In February the White House announced that it planned to put the United States on a path to double the dollars it sends abroad in foreign aid. A month later, The New York Times ran an article on the disturbing growth of shanty towns, or as the Times called them, “modern-day Hoovervilles,” across the land.
Now, I am not one of those people who believe that the United States should eschew all foreign aid (a little money spent is occasionally cheaper in the long run). Nor am I arguing for government anti-poverty programs here at home. But in a time of economic crisis and shrinking household wealth, should our government really be seeking to send more money abroad? Shouldn’t Americans have first call on their own money? In the immortal words of Dr. Henry Lee (of OJ murder trial fame): “something wrong here.”
