Are we, the Western industrialized nations, doing enough for our fellow earthlings in the developing world?

Question

Check to confirm. The annual budget of NYPD alone - I am not talking about the annual budget of the whole of New York - is more than the annual budget of Nigeria, for instance. And the annual budget of Nigeria (a oil & hydrocarbon-rich nation) is like the annual buget of 4-5 countries in Sub-Sahara Africa.

The annual Defence budget of America is far higher than the annual budget of half of the countries in Africa!!!

Are we really doing enough for the developing world seeing we are all related as the same earthlings sharing the same planet, interrelated by blood, water and spirit.

Should we, in the West, revel in super-abundant wealth, while millions go to bed each night with no food in their stomachs?

Granted, even the wealthy nations have a lot of challenges with satisfying their citizenry and cannot bear all the burdens of the needy nations, still can't we do better for them than we do now?

Answer 1

Yes we do more than any other country in the world. Time for the rest of the world to chip in.

Answer 2

We are already doing more than any other nation in the world, by quantity though not by percentage of wealth.  I personally think that is enough.  Pumping money into these areas is largely throwing good money after bad due to their ast corruption and lack of education.  It cannot be resolved by us without taking over the countries and forcing it down their throats, which we know we don't have the stomach to do.  The best thing we can do is try to educate them and keep them from getting carried away with killing each other.  Feeding them is a waste of time, it just makes more babies and healthy people to go out and kill more.  Heartless, perhaps, but reality is reality.  Let's infuse money somewhere that will realy help mankind, finding the cure for cancer and aids, energy advances, technology to support th growing population of the world - would be a much greater legacy than a few well fed Africans that slaughter each other.

Answer 3

Exactly what "we" are you talking about?  You are free do spend YOUR money as you please.  You can give it to anybody you wish.  But, cuz YOU feel that ":we" aren't giving away enough, you apparently want our government to TAKE more from me, and the rest of "we" and give it to people in other nations.  Yeah, yeah- we're "all" so rich, and they are sooooooo poor.   May I suggest that if you want Robin Hood to run the world- vote for Robin Hood.  But, until then use YOUR money as you please, and stay the heck out of MY wallet.

Answer 4

Why do we have a responsibility to do this?

I don't disagree that we should help those in dire need on a temporary basis.  But, I don't think funneling any more funds throught the UN is a good thing.  It's far too corrupt which equates to money wasted.

Honestly, if were going to use tax dollars to feed people, we should take care of our own first.  I have no problem with individuals providing funds for food on their own.  I don't think doing so should be compulsory.

Answer 5

Why not?

Doing everything they can.

But having communication problems.

When the West say "Democracy"

The Joker say " Mind your own business"

But look at the mess they created in their own backyards?

When the mess creeps out from the graveyards of failures and horrors of the past.

They don't even know what went wrong out there living in misery.

Took for granted the mess was created on all about "Democracy"

When all these while they were digging up their own graves without being aware of it while happily singing  "For he's a jolly good fellow"and blindly following the Piped Piper's tune of "My way"

Luke 9.55-56

Answer 6

I don't owe anyone anything, but I'm more than happy to donate to good charities. That being said, the best thing industrialized nations can do to help the developing world is adopt free trade policies across the board. Developing nations are rich in people, land, and resources. They're not rich in terms of actual wealth. They could compete on the global market if the US and Europe dropped its protectionist trade barriers that block out foreign agriculture. We subsidize our own farmers, as do Europeans, which only ends up costing taxpayers and consumers more money than necessary. We can be charitable to developing countries for the next two hundred years, but unless they can compete globally and attract capital, they'll never be self-sufficient. Also, much of the aid to developing nations gets misdirected and abused by corrupt governments. Charity is an important short-term solution. People need food now. People need medicine now. But what about down the road?

Economic self-sufficiency might eventually lead to freer governments, too. Once people have a stake in society and stability, they tend to demand more of their governments. Maybe a burgeoning middle class in a developing country could change things. I don't know - it's just a poli sci theory. Regardless, this is why I support free trade.

Answer 7

And what would you have us do?  When we've tried to intervene in those countries, most of the money has gone to corrupt leaders.

Even JC himself said "there will be poor, always".

We can only do so much.

God bless for thinking this though.

Answer 8

How quickly we forget; and how we become stupid even more quickly.

America was born rich. It came with an almost ‘too good to be true’ abundance of useful and valuable natural resources, including vast mineral deposits, an abundance of agricultural land, and a climate that maximized the ability of people to live and exploit those resources. Vast oceans physically protected us from the aggression of others.

Then we had the amazing good fortune to be allowed to define our own nation and, when given that opportunity, history gave us a group of liberal, enlightened, and farseeing men who created the first 100% secular government in human history, specifically excluding religion from the power of government and the public sector.

Capitalism does not create liberty and freedom; it is a product of the Constitutional liberty, freedom, individual rights, and the law of man (not God) granted to us by our nation’s Founding Fathers.

Now, we roll over faster than a $2.00 hooker to give up our rights because of fear and ignorance. Capitalism morphs into anti-human, and inhumane, corporate greed under the nurturing and protection of a quasi-theocratic and fascist-trending government.

Our nation does not do enough for others because it is too busy abusing and stealing from its own. Now, even that is not enough and we seek the resources of others – regardless of its effect on them, the American people, or the American nation.

Answer 9

The fact of the matter is that 50 years and enormous amounts of money spent as aid for these nations has resulted in nothing.

Experience has shown us that the problems those countries face are ones that our money cannot fix.  They need to reform themselves - otherwise any additional aid will be wasted.

Answer 10

Whah, Whah, Whah,,,,  yes, we need to do less overseas and more at home.....you pinko facist