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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!ihuxl!pvp
From: pvp@ihuxl.UUCP (Philip Polli)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Using tax money to feed hungry people
Message-ID: <915@ihuxl.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 17-Feb-84 20:06:11 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxl.915
Posted: Fri Feb 17 20:06:11 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 18-Feb-84 04:46:22 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 52

Inmet!nrh appears to be trying to make three points. In the
interest of space, I'll summarize them.

1) S/he claims that people given food by us to live on
   will become dependant upon our largesse. S/he claims that
   this can be shown by studying history, and talks about
   "welfare millionares".

Answer: In recent history, we provided Europe massive amounts
   of economic aid, through the Marshall Plan. Are they dependant
   on us now? Please name a few countries that you think are
   filled with lazy citizens depending on their neighbors for
   handouts, and are perfectly content to continue doing so.

2) S/he claims that if we give food to these countries, corrupt
   officials will skim some of it.

Answer: So what? Just consider it a cost of distribution.
   Should we let people starve to death just because someone
   less needy might get some of the food too? This is, though,
   part of the reason why I would rather distribute food to needy
   nations instead of low interest loans to buy food. Corrupt
   officials can steal the money more easily than they can steal food.

3) S/he states that I shouldn't even suggest that we give this
   food to other nations, since the money to buy it was "stolen" from
   the taxpayers by force by a government that had no right
   to do so.

Answer: You are not being forced to pay taxes to the U.S. government.
   You can leave any time you want. I don't know of anyone who
   would even dream of keeping you here. If you want to stay in this
   country, and obtain the benefits of citizenship here, you are
   tacitly agreeing to take part in this democracy. Part of that
   agreement is that the government will spend some of your earnings
   to provide for the common welfare. What we spend it on is decided
   by our government representatives. All your talk about the 
   government "stealing" money is sheer demagoguery. If you want
   to stay in the house, you have to pay your share of the rent.

   Everyone of us has the right to talk about what we should spend
   that money on, and to try to convince other citizens and government
   representatives to think the same way. Personally, I think that
   using our surplus food to feed starving people elsewhere in the
   world would be a good investment. We would probably be able to save
   a lot of money in the future. We wouldn't have to provide
   so much military aid to prop up those corrupt officials that
   bother you so much.

   
		Phil Polli
		{ihnp4!}ihuxl!pvp