U.N. slams U.S. as 'stingy' over tsunami aid!

Wow... just found some more good news for Asia...UN made alot more then $20 billion off the Oil-for-food scandal...

www.cbn.com... (go down to the interview part of the article)

Looks like Asia could get up to $111 billion from the corrupt UN... o wait they worked so hard to get that money in the past 8 years... sorry Asia

Go to hell UN

I dont get it,

If US interests have such a big slice of UN controlled pie, then take into account the oil-for-food scandle and the billions which was funneled out of Iraq. What are the odds that the US were actually involved in the scandle themselves? I mean Vice pres Dick Cheney himself, side stepped a bunch of UN sanctions with Iran (Americas true threat) to allow Haliburton construction contracts with Terhan.

The 2nd cheif in command, you know America's number two! was dealing under the table with the enemy and what do we do? re-elect them!

But as long as our national media outlets continues to focus our attention on the lesser of two evils, who cares right?

Give me a break. We help everyone, all the time, we feed more people in the world. The UN is mad because the US went to Iraq and found out all the crap that was really going on with the UN food scandle.

If anything, America should be sending people to help with the clean up.

Originally posted by metalfan87
Wow... just found some more good news for Asia...UN made alot more then $20 billion off the Oil-for-food scandal...

www.cbn.com... (go down to the interview part of the article)

Looks like Asia could get up to $111 billion from the corrupt UN... o wait they worked so hard to get that money in the past 8 years... sorry Asia

Go to hell UN

The UN did not make $111 billion or even $20 billion.

Please read the fricking article you posted. "The amount that the UN actually supervised was $111 billion worth of business that Saddam had signed on to, including $65 billion in oil sales and $46 billion in relief contracts approved by the United Nations."

There was $111 billion worth of business conducted during the Oil for Food program. They aren't saying that's how much money went missing.
The $20 billion figure that's going around is the amount of money Saddam pilfered through illegal oil sales (some pre-dating oil-for-food) and kickbacks on contracts. That money did not go to the UN. It went to Saddam's regime.

BTW, I was worried about getting a warning so I removed the part where I called you a moron.

[edit on 28-12-2004 by AceOfBase]

@MysticalUnicorn;

Countries are not poor because they don't work as hard as the rich ones, here's some statistics;

www.advantagein.com...

www.wtowatch.org...

It's an old falicy that poor people are lazy.

[edit on 28/12/2004 by ANOK]

One thing that can't be discounted with US are the huge private sector charitable institutions. Not all charity from US citizens goes through the government. I would say the MAJORITY of help comes from private charities and donations. This is just a foriegn idea to socialists who think that unless it comes from the gov., it isn't coming at all.

The entire EU has gave a whopping $4.6 million while the US has gave 15 million with a planned 20 million more so it will be 35 million. Japan has also planned to give $30 million.

How are we stingy again

Originally posted by ShadowXIX
The entire EU has gave a whopping $4.6 million while the US has gave 15 million with a planned 20 million more so it will be 35 million. Japan has also planned to give $30 million.

How are we stingy again

Dont forget the french, 150k.

I know its all relative to the size and worth of the country but that has to be a little low for France. Or what about the EU they are suppose to be some economic super power and Japan by itself gave way more.

$4.6 million

That is really pretty low at this point. Germany alone gives 2 Million Euros (should be approx 2.7 Million US)
Apart from the other aid we are sending.

I guess other countries will raise their budget too or this number is already outdated.

This has already been said but obviously not read, so i will re-post it. He isn't only talking about the US but western countries in general.

"It is beyond me why are we so stingy, really," the Norwegian-born U.N. official told reporters. "Christmas time should remind many Western countries at least, [of] how rich we have become."

I would have to agree with him and i intend to do my part by giving $100 to the red cross (not much but better than nothing). Although i wish the government would chip in more because if everyone in Australia just gave $1 that would be 20 mil. $10 (200 mil) from everyone in Australia doesn't sound unreasonable and the only way that is going to happen is if the government pays it, overwise it's unlikely that everyone will chip in.

2 things:

1.The UN is Un Needed.

2. It's stupid to argue about who spent how much.


Some of my more unsavory family members have the same arguments about the price of christmas gifts. It's the thought, and the effort that counts. People ar suffering, we need to address that.

Well it seems that US got the hint and is going to be very generous alright, not only on money but on supplies as well, and lets no forget that US citizens are very generous also, when religious organizations get together to collect money also.

Yup - not apples to apples and the UN and others can shove it....

We (the US) are down the lists on "official" aid because we have a lower tax rate and hence lower percentage of giving at the government level. Those other countries higher up have much higher tax burdens on their populace and can give more "official" aid as a percentage of their GDP.

Our private giving is whopping and when totaled up, puts us much higher on the lists, although there is not an actual dollar amount to pin down, only estimates. The private foundations, religious charities and private donations by us peeps are huge....

Do they count our airlifts/supply drops, and rescue planes (those P-3's) zinging about - no, only cash aid and not in the kind stuff that we do anyway and yes it costs money to do that stuff. Thumbs up for India launching a flotilla of ships and we will probably be moving assets into the area as well, although I've seen nothing yet other than the P-3's. Takes us a while to load up and move stuff and since much of our aid comes via the military they actually have to ask and grant us landing rights to get the stuff in BTW....

[edit on 28-12-2004 by UofCinLA]

Originally posted by tsuribito

$4.6 million

That is really pretty low at this point. Germany alone gives 2 Million Euros (should be approx 2.7 Million US)
Apart from the other aid we are sending.

I guess other countries will raise their budget too or this number is already outdated.

Germany is one of the strongest economic powers in the EU along with others like France but they gave less then a 20th of what Germany gave. So I suspect Geramny is making up the lion share of that 4.6 million.

Its still early so I bet the EU numbers will go up, but its funny the UN is slamming the US already when they gave far more then the EU. Just seems the in thing to do right now is bash the US any chance you get.

Can someone please show me where the UN singles out the US? I have read the article many times and have not found any quote which suggests this.

whoops...
UN official backs down: Rich nations not stingy

Besides the 35 or so million dollars the gov is giving, here's some of the private orgs accepting donations

www.nytimes.com...
www.cnn.com...


When all is said and done there will be very few nations to even come close to the amount the US will give (government and private aid).
I know now he probably realizes how wrong he was, but what possessed him to say that in the first place?

Interesting article ThatsJustWeird

"The United States, the world's largest economy, contributes about 0.13 a year of its GDP to development aid. But that figure excludes aid to Iraq and Afghanistan as well as food aid, where the United States is the world's largest donor."

Why is food aid excluded from those figures? You would think food is on of the most important factors in aide without it you die quite quickly.




[edit on 28-12-2004 by ShadowXIX]

Do you people even read the articles and posts before going off?

The second post in this thread:

Originally posted by AceOfBase

Originally posted by SIRR1
The United Nations wants (us), the United States to raise our taxes to pay for Tsunami aide?

Are these people at the United Nations ****ing nuts!

First the UN slams the United States on the War in Iraq.

Then we find out the United Nations was in bed with Iraq prior to the war and they did not want the loose the cash cow.

Then we find out about the United Nations Oil for Food scandal where Billions went into the pockets of UN officals and now the UN wants more money for aide?

This is what he actually said:

"It is beyond me why are we so stingy, really," the Norwegian-born U.N. official told reporters. "Christmastime should remind many Western countries at least, [of] how rich we have become."
"There are several donors who are less generous than before in a growing world economy," he said, adding that politicians in the United States and Europe "believe that they are really burdening the taxpayers too much, and the taxpayers want to give less. It's not true. They want to give more."

He didn't say why is the US so stingy as the author of that article tried to spin it.
He was speaking of Western nations, including his own.

I agree he was over the line suggesting that taxes in Europe and the US raise taxes to be able to give more to the rest of the world.

BTW Please, please, please stop with this BS argument of billions going into the pockets of UN officals. You know that's its not true.

No one is pointing a finger directly at the US and I find that the title of this thread is wrong and inflamitory.

Originally posted by SIRR1
The United Nations wants (us), the United States to raise our taxes to pay for Tsunami aide?
Are these people at the United Nations ****ing nuts!

You bet they are that was the first thing that came to my mind, when I saw the story.

Then we find out the United Nations was in bed with Iraq prior to the war and they did not want the loose the cash cow.

Then we find out about the United Nations Oil for Food scandal where Billions went into the pockets of UN officals and now the UN wants more money for aide?
But through the United Nations I dont think so!

I would suggest the UN is the stingy ones here or should I say greedy? They should take the billions they made off the food for oil program and turn them over for the needed aide.

Raise our txes in the US, I do not think so Kofo.