Government spending

[Commore]

http://www.sundaypost.com/postindex.htm
By Campbell Gunn

THE Scottish Government is to make almost £1 million available to Scottish-based organisations helping Pakistan flood victims.

What with Scotland and the Uk as a whole, in the debt it is apparently in and the recession,
what I do not understand is how our government/s can afford to "splash out on all this spending, on crisis abroad",

Our schools are closing, business's collapsing, pay freezes, people are really feeling the pinch etc, etc and yet as a nation we are still giving away our money.

I am as compassionate as the next man / woman, but really where does it end?

When if ever, should charity begin at home?

[ducati]

I can understand people's frustrations with apparently giving away money in hard times, I really can.

The fact is though, that some people would never want to offer help abroad, others would selectively send help to people they like. We as a nation have obligations both officially signed up to and moral. If the government didn’t keep to these obligations who would?

And what is the measure of when we can afford to send help & money abroad?

[Torvaig]

And what is the measure of when we can afford to send help & money abroad?

We can afford it when our bellys are full; when we have water in our taps; when we a have roof over our heads; when we have clothes on our backs; when our children can go to school; when we can look after our elderly, weak and sick.

In other words, right now.

[brandy]

saying that not all of the uk meets all or any of those standards. how many elders infirm and children starve and freeze to death every year in the uk?
how many children are falling thru the gaps as we speak.
how high is illeteracy in this country?
what is the rate of homeless here in the uk?
we by no means have a utopian society.. it is full of disavantage and dispair.. so no.. all of our peoples are not fed shelter clothed or educated, so cant use that as a measuring stick.

[shazzap]

saying that not all of the uk meets all or any of those standards. how many elders infirm and children starve and freeze to death every year in the uk?
how many children are falling thru the gaps as we speak.
how high is illeteracy in this country?
what is the rate of homeless here in the uk?
we by no means have a utopian society.. it is full of disavantage and dispair.. so no.. all of our peoples are not fed shelter clothed or educated, so cant use that as a measuring stick.

I have to agree with your sentiments on this brandy. Well said.

[orkneycadian]

I wonder what the statistics are on incoming foreign aid anytime we have natural disasters? We sent foreign aid off to other countries when they have floods, irrespective of their own governments financial ability to pay for internal aid. I wonder how much aid they send the UK when they get to hear of folk flooded out of their homes?

[Nacho]

how high is illeteracy in this country?

the irony of you spelling this wrong is not lost on me

[brandy]

*laughs* in my defence im in a lot of pain right now and taking pain killers.
also, for some reason my spell check isnt working!

[Nacho]

*laughs* in my defence im in a lot of pain right now and taking pain killers.
also, for some reason my spell check isnt working!

lol and in your defence, you were educated in America

[katarina]

what worries me is if it's a government to government payout, how much money actually goes to the victims?

[brandy]

yup, i sure was..
it was in a time that they held kids back for failing.
they were put into summer school to catch up if they were behind.
We were also tested every year to see how we were progressing,
and everyone in my class could read and write, do maths and had
a good understanding of history, science, and goverment.
what a shame the way they teach those american kids *Grins*

[Commore]

I wonder what the statistics are on incoming foreign aid anytime we have natural disasters? We sent foreign aid off to other countries when they have floods, irrespective of their own governments financial ability to pay for internal aid. I wonder how much aid they send the UK when they get to hear of folk flooded out of their homes?

I have never heard of any such aid coming to the uk,

[sandyr1]

lol and in your defence, you were educated in America

And what is wrong with America/ North America, may I ask?

[orkneycadian]

I have never heard of any such aid coming to the uk,

So given that Pakistan has enough money of their own to stockpile an estimated 70 - 90 nuclear warheads, and have not signed up to the non proliferation treaty (i.e. they plan more rather than less), why do we need to send them any cash? If they can afford nukes, they can afford to look after their own people properly surely....

On a different slant, if we do send them the cash, how many more nukes could they buy with it?

[theone]

I don't believe we should be sending a penny in aid to a country that can afford a nuclear weapons programme.

[ducati]

I don't believe we should be sending a penny in aid to a country that can afford a nuclear weapons programme.

That must be why we don't get any

[Torvaig]

saying that not all of the uk meets all or any of those standards. how many elders infirm and children starve and freeze to death every year in the uk?
how many children are falling thru the gaps as we speak.
how high is illeteracy in this country?
what is the rate of homeless here in the uk?
we by no means have a utopian society.. it is full of disavantage and dispair.. so no.. all of our peoples are not fed shelter clothed or educated, so cant use that as a measuring stick.

I see where you are coming from Brandy but I will never claim we have a utopian society; far from it but I am sure you know what I mean. That we can afford to meet our peoples' needs doesn't mean that we do. We have choices in this country whereas some countries don't. We are not subjected to the massive floods, earthquakes, volcanos, tsunami, terrorism, starvation (through lack of food, not neglect and abuse) and diseases. We have the shelter, food and clothes; the schools and well equipped hospitals. We also have those who neglect and abuse....

I know that in poorer countries cash aid may be diverted from those who need it most but surely that won't stop us giving aid when through the media we can see the good that it does. I know I won't....

[brandy]

i think giving aid as private citizens is wonderful.
in fact just did two blythwood boxes the other day.
but i frown upon the gov. spending a huge amount of money in aid work
while at the same time cutting funding for things its own people are in need of.
ie education, medical, elderly, and basically anything else they can think of to save
money.
our gov. needs to be able to stand on its own feet financially before it can send large amounts
of funds to others.
i personally think that huge private donations are the best.
people that have the millions can give the millions sort of thing.
I know of people in wick that will be suffering this winter, because they cant afford
to heat their houses properly, or buy enough food/clothing.
there are disabled people that cant get help they need right here in our community but
have no one to ask.
there are elderly, that sit in freezing cold houses because they just accept it as their lot in life because they are not entitled to benefits any longer for what ever reasons.
there are children, who will be wearing ragged shoes and clothes with holes when the bitter cold comes. with no jackets or gloves to keep them warm.
all that is right here in a town with a pop. of seven and a half thousand people in it.
now put that to the pop. of the whole country.
yes, its neglect.. but its down right abuse when the country is willing to give millions to others while taking away from its own.
on a larger scale its the same as a parent taking away the clothes, food and shelter from their own children to give to someone else's.

[Aaldtimer]

I know of people in wick that will be suffering this winter, because they cant afford
to heat their houses properly, or buy enough food/clothing.
there are disabled people that cant get help they need right here in our community but
have no one to ask.
there are elderly, that sit in freezing cold houses because they just accept it as their lot in life because they are not entitled to benefits any longer for what ever reasons.
there are children, who will be wearing ragged shoes and clothes with holes when the bitter cold comes. with no jackets or gloves to keep them warm.
all that is right here in a town with a pop. of seven and a half thousand people in it.
now put that to the pop. of the whole country.
yes, its neglect.. but its down right abuse when the country is willing to give millions to others while taking away from its own.
on a larger scale its the same as a parent taking away the clothes, food and shelter from their own children to give to someone else's.

What a load of Bollix!

[brandy]

umm what part and why would you say it is?
purely out of curiosity