Why the United States Continues to Give around Billions in Aid to Other Countries?

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The United States continues to give around $550 billion in aid to other countries each year, making America the world's top donor by far (Richardson). While the United States government only supplies $252 billion to needy Americans each year. Former Assistant to the President for Communications, Patrick Buchanan said, "The idea that we should send endless streams of tax dollars all over the world, while our own country sinks slowly in an ocean of debt is, well, ludicrous" (Foreign Aid). The United States need to give money to support the domestic impoverished rather than supporting developing foreign countries because the poverty and homelessness in America is increasing faster than the aid necessary to reduce this trend. Part of the reason that the United States should aid the domestic impoverished is that some foreign countries cannot be trusted with the money given to them and in certain cases, the money intended to aid countries are harmful for that country’s well-being.

America has the highest overall and childhood poverty rate of any major industrialized country on earth. Nearly 45,000 people die in the United States each year, mostly because they lack health insurance and cannot get beneficial care. From an economic perspective and as the government tries to fight its way out of this terrible recession, it makes no sense that the United States ignores numerous citizens who could be of such great help (Sen. Bernie Sanders). Poverty in America is about a lack of basic necessities and an uncertainty as to where to get food, an uncertainty how to pay your most bills, and it's about a dependence on either imperfect government institutions or overwhelmed private charities. Even though the United States does not have starvation,...

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...ears Later, Where Did The Money Go?"

The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 11 Jan. 2012. Web. 15 Dec. 2013.

"Overview of Homelessness In America." Homelessness In America.

N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.

Richardson, Clare. "U.S. Foreign Aid By Country." The Huffington Post.

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Aug. 2012. Web. 16 Dec. 2013.

Sanders, Sen. Bernie. "Is Poverty a Death Sentence?" The Huffington Post.

TheHuffingtonPost.com, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.

Shah, Anup. "Causes of Poverty." - Global Issues. N.p.,

23 Mar. 2013. Web. 11 Dec. 2013

Slotnik, Daniel E., and Holly E. Ojalvo. "Should Charities Focus More on America?"

The Learning Network Should Charities Focus More on America Comments.

N.p., 13 Jan. 2012. Web. 12 Dec. 2013.

"“Why Do We Give So Much Foreign Aid?”." Misplaced Grace.

N.p., 19 Aug. 2013. Web. 18 Dec. 2013.

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