy. How can I justify helping them, when I look into the eyes of the widowed grandmother that can not afford health insurance, and so has put off making doctors appointments she desparately needs to make? How can I justify helping them, when I look at the misery and shame in the single mom's eyes because she knows full well that what she can afford in the way of clothing and shelter for her children is so woefully inadequate? How can I justify helping them, when I look at the other member of our little group whose hands are so crippled as to be useless - and so there are multiple house repairs and other needs that go unmet - but could so quickly and easily be done by someone more able-bodied?
All of the foregoing is what I meant about it, in my humble opinion, being ill-advised to help others before our own, or thoughtlessly choosing to help those not needy, rather than those truly needy. I'd rather give of my money and time to the widowed grandmother than the wife wanting to join her husband. I'd rather give my money to help feed and educate an Appalachian family, than an unknown in Darfur or elsewhere. But that's just me. Kate, again, thank you so much for opening this debate and playing Devil's Advocate! I've enjoyed it - I just hope I didn't bore you, or any hapless readers, to tears!
You rock, EC.
Response to follow shortly!
Well, because I strive to become a diplomat, I say we should do both. But I'm also a hippocrit cos I haven't given any money to the Burma appeal and I'm a bitch about China right now - the government pisses me off - no, won't go there, okay, now I feel bad, I will give to both appeals, but only if I come across some kids shaking collection boxes near the station, which our school is gonna be doing soon - for both tragedies. I fucking hate China though. [Evil roar]
Shoot me!
But EC is right. The US is full of poverty-ridden citizens. How do you get a job if you can't afford a car? And how do you afford the gas these days to run the car? There's always been a vicious circle of denied poverty going on in the US and the crap TV shows are part and parcel of keeping the masses down and out with their focus on 'celebrities' and those worryingly popular 'reality' shows serving as examples of how the country has been dumped down to such an extent that people have lost the plot - and that is that the presidential candidates shouldn't even be talking about foreign policy these days - it should all be about domestic and American citizens.
The US is a fine country; or was. And can be again.
I still hate China though.
;)
Hey Kate - wots your definition of "shortly", eh? ^_^
Overboard - Thank you! And - you crack me up! ^_^
Shortly - when i think of something good to say! ha ha
I thought I had an arguement back, but I cant seem to find a good one!!!
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