wayne&wax

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6.08.2005

more bush shit

from an NYT editorial today:
According to a poll, most Americans believe that the United States spends 24 percent of its budget on aid to poor countries; it actually spends well under a quarter of 1 percent. As Jeffrey Sachs, the Columbia University economist in charge of the United Nations' Millennium Project, put it so well, the notion that there is a flood of American aid going to Africa "is one of our great national myths."

The United States currently gives just 0.16 percent of its national income to help poor countries, despite signing a United Nations declaration three years ago in which rich countries agreed to increase their aid to 0.7 percent by 2015. Since then, Britain, France and Germany have all announced plans for how to get to 0.7 percent; America has not. The piddling amount Mr. Bush announced yesterday is not even 0.007 percent.

What is 0.7 percent of the American economy? About $80 billion. That is about the amount the Senate just approved for additional military spending, mostly in Iraq. It's not remotely close to the $140 billion corporate tax cut last year.

disgusting. and don't even get me started on sudan. kristof's been beating the drum like tito puente to no avail.

the question is: when are folks going to start bombing KFCs in the motherland?


(note: that's not actually a KFC; it's the residence of the commander of robben island prison--of nelson mandela fame.)

2 Comments:

Blogger ripley said...

Can I just say, as well, that although he says a few things that are definitely true, I'm already nauseated that Jeffrey "the blood of the Russian people" Sachs gets to lecture anyone about economic policy?

when has he EVER been right, in reality, as in, when have his recommendations ever been successful?

sick of him...

10:20 PM  
Blogger wayne&wax said...

yeah, good point. i know what you mean. at the same time, as you say, sometimes he marshals some pretty amazing stats. still, i wouldn't go to him for a quote. this one's pretty juicy, though.

6:01 AM  

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