quote:
Originally posted by Naked Wild Man:
You are joking, right?
Pathetic is what it is.
If America's generosity lived up to the self image of americans, America would of course be by far the biggest donator of wealth in the world, as by far the richest country. But, it isn't even the biggest total donor, much less outstripping all others by far.
And comparitive generosity can only be judged in relation to what the donor can afford to give. The cold, hard facts say that far from being the generous donor nation many americans claim, when compared to other developed western nations it is among the most miserly and stingiest.
No, I'm not joking. Number 2 is better than number 10. What I do find humorous is other nations passing judgement on US.
You're the richest you should "this". You have the most powerful military so you should "this". Do what we want because "this". Quit saying you're the best, but you need to do these things because you are the best. These are things I find pathetic.
One look at statistics and you think you can determine what American can afford to give? I think not.
Some of the cold hard facts are that lots of the nations on that list don't have to spend a large percentage of their GNP on defense. They only need a token military. They don't have to be able to head into a multi-billion dollar military "adventure" at the drop of the hat. That frees up alot of cash for those nations.
Disposable income is an important term in this equation. If I make more money than my neighbor, but he has obligated less of his income, it's entirely possible he has more disposable income.
Also, I wonder what the GNP breaks down to per capita for the nations in question?