Why does the US standby when there's so much poverty in the world?

Answer 1

The US doesn't stand by. They take advantage.

Answer 2

why do other nations expect the US to solve poverty?

Also, if you understand the importance of oil in ending poverty then you understand that preventing a madman and his children from controling a large chunk of the world's oil can be seen has keeping the ability to help everyone in the world go about their business an easy process....this includes helping other people. The US is currently sacrificing a lot of life and money and the results will be a free and open oil supply(not just for corporations for every citizen of the planet).


The world is complicated, most negative things that people do have positive effects, and vice versa.

Excuse any run on sentence.

To the guy that responded further down....the oil supply is free and open right now. I don't mean oil is free, I mean the flow is free and it is free right now. The demand is being met, that is what I meant. When the demand stops being met, the first thing that stops happening is the extra charitable effort people put forth. There might be plenty of food and medical supplies for the unfortunate third worlders but there won't be fuel in the planes to take it there.




and let me explain something....foreign aid IS NOT a donation from the American citizens, it is an amount of money that was taken away from the American citizens with threat of imprisonment(taxes) and then decided to be sent somewhere else by the politicians. That is not a donation, that is robin hood tactics which most Americans, if they had the free choice(as they are supposed to or so says our constitution) then that figure would be a lot lower as would any other country if they actually gave their citizens the right to chose how much they would want to donate.

Answer 3

twilightseven & m_diddy04: "is there poverty in the US?" no, there isn't. if you think there is, i recommend a trip to calcutta, or even better, uganda.

jymsis & anonymourati: and we also donate less per capita than almost any other developed nation in the world. http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0930884.html
http://www.its.caltech.edu/~kai/foreignaid.html
if the US with by far the largest economy didn't donate the most, that would be quite shocking. the only reason why we do donate the most is because there are a lot of americans and a very strong economy. a better measure is the per capita foreign aid donations, which, as you can see, is sadly behind many other countries.

mike: a "free and open oil supply"? and this is going to benefit every citizen on the planet? riiight. by the time the oil supply is "free and open" there will be no more oil left. i think the issue is not so much about the US solving world poverty as it is the immorality of the people in the US spending thousands of dollars on unnecessary luxuries when children die in some places due to the want of a $1 vaccination or $100 in food.

Answer 4

I say have the Cathloic Church sell all that valuable stuff in the the Vatican to museums and use the money to help the impoverished.

That or just have the people that are impoverished actually do something for themselves other than stand around looking for a US hand-out.

Most of the poverty ridden countries are that way because people don't stop fighting long enough to build their economies. Or they stop just long enough to rest up, get fed by countries that give handouts then go right back to fighting each other. Fight the cause and the effects will be different. Keep the cause the same, the effect will always be the same.

Its the old 'give me a fish, feed me for a day, teach me to fish and you feed me for a lifetime'. They don't want to know how to fish, they just want the fish hand-out.

Answer 5

Because when we are so fat, we become lazy, it is human nature. Besides, it is not entirely true that we "standby". Much, much aid does come out of the US. Not enough. And, not enough within the US. There is poverty, intense poverty, right here at home. If we all gave, no one would have to do without.

Answer 6

There are even Americans who are in poverty. There is choice. I didn't have to have love and children. I could have chosen my career and money. But, money cannot give love. I am one who needs love. Love doesn't pay the rent, but it makes poverty a hell of a lot easier to deal with.

Answer 7

Actually the United States is the largest single donor of foreign aid for humanitarian purposes in the world, and indeed the largest in the history of the world. Moreover, it is the largest supplier of food for the world battle against hunger and provides the largest number of agricultural advisors to help improve agricultural production in disadvantaged nations.

Answer 8

Aid Amount as percentage of GNP 2005:

Norway 0.93
Sweden 0.92
Luxembourg 0.87
Netherlands 0.82
Denmark 0.81
Belgium 0.53
Austria 0.52
UK 0.48
Finland 0.47
France 0.47
Switzerland 0.44
Ireland 0.41
Germany 0.35
Canada 0.34
Italy 0.29
Spain 0.29
Japan 0.28
New Zealand 0.27
Australia 0.25
Greece 0.24
USA 0.22
Portugal 0.21

Foreign aid isn't as simple as handouts.
It's often USED to get something from a country--- which often means the governement uses it to further exploit the poor. For instance subsidized grain that enters a foreign economy destroys a peasants ability to produce capital -- and she must work to sustain her family.

And the lion's share of US aid goes to countries that serve it's interests anyway.. it's going to Russia, Iraq, and places that produce oil, not Africa.

The US is more concerned with exploitation, colonialism, and their war-budget. We are ideologically a libertarian, far right country.

Answer 9

The US does its part by tackling the effects, rather than the causes, of poverty. Sure, sending aid abroad is nice, but supporting the governments that allow such conditions to exist is where the flaw lies.

Answer 10

And whats the US supposed to do? It cannot fix poverty in countries where their government is completely corrupt.

Answer 11

when the commercials come on to help the children in foreign countries stop changing the channel do what a lot of Americans do and pitch in than you'll know your helping and you wont have to ask this question.