Oooh it was SO good to finally see footage of Dave Matthews Band live! I had been hoping to see it for such a long time! Madonna cannot sing for toffee. I hope this actually changes things though and makes Bush see he shouldn't just do 'what is right for america' (as he said on his ITN interview tonight).
*insert eye roll here* Geldoff and Live8 took enough flack from non-US sources to even remotely attach some GWBush argument to it.
But, as an FYI.... the UK is 4th on the list of foreign aid givers. The US is #1 with the next closest country, Japan, giving less than 1/2 of the US's total amount of foreign aid. Sure it may not compare to the overall GDP of the US, but quite frankly, a US dollar that is part of .16% GDP buys the same amount as a dollar that is part of .85% The whole debate is what people outside the US think the US SHOULD be giving. Those people should now be fine equine dentists with as much as they are looking at that gift horse's mouth. None of this takes into account the private donations to charities and religious organizations, where again, the US is at the top of the list.
...Even though the charts above do show US aid to be poor (in percentage terms) compared to the rest, the generosity of the American people is far more impressive than their government.
International giving by US foundations: $1.5 billion per year
Charitable giving by US businesses: $2.8 billion annually
American NGOs: $6.6 billion in grants, goods and volunteers.
Religious overseas ministries: $3.4 billion, including health care, literacy training, relief and development.
US colleges scholarships to foreign students: $1.3 billion
Personal remittances from the US to developing countries: $18 billion in 2000
While Adelman admits that “there are no complete figures for international private giving” she still says that Americans are “clearly the most generous on earth in public — but especially in private — giving”.
And frankly, aid should not be a government thing... at least not for non socialist/communist countries.
Feel free to read up on the US foreign aid... I don't think handing out $18 Billion is anything to be ashamed of at all:
http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Debt/USAid.asp#ForeignAidNumbersinChartsandGraphs