Lol

[Cadsuane]

Lol.

[Correction]

Someone rename this thread to 'lol'

[quannum]

first 4 videos are from the mercatus center think tank member antony davies

Charles Koch is a member of the Mercatus Center's Board of Directors.

the 5th video is from the Institute for Humane Studies, a think tank.

Charles G. Koch is the chairman of the board of directors of the Institute for Humane Studies and CEO of Koch Industries, Inc

[Byrthnoth]

first 4 videos are from the mercatus center think tank member antony davies

the 5th video is from the Institute for Humane Studies, a think tank.

7/10

You would have gotten full points if you waited for him to call other posters "sheeple" first.

[djzombie]

i forget who said this but I got a good chuckle from it because its true, "being paid minimum wage is like your employer telling you that if I could legally pay you less I would." lol at those with min wage jobs "climbing the social ladder"

[quannum]

[Buffy]

This is going to sound right wing.. but one problem is we give money away willy nilly to other countries. It's not the main problem but if we stopped it would help.

You're kidding, right? Foreign aid is like .6% of the total federal budget.

edit: Obama's 2014 budget includes 52 billion in foreign aid. https://www.devex.com/en/news/analys...-request/80681

Out of 3.7 Trillion dollars. http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/pag...t-proposal/94/

I think that is 1.5%? I'm having trouble moving the decimal place.

[Kohan]

Someone rename this thread to 'lol'

My pleasure.

[Blubbartron]

It's true that foreign aid is a drop in the bucket, but I'm with that guy. Giving money to other countries is fucking retarded when there are still citizens in this country that are homeless and/or starving. We may not be able to take care of all the people who need help in our country, but personally, I value Americans more than I value <insert 3rd world country here>. Once our own people are taken care of, then I'm more than happy to start giving money away to help the less fortunate in other countries.

[Kohan]

It's true that foreign aid is a drop in the bucket, but I'm with that guy.

As the dreaded “sequestration” word continues bouncing around the halls of Congress and down the streets of America, we should remember that just as it takes a buck to make a buck, it may very well take life-saving foreign aid to save a buck, save a life and create a job all in one.

I know, I know — foreign aid is just Americans subsidizing dictators’ golden palaces; foreign aid doesn’t work; the United States already does too much; and of course, the United States can’t afford it.

Reasonable concerns, but the fact is, foreign aid is working, and powerfully so. The plight of the poor is on an unprecedented upward trajectory. Although some money still is misdirected, politicians and aid groups are making strides to ensure greater oversight, stricter controls and better application of foreign aid. What this means is that each dollar goes further than ever before.

What it does not mean is that we are doing enough. While most Americans believe that 20 percent of the budget goes toward foreign aid, less than 1 percent is actually given. Eighteen countries give more foreign aid per person than does the United States, and, I suggest, this giving is in part a recognition of the immense dividends foreign aid pays.

Which brings me back to my initial point. It’s not just good for our karma to give, it’s actually good for our bottom line. Leaders of American defense – leaders like Adm. Mike Mullen and Gen. Colin Powell, and leaders of American industry, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Google, all agree that the best way to invest in America’s economy and defense is through foreign aid. With foreign aid, we create consumers of U.S. products. That’s why 95 percent of the United States’ top trade partners were, at one time, U.S. aid recipients, and why today, 45 percent of all U.S. exports go to developing countries.

But we also know that where poverty reigns, violence, extremism and instability multiply. U.S. aid gives hope to the world’s downtrodden that this life – not just the next – holds promise. And the source of that inspiration comes with a big USA stamp on the label.

As the globalized world continues to take hold, creating loyal, appreciative U.S. consumers abroad is a smart decision; with fragmented security concerns continuing to proliferate, pairing our defensive measures with proactive solutions is, according to countless top defense officials, good policy. As 25,000 children die of preventable causes each day, devoting a fraction of U.S. resources to make these stories a thing of the past may not be something we are obliged to do, but it should be something we are willing to do.

http://unewsonline.com/2013/04/11/fo...ipients-alike/

While that article does not note any specific sources, it is a concise summary on why foreign aid is a worthwhile investment.

[Dimmauk]

My pleasure.

Saw the new title, looked at the OP's videos, and lol

[AidenCarby]

My privilege

Fixed

[Hyuudo]

first 4 videos are from the mercatus center think tank member antony davies

the 5th video is from the Institute for Humane Studies, a think tank.

So now that we know a Koch brother was behind those videos, and the intent was at least in part to deceive/trick...
...does that make test a Koch...sucker?

[Plow]

2) He *almost* had it right when he was on the chart comparing % increase of various things over the years, adjusted for inflation. If he would have added one more line showing the average salary increase over the past 60 years, the reason why government spending has shot up 3000% would be plain as the nose on your face.

what's hilarious is that not only would it not have fit his narrative... it literally wouldn't have fit on the chart lol, it would have shot out the top in like the mid 80's

[Plow]

also I'm really curious how right wingers balance the final statement in that first video, "No matter how robustly our tax revenues grow, government always finds a way to spend everything it collects, plus more," with the fact that, you know, surpluses are a thing

[Blubbartron]

what's hilarious is that not only would it not have fit his narrative... it literally wouldn't have fit on the chart lol, it would have shot out the top in like the mid 80's

Erm, no. Perhaps I used the word average too broadly. I meant specifically the working man's average salary. Everyone except the top 10%. What I was suggesting it would point out is that salary for the typical worker has basically flat-lined for 40-50 years. The reason the government is spending so much is because they're subsidizing businesses in lieu of forcing them to pay a decent minimum wage (adjusted for inflation from what the minimum wage was back in the 50's or 60's, workers should be getting ~$22/hr minimum). The subsidization comes in the form of social programs that ensure people can live (in misery, but alive) while continuing to work for the paltry sum they're given.

[Blubbartron]

http://unewsonline.com/2013/04/11/fo...ipients-alike/

While that article does not note any specific sources, it is a concise summary on why foreign aid is a worthwhile investment.

I don't disagree that foreign aid has a purpose, I'm just saying it feels wrong to give money to other countries when we have our own poor and downtrodden that we should take care of first. It's like donating to a breast cancer foundation while your nieces and nephews are going hungry at night. Take care of your family first, and then give money you don't need to help others.

[Plow]

Erm, no. Perhaps I used the word average too broadly. I meant specifically the working man's average salary. Everyone except the top 10%. What I was suggesting it would point out is that salary for the typical worker has basically flat-lined for 40-50 years. The reason the government is spending so much is because they're subsidizing businesses in lieu of forcing them to pay a decent minimum wage (adjusted for inflation from what the minimum wage was back in the 50's or 60's, workers should be getting ~$22/hr minimum). The subsidization comes in the form of social programs that ensure people can live (in misery, but alive) while continuing to work for the paltry sum they're given.

ah, yeah that's very true as well, i just thought you were getting at the fact that if you see the income including the richest, the rate at which that's going up absolutely dwarfs spending and revenue both, because the taxes are so absurdly low when you start making really big money

[hey]

I don't disagree that foreign aid has a purpose, I'm just saying it feels wrong to give money to other countries when we have our own poor and downtrodden that we should take care of first. It's like donating to a breast cancer foundation while your nieces and nephews are going hungry at night. Take care of your family first, and then give money you don't need to help others.

Except it's more like investing your money so later on you can eat at 5 star restaurants every day, at the cost of not having dessert once a week.

[kuronosan]

I'd say it's more like feeding your fat son while a bunch of starving immigrants are sitting around him wondering why you don't care.