How Foreign Aid Works

The "left" is tsk-tsking on the BushCo's cuts of aid to Latin America, accusing the administration of "gutting" aid to our southern and Caribbean neighbors living in poverty. Does anyone ever ask why decades of aid has yet to help our neighbors? Ever wonder why the "left" and "right" love to throw money at a problem? Flim and Flam political parties.

Specifically, Howard Dean has " … attacked President Bush's deplorable record in Latin America (the president's budget calls for almost a 30 percent cut in development aid to Latin America and the Caribbean). I don't think it's an accident that governments in Latin America are turning to the left,'' Dean said. "This president had an opportunity to sell Latin America on capitalism and democracy and he failed."

Oh shit Dummy Dean, every president since Washington has had an opportunity and still the peasants fight to the death against capitalism. Here's why our own ruling elite love "foreign aid" programs:

Example A: US gives Honduras $20 million in aid earmarked for infrastructure - such as a new 5 mile stretch of highway from Backward Village A to Backward Village B, population 200. Honduras officials will assign the construction contract to the nearest relatives and/or friends while also hiring a gringo firm, either in Honduras or Miami, to co-engineer the project from afar, and then buy road graders, cement mixers, bulldozers, cranes, excavators, trucks, etc. from an Anglo company in the US. Eventually, after spending $19,950,000 on supplies, paperwork, equipment, cronies, consultants, advisors, administrators, the remainder goes to employ a few hundred peasants in Village A and B for approximately 9 months at a few dollars a day. Foremen will make a bit more as they have to supervise the project and report back to the oligarch.

Example B: US gives El Salvador a package of $50,000,000 earmarked for constructing housing for the poor. Contracting goes to family/friends, equipment purchased from Miami; local and US architectural firms to co-engineer; consultants, advisors, administrators, and after $49,950,000 is spread to coffers in San Salvador and other US corporate headquarters, the remainder will build one hundred very cheap and shoddy 4 room cracker-box houses which disintegrate around the occupants within three years – necessitating of course more US aid for housing.

Example C: US gives Columbia $1 billion in aid to fight the war on drugs. Many many millions are then returned to US corporations for the purchase of weapons, ammunitions, helicopters, planes, campsite equipment, supplies, US personnel to train Columbian personnel, to pay for anti-drug education programs, consultants, advisors, administrators, more weapons, helicopters, planes, eradication chemicals, etc.

I may be exaggerating the dollar specs a bit but most of the US government's so called "foreign aid" comes home to the usual suspects/pockets. Much of it goes to the pockets of the recipient nation's ruling elite. With decades of giving aid, in trillions of dollars, it's how the US keeps the majority of Latin Americans living in raw sewage and picking through garbage. "Foreign aid" is one of our "Feed the Elite" programs, but without tear-jerking commercials and an 800 number for contributions. The "developing world" doesn't stand a chance of developing as long as Western elites continue to give "aid."

If BushCo wants to cut aid to our southern neighbors – amen. But the US elite will then filter tax monies back to themselves through aid to other areas that need "development," the Middle East, to the war on terror, Homeland Security, etc. Tell Mr. Dean "deplorable" is that we haven't stopped the duplicity of our own politicians.