Aid to Israel is a financial travesty and needs to be stopped

[desura]

Under Obama, aid to Israel was bumped up from $3.1 billion a year (!) to $5 billion a year. That is a third of NASA's budget. Furthermore, money raised in the United States which goes to fund settlement activity--and tax deductions taken from such funds amounts to a subsidy.

http://ifamericaknew.org/stat/usaid.html

Total aid to Israel since 1948 is $127 billion. It is over half of the foreign aid budget. The other top recipients are countries which are affected by Israel, such as Egypt.

https://electronicintifada.net/blog...-exempt-donations-illegal-israeli-settlements

A billion a year is raised in the US that goes towards Israeli settlement construction. Assume, say a 20% tax reduction from those donations and that is another $200 million.

In contrast, the muslim countries of the area at least pay for weapons that the US sells them.

You also have to wonder how much of the push to change regimes in Syria is for Israel's benefit, regarding their Golan Heights dispute with Syria. This is similar to how arguably the Iraq war was pushed perhaps on a subconscious level for Israel's benefit.

 

[dank69]

Today I learned only 1,250,000 Americans pay tax each year.

 

[desura]

Today I learned only 1,250,000 Americans pay tax each year.

oops, yeah.

 

[Azuma Hazuki]

Hey here's an idea! How about Israel and the entire rest of the Near and Middle East all FOaD?

 

[brycejones]

But jesus, and the government needs to support moving the Jews to Israel so we can accelerate the end times.

 

[agent00f]

Under Obama, aid to Israel was bumped up from $3.1 billion a year (!) to $5 billion a year. That is a third of NASA's budget. Furthermore, money raised in the United States which goes to fund settlement activity--and tax deductions taken from such funds amounts to a subsidy.

http://ifamericaknew.org/stat/usaid.html

Total aid to Israel since 1948 is $127 billion. It is over half of the foreign aid budget. The other top recipients are countries which are affected by Israel, such as Egypt.

https://electronicintifada.net/blog...-exempt-donations-illegal-israeli-settlements

A billion a year is raised in the US that goes towards Israeli settlement construction. Assume, say a 20% tax reduction from those donations and that is another $200 million.

In contrast, the muslim countries of the area at least pay for weapons that the US sells them.

You also have to wonder how much of the push to change regimes in Syria is for Israel's benefit, regarding their Golan Heights dispute with Syria. This is similar to how arguably the Iraq war was pushed perhaps on a subconscious level for Israel's benefit.

"Aid" to Israel is mostly white welfare for americans, ie well paid jobs building bombs for "patriots".

 

[shortylickens]

Today I Learned: White Welfare means Jobs.

Says a lot, doesnt it?

 

[agent00f]

Today I Learned: White Welfare means Jobs.

Says a lot, doesnt it?

None of that shitty brown welfare for Real americans.

 

[pcgeek11]

I think we should totally reevaluate our foreign aid policies. Banning any country that has any ties to any terrorist activity and only supply countries that actually need aid.

 

[WelshBloke]

Banning any country that has any ties to any terrorist activity

That's probably every country ever!

 

[Puffnstuff]

We need to stop giving away the very resources that we need to take care of our own people.

 

[agent00f]

I think we should totally reevaluate our foreign aid policies. Banning any country that has any ties to any terrorist activity and only supply countries that actually need aid.

We need to stop giving away the very resources that we need to take care of our own people.

That's rather the beauty of the military aid handout system. The killing tools might go to "allies", but the money goes to domestic degenerates.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I think we should totally reevaluate our foreign aid policies. Banning any country that has any ties to any terrorist activity and only supply countries that actually need aid.

Considering how much the US has propped up terrorist dictatorships over the last half-century, we wouldn't be able to fund ourselves under this policy.

 

[woolfe9998]

Under Obama, aid to Israel was bumped up from $3.1 billion a year (!) to $5 billion a year. That is a third of NASA's budget. Furthermore, money raised in the United States which goes to fund settlement activity--and tax deductions taken from such funds amounts to a subsidy.

http://ifamericaknew.org/stat/usaid.html

Total aid to Israel since 1948 is $127 billion. It is over half of the foreign aid budget. The other top recipients are countries which are affected by Israel, such as Egypt.

No, it isn't "over half the foreign aid budget." Even without Afghanistan being our number 1 recipient, it's still way under half. And that's just the military assistance, which totals $16.8 billion. Israel gets none of the $25.6 billion we dish out in economic assistance. Also, where did you get this increase to $5 billion? I don't see it even in your highly biased link. From what I've read, aid is $3.1 billion and has been for several years. It's projected to increase to $3.3 billion by 2019.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/world/which-countries-get-the-most-foreign-aid/

Looks like Israel receives $3.1 billion out of a total of $42.4 billion in foreign aid. That's about 7%. Even if you're right about it being increased to $5 billion, we're nowhere near half.

Oh, and NASA's budget for 2016 was $19.3 billion, not $15 billion.

You're batting .000 in the accuracy of your information, and all your errors curiously cut in the same direction.

https://electronicintifada.net/blog...-exempt-donations-illegal-israeli-settlements

A billion a year is raised in the US that goes towards Israeli settlement construction. Assume, say a 20% tax reduction from those donations and that is another $200 million.

LOL @ your sourcing. Try something a little less obviously biased and a little more mainstream.

You also have to wonder how much of the push to change regimes in Syria is for Israel's benefit, regarding their Golan Heights dispute with Syria. This is similar to how arguably the Iraq war was pushed perhaps on a subconscious level for Israel's benefit.

Why do we have to wonder? Why can't we just say that Israel is the Great Satan and that they're behind everything terrible done in this world? Why not, after all, when no one seems to require any facts to back up their opinions. We only need to assert that we know precisely what is going on in other people's minds, even down to their collective subconscious. Funny how people with strong opinions like to engage in such highly convenient speculation.

 

[agent00f]

No, it isn't "over half the foreign aid budget." Even without Afghanistan being our number 1 recipient, it's still way under half. And that's just the military assistance, which totals $16.8 billion. Israel gets none of the $25.6 billion we dish out in economic assistance. Also, where did you get this increase to $5 billion? I don't see it even in your highly biased link. From what I've read, aid is $3.1 billion and has been for several years. It's projected to increase to $3.3 billion by 2019.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/world/which-countries-get-the-most-foreign-aid/

Looks like Israel receives $3.1 billion out of a total of $42.4 billion in foreign aid. That's about 7%. Even if you're right about it being increased to $5 billion, we're nowhere near half.

Oh, and NASA's budget for 2016 was $19.3 billion, not $15 billion.

You're batting .000 in the accuracy of your information, and all your errors curiously cut in the same direction.



LOL @ your sourcing. Try something a little less obviously biased and a little more mainstream.



Why do we have to wonder? Why can't we just say that Israel is the Great Satan and that they're behind everything terrible done in this world? Why not, after all, when no one seems to require any facts to back up their opinions. We only need to assert that we know precisely what is going on in other people's minds, even down to their collective subconscious. Funny how people with strong opinions like to engage in such highly convenient speculation.

The latest news on that front was 38billion over 10 years of just military "aid", and removal of the exemption to use some of that on israeli arms (ie. so Real americans are the only ones to get paid): https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/14/world/middleeast/israel-benjamin-netanyahu-military-aid.html

 

[Puffnstuff]

I'm in favor of supporting Israel for biblical reasons, however, I'm also in favor of helping their neighbors to ease the disparity between them. What I'm not in favor of is giving a said country aid that ends up in the hands of controlling warlords that is used as leverage to control the population.

 

[pcgeek11]

That's probably every country ever!

OK. I'm good with that.

 

[pcgeek11]

Considering how much the US has propped up terrorist dictatorships over the last half-century, we wouldn't be able to fund ourselves under this policy.

Sarcasm noted.

 

[alien42]

without Israel, where else in the Middle East could be base some nukes?

 

[woolfe9998]

The latest news on that front was 38billion over 10 years of just military "aid", and removal of the exemption to use some of that on israeli arms (ie. so Real americans are the only ones to get paid): https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/14/world/middleeast/israel-benjamin-netanyahu-military-aid.html

Even if the amount is $3.8 billion per year, it's still less than 10% of our current aid budget. He said it was over half. He got his facts very, very wrong.

 

[desura]

Even if the amount is $3.8 billion per year, it's still less than 10% of our current aid budget. He said it was over half. He got his facts very, very wrong.

Fine. Slightly off. In terms of foreign military aid it is 54 percent. And that isn't counting Egypt. The rest, like the Saudis, pay their own way.

http://ifamericaknew.org/stat/usaid.html

 

[woolfe9998]

Fine. Slightly off. In terms of foreign military aid it is 54 percent. And that isn't counting Egypt. The rest, like the Saudis, pay their own way.

http://ifamericaknew.org/stat/usaid.html

That's based on a budget request from Trump which hasn't passed yet. It doesn't actually increase aid to Israel but it cuts lots of aid elsewhere because Trump is generally against foreign aid. So that number isn't real yet.

Also, there is no reason to exclude economic aid from the equation unless you're trying to artificially inflate Israel's percentage. You're still way off.

The bottom line is that aid to Israel represents less than 1/10 of 1 percent of our annual budget. It gets outsized attention from people who don't like Israel, but that doesn't make it a significant part of our budget. We literally pay less than 1 cent out of every $10 in taxes for Israel, and virtually all of it goes back into our economy anyway. There are far more significant things to complain about.

 

[agent00f]

That's based on a budget request from Trump which hasn't passed yet. It doesn't actually increase aid to Israel but it cuts lots of aid elsewhere because Trump is generally against foreign aid. So that number isn't real yet.

Also, there is no reason to exclude economic aid from the equation unless you're trying to artificially inflate Israel's percentage. You're still way off.

The bottom line is that aid to Israel represents less than 1/10 of 1 percent of our annual budget. It gets outsized attention from people who don't like Israel, but that doesn't make it a significant part of our budget. We literally pay less than 1 cent out of every $10 in taxes for Israel, and virtually all of it goes back into our economy anyway. There are far more significant things to complain about.

The power to veto any and all UN resolutions against your country is the kind of benefit that money can't buy.

 

[desura]

That's based on a budget request from Trump which hasn't passed yet. It doesn't actually increase aid to Israel but it cuts lots of aid elsewhere because Trump is generally against foreign aid. So that number isn't real yet.

Also, there is no reason to exclude economic aid from the equation unless you're trying to artificially inflate Israel's percentage. You're still way off.

The bottom line is that aid to Israel represents less than 1/10 of 1 percent of our annual budget. It gets outsized attention from people who don't like Israel, but that doesn't make it a significant part of our budget. We literally pay less than 1 cent out of every $10 in taxes for Israel, and virtually all of it goes back into our economy anyway. There are far more significant things to complain about.

All government spending flows back into the economy. Even the infamous "bridge to nowhere." But because by definition Israel is outside the United States, aid to it would be less stimulative than other spending.

Israel is a rich nation, and yet they're in the same boat as poor African nations in getting aid?

More relevant is that much terrorism aimed at the USA is because of Israel. It enrages the Arab world and they lash out at us, and their logic is right. Without the USA's generosity, Israel wouldn't be able to be so arrogant and unjust towards Palestinians.

Given the liabilities that it creates, and the sheer size of the spending, and the $20 trillion debt, it should be cut. Israel would be fine. The USA shouldn't make foreign policy decisions based at root on religion.

 

[momeNt]

"Aid" to Israel is mostly white welfare for americans, ie well paid jobs building bombs for "patriots".