Israel Aid Package Exempted From The Across The Board Cuts

[Purveyor]

By M.J. Rosenberg - January 25, 2010, 8:41PM

I knew, as soon as I heard that President Obama was proposing an across-the-board spending cut, that it would apply exclusively to domestic programs and not to any programs overseas.

That is not only because of the wars we are waging in Iraq or Afghanistan and certainly not because of humanitarian concern for poor Africans or Asians or even Haitians. It is because the biggest foreign aid recipient, by far, is Israel.

The fact is that historically all proposals for across-the-board cuts have carefully exempted the Israel aid package to ensure that that AIPAC will not lobby against them. The pattern is decades old. No matter who (except Ron Paul) proposes the sledgehammer cuts, he is careful to exempt Israel.

It's a pity too. If only the budget cuts included Israel. there would be a strong, intimidating, lobby to oppose them.

Personally, I do not favor cuts in the foreign aid package. America is notoriously stingy when it comes to helping the world's poor and we should be providing more aid, not less. USAID operates on a shoestring and always has. We are not the generous people we think we are, not by a long shot.

As for the Israel aid package, it is the locomotive that pulls the whole foreign aid package to enactment. If the Israel aid was a stand-alone bill, it would pass overwhelmingly (thanks to AIPAC) while aid to the rest of the world would be slashed to nothing.

MORE...

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/01/25/the_israel_aid_package_exempted_from_the_across_th/

[Mari333]

1. another surprise. not. nt

[arcadian]

2. I'm shocked! Shocked I tells ya!

Not

[fascisthunter]

3. pumping money into an extremist Theocracy

[katandmoon]

4. It ain't for nothin' Rahm Emmanuel's middle name is Israel.

[Jim Sagle]

7. Freeper version: It ain't for nothin' Barack Obama's middle name is Hussein.

Either version reads as filthy bigotry.

[katandmoon]

8. YOU are the one who is making it about bigotry. I'm sticking to reality.

[Jim Sagle]

9. Bigots rarely admit it.

[Jim Sagle]

5. Selective outrage as usual.

:boring:

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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