House votes to cut UN dues by 50%

[jersey_guy]

My only question is: if the bureaucrats and dictators from East River do not change their ways, why do we still have to pay 50% of our taxpayer dues to this biggest organized crime entity in the world?

Hopefully it will be approved by the Senate without being filibustred by people who value Kofi Annan's bank accounts more than the US taxpayers' money.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050617/ap_on_go_co/us_un_reform_19

[leighpeas]

My only question is: if the bureaucrats and dictators from East River do not change their ways, why do we still have to pay 50% of our taxpayer dues to this biggest organized crime entity in the world?

Hopefully it will be approved by the Senate without being filibustred by people who value Kofi Annan's bank accounts more than the US taxpayers' money.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050617/ap_on_go_co/us_un_reform_19

hmmmm...
*ponders*

[exjersey1]

why do we still have to pay 50% of our taxpayer dues to this biggest organized crime entity in the world?




50% of our tax money goes to the Republican Party?

;)

[Jwaksman]

Jersey_Guy, while there were a few criminals involved in the Oil For Food thing, it's pretty naive to try to suggest that any substantial part of the UN is criminal. That's not what is wrong with the UN.



It has two problems, neither of which are criminal. One is that it is a horribly inefficient beaurocracy. Even people in the UN joke about how horrible it is. So, for example, all UN money for foreign aid would be much better served in a private charity. The second problem is a rather obvious one - that every country there is thinking about its own selfish interests first. The idea that you can get a country to vote for something not in its (self-perceived) best national interest is absrud.

[jersey_guy]

The funny thing is that the Bush administration is officially critical of the bill. It looks like the Republicans are playing good cop/bad cop against the UN criminals.

The bill also would strongly reduce the US contribution to "peacekeeping" missions. It's an opportunity for France to send in their boy scouts instead.

Can't wait for Bolton to come in and clean the house. And if the UN-crats don't like it, then JFK Airport is only 45 minutes away - BYE!!!!

Withholding half of the UN dues is a job half done!! Kofi can make up the deficit from his buddies' Oil for Food bank accounts.

[RKramden]

Jersey, not for nothing, but isn't that bill for the US to cut 50% of our dues to the UN? I hope that forces the UN out of NYC. Damn diplomats are the most arrogant drivers out there.

[exjersey1]

Withholding half of the UN dues is a job half done!! Kofi can make up the deficit from his buddies' Oil for Food bank accounts.

Then maybe the US should withhold ALL of its UN dues. Bush can make up the remaining deficit from his cronies' at Bechtel & Halliburton and their Blood for Oil bonuses.

[jersey_guy]

Jersey, not for nothing, but isn't that bill for the US to cut 50% of our dues to the UN? I hope that forces the UN out of NYC. Damn diplomats are the most arrogant drivers out there.

Yes, of course we can only regulate our own dues, so a 50% cut in US dues will result in 11% cut of total funding of the UN.

[mzungu]

Jersey SUV drivers are the worst in the city, no question whatsoever.

Interesting. The UN is hideously inefficient. I have no doubt that it is inefficient. But, is it more inefficient than the U.S. military occupation of Iraq?
The ENTIRE YEARLY cost of SUCCESSFUL UN peacekeeping operations around the world in dozens of countries is, I believe, considerably less than the U.S. spends in Iraq every month. And the death toll in Iraq is not exactly decreasing, because the Bush administration had terrible plans for Iraq. That's right, after winning rapidly, you de-stabilize the entire country by disbanding the army AND the police AND de-baathifying immediately???? how stupid was that? Why would you do that? They should have used those people WITH DIFFERENT LEADERS to prevent a civil war, while GRADUALLY winnowing out the worst of the Baathists and GRADUALLY transforming their culture.

So, in saying that the UN should have its budget cut in half (that is, if all nations followed the U.S. lead), these crazy republicans are saying that the UN should end half its peacekeeping operations and end its absolutely necessary programs to immunize millions around the world. that was the UN that eradicated small pox and came close to eradicating polio before civil war in Nigeria caused its spread. The UN does a huge amount of good in its health programs.

[Jwaksman]

Hey, how about all of those young children that UN peacekeepers are raping in Africa? Even high-up administrators in the UN knew about it. Can you imagine if a US soldier raped a young Iraqi girl??? You would be so happy and so excited that you'd probably start 10 threads about it, convinced that you'd finally proved that the US is, in fact, the worst country ever to be on this earth.

[exjersey1]

Hey, how about all of those young children that UN peacekeepers are raping in Africa? Even high-up administrators in the UN knew about it. Can you imagine if a US soldier raped a young Iraqi girl??? You would be so happy and so excited that you'd probably start 10 threads about it, convinced that you'd finally proved that the US is, in fact, the worst country ever to be on this earth.


:eek:

Clearly US soldiers have always been immune to mistreating/abusing civilians.

[KenA55]

The bill also would strongly reduce the US contribution to "peacekeeping" missions. It's an opportunity for France to send in their boy scouts instead.

I read somewhere that France's military was immobilized for the time being, due to a strike at the white flag factory.

I think it was here, in a previous issue-
http://www.iceout.com/

my favorite news source, give it a thorough browse sometime when you've got the time, it's worth it. Their index of pages:
http://members.tripod.com/~calicat/sitemap.htm

"Women who behave, rarely make History"

[Jwaksman]

:eek:

Clearly US soldiers have always been immune to mistreating/abusing civilians.



If there were hundreds of cases of US soldiers raping underrage girls it would be the front page story in every major newspaper in the world for weeks straight. When the UN does it, it gets buried on page 20. You can't deny that.

[Sulus]

When anything happens in Africa it gets buried on page 20.