I'd like to see the U.S. continue giving humanitarian aid to people who are really in need of it. I'm kind of proud of the picture of bags of rice and wheat flour stamped "U.S.A." being handed off the back of a truck to hungry people. But so much of our aid is wasted, worse yet, it's stolen and resold by corrupt and greedy foreign government officials. I think we can continue our foreign aid but perhaps need to be more discriminating with more oversight so it's not like throwing money down a bottomless pit. And I think we can help those at home that need help without giving up the foreign aid. Humanitarian aid is such a pizzingly tiny portion of the budget that you could fund it from the money that falls through the cracks. Rather than paying for it by raising taxes, we need to reign in these legislators who are buying votes with pork-barrel projects and earmarks for their constituencies. The amount of money that is wasted here at home would pay for foreign aid times and times over. And don't get me started on senseless foreign wars that drain our military and our treasury.
I don't know what Obama's plan is....whatever it is, and if he's elected, it'll come out of Congress as something totally unrecognizable. I think we can have foreign aid, help our needy at home, and all without raising taxes. Well, I suppose I could buy into a marginal income tax increase for the wealthy....not that that's going to raise much revenue....but it's probably politically expedient. Thing is, Congress will raise the rates and at the same time create some new tax shelters, so the Treasury will never see the money anyway. You just wait and see......
