Trump pledges $300M to fight famine in Africa

[TomSea]

Trump pledges $300M to fight famine in Africa

Published: Thu, June 1, 2017 @ 12:00 a.m.

Lost in the controversies that plagued President Donald J. Trump’s first trip abroad was the announcement that the United States will spend $329 million on additional famine relief in South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen.

Trump made the pledge during his meeting last week with Pope Francis in the Vatican, but the news was overshadowed by the atmospherics between two men with widely divergent views on many issues.

The leader of the world’s lone superpower and the head of the 1.2 billion-strong Roman Catholic Church disagree on climate change, immigration, the treatment of refugees and the growing divide between rich and poor nations.

Indeed, even the White House seemed to downplay the aid decision. According to the Associated Press, the announcement of the famine-relief funding was tucked into the last paragraph of a brief readout of the meeting in the Vatican.
- See more at: http://www.vindy.com/news/2017/jun/01/trump-pledges-m-to-fight-famine-in-afric/#sthash.0PRo1q3o.dpuf

[thackney]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0q4o58pKwA

[Maj. Bill Martin]

On a...somewhat related note, I saw an article where Bono recently met with President Bush to thank him for helping combat the spread of AIDS in Africa.

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/bono-hangs-george-w-bush-texas-ranch-061536884--abc-news-topstories.html

Always thought it said a lot about the humanity of both of those men that they became friends over a shared concern over children in Africa, and despite other political differences.  Bono took a lot of crap from the left for sticking up for Bush on that issue.

Not a huge fan of Bush politically, but he was one of the best human beings to ever hold that office.

[Hondo69]

Not a huge fan of Bush politically, but he was one of the best human beings to ever hold that office.

   Have to agree

Never really wanted him for our governor and certainly not for president, but one heck of a good guy.  Bush stories are legendary here in Austin where he'd spend 10 minutes talking to a homeless person, another 10 minutes talking to a CEO, then another 10 minutes talking to the guy who parks the cars.  He didn't care who you were, he treated all people equally and had a real interest in each and every one of us.

[dfwgator]

So does this mean Bono will like him now?

[Sanguine]

On a...somewhat related note, I saw an article where Bono recently met with President Bush to thank him for helping combat the spread of AIDS in Africa.

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/bono-hangs-george-w-bush-texas-ranch-061536884--abc-news-topstories.html

Always thought it said a lot about the humanity of both of those men that they became friends over a shared concern over children in Africa, and despite other political differences.  Bono took a lot of crap from the left for sticking up for Bush on that issue.

Not a huge fan of Bush politically, but he was one of the best human beings to ever hold that office.

So, sending other people's hard-earned money is compassion?  See, that's where we go off track. 

[thackney]

So, sending other people's hard-earned money is compassion?  See, that's where we go off track.

Exactly.  Charity and compassion are giving of yourself, not forcing it out of others.

[dfwgator]

Stop aid, it is killing Africa: A free thinker’s unpopular views on the economics of donations

http://www.nation.co.ke/lifestyle/DN2/Stop-aid-it-is-killing-Africa-The-economics-of-donations/957860-2894138-wmht7gz/index.html

[Cripplecreek]

So, sending other people's hard-earned money is compassion?  See, that's where we go off track.

The thing that impressed Bono about Bush wasn't that Bush gave money like all presidents do but that Bush put plans and action behind the money he sent. He did things that prove to be far more effective like getting wells drilled, and power for small scale irrigation so the little villages could take care of themselves. He didn't just do photo ops. He actually does go and do real work there without much attention.

I do agree that it needs to be donated money. A few years back Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine went to Africa and drilled wells, erected small solar power stations and trained some people to care for them. He correctly stated that for a million dollars he could help far more people in Africa than any government giving a billion dollars to a corrupt African leader.

[truth_seeker]

Oh good, $329 million of other peoples' money, to feed all of Africa for about one day.

But then the next day? (Surely they could feed themselves?)

[XenaLee]

Sending money to aid hunger in Africa would be great.... if hunger alone was the issue/problem in Africa.  It's not.   It's the root causes of that hunger that needs to be fixed.   If you don't fix those, the hunger will go on and on and on ad infinitum and that $300+ million is only a worthless drop in the bucket, especially when most of that money never reaches the actual people starving in the form of food.

Trump needs to address the root causes of that famine in Africa.  Most of which are political (See:  Venezuela).

[truth_seeker]

Sending money to aid hunger in Africa would be great.... if hunger alone was the issue/problem in Africa.  It's not.   It's the root causes of that hunger that needs to be fixed.   If you don't fix those, the hunger will go on and on and on ad infinitum and that $300+ million is only a worthless drop in the bucket, especially when most of that money never reaches the actual people starving in the form of food.

Trump needs to address the root causes of that famine in Africa.  Most of which are political (See:  Venezuela).

Years ago my father, sort of a self-educated type, read about how some countries in Africa, actually moved the people to places that had no food, in order for them to die, to reduce population.

[austingirl]

Great, our tax dollars will end up in the pockets of corrupt dictators and people will still starve.

[Right_in_Virginia]

At more than $5 billion a year in humanitarian aid to Africa, President Bush has given more assistance to the continent than any other president. His administration's aid was largely targeted to fight the major global health issues facing the continent, HIV/AIDS and malaria.

***

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/04/george-w-bushs-legacy-on-africa-wins-praise-even-from-foes/

@austingirl

[XenaLee]

Years ago my father, sort of a self-educated type, read about how some countries in Africa, actually moved the people to places that had no food, in order for them to die, to reduce population.

Genocide has been ongoing in Africa for as long as I can remember.  Remember how Liberia was supposed to be the utopia for American Civil War blacks?   It became yet another nightmare.

Many have travelled there to "help" over the decades.   Billions have been sent there and squandered.... since...I don't see any improvement.   But I'm not going to go there to get a close-up view of any such improvements.  As beautiful as the continent is geographically, the ugliness of what has run amuck there makes it one of the last places I would ever visit.