USAID facts

[ProSense]

This Is USAID

The United States has a long history of extending a helping hand to those people overseas struggling to make a better life, recover from a disaster or striving to live in a free and democratic country. It is this caring that stands as a hallmark of the United States around the world -- and shows the world our true character as a nation.

U.S. foreign assistance has always had the twofold purpose of furthering America's foreign policy interests in expanding democracy and free markets while improving the lives of the citizens of the developing world. Spending less than one-half of 1 percent of the federal budget, USAID works around the world to achieve these goals.

USAID's history goes back to the Marshall Plan reconstruction of Europe after World War Two and the Truman Administration's Point Four Program. In 1961, the Foreign Assistance Act was signed into law and USAID was created by executive order.

Since that time, USAID has been the principal U.S. agency to extend assistance to countries recovering from disaster, trying to escape poverty, and engaging in democratic reforms.

USAID is an independent federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. Our Work supports long-term and equitable economic growth and advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by supporting:

• economic growth, agriculture and trade;
  
• global health; and,
  
• democracy, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance.

We provide assistance in five regions of the world:

• Sub-Saharan Africa;
  
• Asia;
  
• Latin America and the Caribbean,
  
• Europe and Eurasia; and
  
• The Middle East.

With headquarters in Washington, D.C., USAID's strength is its field offices around the world. We work in close partnership with private voluntary organizations, indigenous organizations, universities, American businesses, international agencies, other governments, and other U.S. government agencies. USAID has working relationships with more than 3,500 American companies and over 300 U.S.-based private voluntary organizations.

For more information on our business and procurement opportunities, please visit our Business section. If you would like to know more about employment opportunities with USAID, please visit our Careers section of our web site.

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[MikeW]

1. here's my budget

I. Afghanisan -5
Pakistan -3.2
Iraq -2.5
Subtotal 0
II. Global Health Initiative -4 4.5
Global Hunger 1.2
Climate 2.0
Global Engagement -.1 0
Humanitarian -4 0.2
Subtotal 7.9
III. Crisis fund -.1 0
Peacekeeping -1.2 1.0
Foreign military assistance -5.2 0
Peacekeeping ops .3
narcotics Control -1 .2
Military education and T .1
Nonproliferation 1.0
Economic Development -3 2
Subtotal 4.6
IV. Civilian Expansion 0.6
USAID -.4 0
Personnel, Facility and info 11
Subtotal 11.6

Grand total: 24.1B

Net savings 28.7 billion ...
What should we do with that money? Spend it on Americans and JOBS!!!
Im tired of watching Americans getting the shaft when we are sending our money all around the world.
USAID should be dissolved esp. if I see them involved in outsourcing jobs (even if its in a cursory way).

[ProSense]

3. The U.S. budget is nearly $4 trillion, and

about $700 billion is going to war. Yet people are griping about the fact that the U.S. spends less than one-half of one percent of the budget on social and economic aid programs.

[brentspeak]

4. No, people are legitimately upset that USAID is fronting $46 million to train offshore workers

Under Obama's USAID director, Americans will have $46 million of their own taxpayer dollars taken out of their pockets to help train their offshore replacements ($36 million for Sri Lanka offshoring training; another $10 for Armenia). Let's face it: honesty is not exactly a hallmark of your posts here on DU.

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2010/08/outrage_over_us.html

[ProSense]

5. Wow, all of $46 million? Actually, it's not

legitimate, it's a complete distortion.

This has nothing to do with outsourcing. This is aid to train workers in countries to help build up these countries. How is training a worker in a country and employing them in that country outsourcing American jobs? If the U.S. trains a teacher or a technician in Afghanistan that is not outsourcing.

Ending outsourcing is done from within this country by eliminating loopholes and tax breaks for companies that take their operations overseas, and rewarding those that create jobs here.

Here's the State Department's press release:

These four alliances are all with Sri Lankan private companies. USAID's investment of about Rs.1.1 billion is generating an additional Rs.2.9 billion investment from the private sector for a total investment of approximately Rs.4 billion in the construction, business process outsourcing, and apparel manufacturing sectors.

Programs like these are exactly the purpose of this agency. It wasn't too long ago that the administration was being criticized for being extremely slow in appointing a director. The fact is that aid to underdeveloped countries is an important part of American foreign policy.

[brentspeak]

6. You should quit while you're behind

Prosense: "This has nothing to do with outsourcing."

http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/integration/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=226500202

Following their training, the tech workers will be placed with outsourcing vendors in the region that provide offshore IT and business services to American companies looking to take advantage of the Asian subcontinent's low labor costs.

Under director Rajiv Shah, the United States Agency for International Development will partner with private outsourcers in Sri Lanka to teach workers there advanced IT skills like Enterprise Java (Java EE) programming, as well as skills in business process outsourcing and call center support. USAID will also help the trainees brush up on their English language proficiency.

Q.E.D.

[ProSense]

7. You should quit posting RW spin. n/t

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[brentspeak]

11. Of the two of us, who is applauding a quasi-corporate gov't program training offshore workers?

A program that will benefit, with taxpayer dollars, American corporations who likely support Republican and New Democrat candidates in most cases, i.e. right wing politicians?

In other news, your "But it's only $46 million" will remain in my Bookmark folder for posterity.

[MikeW]

8. because

That money you refer to "How is training a worker in a country and employing them in that country outsourcing American jobs?"

would be better spent at home perhapse supporting and retraining the American 99'ers.

[w4rma]

2. Making the world safe for Frankenfood and outsourcing? (nt)

[Mimosa]

10. USAID is an arm which helps bring CIA projects to fruition.

Don't people here know that?

[ProSense]

12. Yeah, all those

armed, covert USAID workers are secretly destroying the world.