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Politics : DON'T START THE WAR -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: AK2004 who wrote (15595)	3/5/2003 12:37:57 AM
From: PartyTime	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 25898

Albert, I think when you look at things from a per capita basis, America's ranking sinks in lots of categories. However, when it comes to imprisoning people per capita, the US ranks right up there frequently in the Number One slot. I find this contradictory to a nation that prides itself on liberty, don't you?

To: AK2004 who wrote (15595)	3/5/2003 12:54:34 AM
From: saltonpepper	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 25898

How much aid does the United States give? Less than 1 percent of the U.S. budget goes to foreign aid. President Bush’s 2003 budget proposes about $11.4 billion in economic assistance and about $4.3 billion for peacekeeping operations and to finance, train, and educate foreign armed forces. How do U.S. aid levels compare with those of other countries? The U.S. foreign-aid budget as a percentage of gross national product (GNP) ranks last among the world’s wealthiest countries (at about 0.1 percent). In raw dollars, however, the United States is now the world’s top donor of economic aid, although for more than a decade it was second to Japan, which is far smaller and has been beset by economic woes. In 2001, the United States gave $10.9 billion, Japan $9.7 billion, Germany $4.9 billion, the United Kingdom $4.7 billion, and France $4.3 billion. As a percentage of GNP, however, the top donors were Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Sweden. The tiny Netherlands (pop. 5.3 million) gave $3.2 billion in 2001—almost a third of what America contributed. Do Americans understand how much of the U.S. budget goes to foreign aid? No. A 2001 poll sponsored by the University of Maryland showed that most Americans think the United States spends about 24 percent of its annual budget on foreign aid — more than 24 times the actual figure. Do Americans support increasing foreign aid? Yes. A University of Maryland poll, which was conducted in July 2002, indicated that 81 percent of Americans support increasing foreign-aid spending to fight terrorism. According to the poll’s findings, the typical American would like to spend $1 on foreign aid for every $3 spent on defense; the real ratio in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2003 is $1 on aid for every $19 spent on defense. terrorismanswers.com