Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site cmu-cs-cad.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!genrad!wjh12!talcott!harvard!seismo!rochester!cmu-cs-pt!cmu-cs-cad!mjc From: mjc@cmu-cs-cad.ARPA Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: How about helping our own Message-ID: <210@cmu-cs-cad.ARPA> Date: Tue, 18-Dec-84 18:07:08 EST Article-I.D.: cmu-cs-c.210 Posted: Tue Dec 18 18:07:08 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 22-Dec-84 01:14:13 EST Organization: Carnegie-Mellon University, CS/RI Lines: 33 From: ashby@uiucdcsp.UUCP ? >What a warm message of Christmas cheer rfs@loral has brought us: >Screw the rest of the world, American lives are more important. > >Sure we have street people and struggling farmers, but I >don't think their plight comes anywhere near that of the >starving Ethiopians. So why don't we just help our fellow >human beings, and ask their nationality later. > But look at it this way: if a country is to last long, its government must do everything in terms of cost/benefit. Now, it we help our own we get lots more taxpayers, but if we only help outsiders we get nothing in return and expend a lot of resources. [:-), sort of. I do resent the notion that "America is responsible for everyone in the world". *Individuals* are often morally bound to help their fellow humans, but this does not justify placing the burden on *societies*.] Seriously, if we have starving people of our own, why are we ignoring them in favor of helping others (who are as needy, but aren't necessarily our responsibility)? I dislike the welfare system here (whoever it was who suggested giving them food, not food stamps: I agree), but I abhor the idea that Father America has to take care of all the little kiddies all over the world. How did we manage to get saddled with this while everyone else got off the hook? Americans have a right to expect that American tax money be spent on American interests. -Dragon -- UUCP: ...seismo!ut-sally!ut-ngp!lll-crg!dragon ARPA: monica.cellio@cmu-cs-cad or dragon@lll-crg