Medicine
Lodge High School
Medicine Lodge, Kansas
Teachers:
Devra Parker and Steve Germes
Equality
By
Adam J. Hunt
12th Grade
The
idea of “foreign aid” conjures up a specific message in my mind.
I hear the important words of Martin Luther King lingering within my
head: “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the
true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all
men are created equal." Although
King was talking about racial issues, it still pertains to the equal rights of
men. This issue deals with life
itself. The family next door
should not have to wonder whether or not there is going to be enough food or
someone in a faraway country. Life
does not mean having to squander for every morsel of sustenance.
America definitely needs to continue its commitment to foreign aid, and
I believe the MCA is a step in the right direction.
The
roots of foreign aid are varied, yet the past has not always proven to be
successful. Foreign aid began
with The Marshall Plan, which was created as an emergency assistance program
to help Europe. Also responding
to Europe’s need for assistance, new programs called the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank were implemented.
The IMF and the World Bank are permanent institutions; the Marshall
Plan was a temporary program, which ended in 1951.
Congress passed quite a few programs to assist the foreign aid program.
Over the next 10 years, or between 1951-1961, some
were led by President John F. Kennedy. President
John F. Kennedy stated: “The answer is that there is no escaping our
obligations: our moral obligations as a wise leader and good neighbor in the
interdependent community of free nations.”
In 1961, the Foreign Assistance Act provided for management rules on
development and economic assistance. This
act also established the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
whose primary emphasis was on long-range economic and social development
assistance for all nations.
Yet,
countries receiving aid still struggled.
Michael Tanner tells us that since the early 1970’s, Tanzania has
received more aid than any other country yet it is still the third poorest
nation. Why is America giving
dollars that are not working? This
is where the Millenium Challenge Account comes into play.
Washington File Staff Writer Berta Gomen
says “for the first time we have the opportunity to articulate and implement
a strategy that clearly and accurately defines our different challenges and
matches the right tools to address them.”
She means that we now have guidelines for these nations to follow; we
will demand that they use the money for useful practices in their land.
Perhaps now there will be less waste on
military mass and more on weapons of aid.
Foreign
aid is a tool for change. This
early 1960’s data has indicated that foreign aid can result in providing
longer, healthier and more productive lives for those in need.
Over the past 40 years, life expectancy at birth in developing
countries has increased by 20 years. In
the past 30 years, adult illiteracy in the developing world has been cut
nearly in half. In India, the
literacy rate for women rose 15% in the past decade.
In Uganda, the number of children in primary school has doubled.
Six million Ethiopians are now benefiting from better education and
health services. With the MCA and a determination to ensure that aid dollars
are well spent, it is bound to increase in all of the categories that
desperately need assistance.
Many
of those against giving more foreign aid might say that we need to help the
starving people here first. Although
this might hold some truth, many Americans are apathetic.
We do have homeless individuals who live on the streets, but some are
too stubborn to make their lives better.
Some take in welfare and simply refuse to get a job.
It can be difficult to get a job, especially if there is nothing
available in a certain occupational area.
But, any hard-working individual who puts forth the effort to find a
job can get one. Some are
satisfied with the monthly welfare check.
This country supplies more money in the form of aid to those who do not
work than many who work can receive in a monthly check.
Why do you think we have so many drugs in this nation?
In some instance most prosperous drug dealers are also our welfare
recipients.
If,
as Martin Luther King said, all men are created equal, it is America’s moral
responsibility to help out other nations that are not as financially
successful. If I saw a dog with a
bum leg, as man’s best friend I would go and care for him as I would for any
human being. MCA helps everyone
come close to being equal. Foreign
aid will help every man be in some way as equal as every other man.
Opportunity is what every man should want to have, so in other words
foreign aid in my opinion is a good item, no matter where or who it comes
from.
Questions
Q1.
President Bush claimed that most funds for development do not come from
international aid. He mentions three things that do fund development. What are
they?
The
three things that President Bush mentions are foreign investment, and
especially from trade
Q2.
President Bush reminded his audience that successful development in a
third world country requires more than funds. What two items did he mention in
this regard?
Education
and health care are the two items that President Bush mentions.
Q3.
When is money sometimes counterproductive, according to President Bush?
When
nations refuse to enact sound policies, progress against poverty is nearly
impossible because it subsidizes bad policies, delays reform, and crowds out
private investment.
Q4.
Describe the Millennium Challenge Account and include in your
description what is anticipated from donors and recipients.
The
Millennium Challenge Account will put their efforts in fighting AIDS; bring
computer instruction to young professionals in developing nations; assist
African businesses and their people to sell goods abroad; we will provide
textbooks and training to students in Islamic and African countries; will
apply the power of science and technology to increase harvests where hunger is
greatest.
Q5.
What are the three broad standards that President Bush expects the
leaders of the developing nations to adopt?
President
Bush expects the leaders of the developing nations to adopt these three broad
standards in order to receive aid from America—ruling justly, investing in
their people, and encouraging economic freedom
Q6-
Describe President Bush’s challenge to development banks
and explain why or why not you favor it.
President
Bush is trying to get rich nations to help out poor nations with their
politics, legal and economic reform. I
don’t think this well work because there are no consequences if they don’t
do it after they get the money.
Q7-
What percentage of our national income (GNP) do
you think the United States government committed to foreign aid in 2002?
First answer this question and then
use the Internet to find the answer.
I
think its 15% and the actual answer is .7%.
Q8-
Describe and defend a “Me First” attitude. (Use your head ¾ you won’t
find the answer in the required reading.)
I
think its great to help out other nations with
their poor people. However I
believe we should take care of our people before theirs.
Why help out people over 100,000 miles away when we got people here in
the United States that need just as much help.
Q9-
Describe and defend a “Mutual Benefit” attitude. (Use your head ¾ you
won’t find the answer in the required reading.)
We
put money into helping other nations out and we could receive an alliance with
that country. We help them out
now and we could get help from them later on.
Q10-
Describe three unsuccessful foreign aid programs operated by the U.S.
government or private American citizens.
(Do not use the programs discussed in the testimony of Faith Action for
People-Centered Development Policy included in your required reading. Conduct
research using the Internet. Duplicate examples from the same class will not
be accepted.)
The
WHO program was not successful because United States withheld money from the
United Nations. In the early 70's
when we sent huge vaporized milk to Africa.
When the nations take aid from us you have to buy from us although it
will probably cost more.
Q11-
Describe three successful foreign aid programs operated by the U.S.
government or private American citizens.
(Do not use the programs discussed in the testimony of Faith Action for
People-Centered Development Policy included in your required reading. Conduct
research using the Internet. Duplicate examples from the same class will not
be accepted.)
The
Marshall Plan was successful in some ways.
The Peace Core was also a good problem.
Bill Gates gives 300 million dollars to foreign aid in over a three
year period. A third of our
foreign aid goes to Egypt and Israel. Two
thirds of our foreign aid program goes to fighting drug problems and U.S.
trade.
Q12-
Steve Radelet, Senior Fellow at the Center for
Global Development, believes we can do both ¾ take
care of our own people and lend a helping hand to citizens of less developed
countries. Explain why you think we can or cannot offer aid to both.
I
think we very well help out both but I believe that we should focus more on
our own nation before others.
Q13-
What do you think about Mr. Radelet’s assertion
that “the administration is leaning towards a system in which eligible
countries would write proposals (or business plans) describing their
objectives and strategy, how they would use the money, the benchmarks used for
evaluation. Giving recipient countries this responsibility is a revolutionary
change in US foreign assistance.”?
I
like the idea of Mr. Radelet's.
I think the nations that are getting money should be hold accountable
for their actions.
Q14-
Which of Mr. Radelet’s three concerns regarding
the MCA concerns you and why?
1.
as
more countries in this income range become eligible, there will be fewer MCA
funds available for the poorest countries that are implementing sound
development strategies.
Just
because they are eligible doesn't make them have to get money.
The poorest nations obviously need the most money but other nations
need to catch up with their needs. The
MCA needs to have really tough criteria to become eligibility.
Q15-
There is evidence of an increase in negative world opinion towards U.S.
foreign policy, not necessarily the American people. To counter this negative
perception of the U.S. some people want the U.S. to concentrate more on
weapons of mass assistance (WMA) and less on weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
Please comment.
I
disagree with this because WMD will do more damage that WMA, I think.
Q16-
What does the World Bank recommend as the United State’s “just and
appropriate share” to reach the Millennium Development Goals by 2015? Do you
think our citizens can afford that kind of increase? Defend your views.
This
means to share the wealth in the United States in the economy.
I agree with this plan because the U.S. needs to focus a little more on
our country before another’s.
Q17-
What do you think about the request of Faith Action for People Centered
Development Policy’s request that tax dollars be used to fund, not only
government-sponsored foreign aid programs, but “that funds also go to NGOs
and grassroots organizations.”?
I
don’t think that the U.S. government should do this because the money might
not go to the organizations that need it the most.
Q18-
How many countries would be affected positively by health-related investments
according to the Commission on Macroeconomics and Health (CMH)?
There
would be eighteen countries that would be affected be the CMH.
Q19-
According to the CMH, how much would be gained annually between 2015-2020 due
to saved lives and increased economic growth, if an increased investment were
made in global AIDS and other health services?
15.5
billion dollars will be used to save people in the years 2015-2020 due to the
economic growth.
Q20-
Use the Internet for your research and name the two congressmen who introduced
H.R. 4524. Give a 2-line synopsis of that bill.
Congressmen
LaFalce and Smith introduced the bill to the House of Representatives and the
Senate named it “Debt Relief Enhancement Act of 2002.”
This bill is to amend the existing Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC)
debt initiative of the IMF and the World Bank. Back