Quote:
Originally posted by Sir Degrader:
Heres an idea for the UN:
2)Stop making up nonsensical data that doesn't have any real world implication.
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I disagree that its nonsensical. If you have a figure for the number of people dying and you know how much it would cost to deliver food and basic shelter to them, then it should be fairly easy to arrive at a rough estimate of the cost.
And the real world implication is quite plain: we have the wealth to save these people, but we don't bother.
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I'm using the United States as an example here because it seems to be right-wing American's who are especially vocal about criticising the UN's humanitarian activities.
Since September 11th up to September 2004, according to MSNBC, around 1,500 have died in terrorist attacks in Iraq, nearly 700 in Russia, more than 350 have died in Israel, around 200 in Spain and more than 100 in the Philippines.
The US budget for defence in 2005 will be $401.7
billion dollars.
By contrast, the development aid budget of the US is $16 billion, or a measly quarter of one percent of its budget (compare it to the $37.1 billion that the EU gives for example, despite being of a similar size economy in total yet composed of poorer countries).
Yet worldwide, 11 million children
just under five!! die each year from malnutritian, diarrhoeal disease and aids. That's 30,000 under-fives each day, 21 ever minute, 1 every three seconds. Try clicking your fingers a few times and imagine your children dropping like flies instead. Then imagine how fast you'd have to click your fingers to include the preventable deaths for all those
over the age of 5. Then imagine those clicks representing your friends' lives being snuffed out. Try it, it won't take long - we'd get through your entire community in no time.
The attitude of some right-wing people to what are the
real threats facing the world can only be described as utterly chilling as shown by their complete disregard for the value of human life.
(many edits)
PS. Just noticed that Bush is cutting overseas food aid by $100 million due to budget difficulties (
http://www.organicconsumers.org/corp/foodaid122204.cfm) - perhaps the $40 million being spent on his inauguration celebrations might have been better spent in this area? All he has to do is read a speech...
[ 01-20-2005, 09:20 AM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]