Originally posted by: Drift3r
Other US help includes:
? US Jewish charities and organizations have remitted grants or bought Israel bonds worth $50 billion to $60 billion. Though private in origin, the money is "a net drain" on the United States economy, says Stauffer.
WTF? Private people can give money wherever the hell they want to.
? The US has already guaranteed $10 billion in commercial loans to Israel, and $600 million in "housing loans." (See editor's note below.) Stauffer expects the US Treasury to cover these.
Israel has never defaulted on their loan guarantees.
? The US has given $2.5 billion to support Israel's Lavi fighter and Arrow missile projects.
Again, more misinformation. Those were joint projects between the US and Israel. Not like the US donated money for Israel's private projects.
? Israel buys discounted, serviceable "excess" US military equipment. Stauffer says these discounts amount to "several billion dollars" over recent years.
Yeah, so does half the world.
? Israel uses roughly 40 percent of its $1.8 billion per year in military aid, ostensibly earmarked for purchase of US weapons, to buy Israeli-made hardware. It also has won the right to require the Defense Department or US defense contractors to buy Israeli-made equipment or subsystems, paying 50 to 60 cents on every defense dollar the US gives to Israel.
The US wants to buy The Israeli systems, because they are the best in the world. Do you really think the US would restrict itself like that unless they wanted to?
US help, financial and technical, has enabled Israel to become a major weapons supplier. Weapons make up almost half of Israel's manufactured exports. US defense contractors often resent the buy-Israel requirements and the extra competition subsidized by US taxpayers.
That may be the first legit point he made. But what he overlooks is the REASON why people prefer the Israeli-made arms. In many cases, they are better. So they don't like the competition? Make better weapons, and people will buy yours. It's called capitalism.
? US policy and trade sanctions reduce US exports to the Middle East about $5 billion a year, costing 70,000 or so American jobs, Stauffer estimates. Not requiring Israel to use its US aid to buy American goods, as is usual in foreign aid, costs another 125,000 jobs.
Dumbest point yet. Israel has a population of about the size of NYC. Do you really think that it would make the slightest dent?
? Israel has blocked some major US arms sales, such as F-15 fighter aircraft to Saudi Arabia in the mid-1980s. That cost $40 billion over 10 years, says Stauffer.
Yeah, maybe the Saudis could have driven their F-15's into the towers instead of hijacking airliners. I'm sure the US does not regret not selling the fighters to Bin Lad- ooops, I mean the Saudis.
As far as I'm concerned, Stauffer can stauff it where the sun don't shine.
Facebook
Twitter