# Dear Americans, how do you feel about this? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 20, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991 "2022-08-20T16:28:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![thescrr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@thescrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thescrr)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/1 "2022-08-20T16:28:08Z")
So the US has just updated the total amount of money they have sent to Ukraine so far: $50 billion. $50 billion is a lot of money. Where is it coming from? Out of your pockets? Taxpayers money? Someone is making all this money and getting it from somewhere. Does the average american citizen feel like this a great use of their money? Would you rather see them use $50 billion towards your own homelessness issues or education, healthcare, mental health, urban crime, infrastructure, or helping disaster victims in America from floods, burning fires, and heatwaves? Just curious what the American citizen thinks about it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/2 "2022-08-20T16:32:30Z")
Generally speaking, I’m a big fan of defending borders against invaders. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/3 "2022-08-20T16:34:45Z")
> **[Four Ways to Understand the $54 Billion in U.S. Spending on Ukraine](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/05/20/upshot/ukraine-us-aid-size.html)** > > It’s the most annual assistance given by the U.S. to a country in the last decade. It’s all coming from money already allocated for foreign aid and military spending. None of it would have gone to American issues in the first place. It’s also less than 1% of the total federal budget FY 2023. How do I feel about it? Terrible. It should be much, much higher. This is an existential crisis. Russia must be crushed. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/4 "2022-08-20T16:36:08Z")
I’m fine with it. Fifty billion _is_ a lot of money, but what Putin did to Ukraine cannot be tolerated. Good post, @Exapno_Mapcase. ---
**Author:** ![thescrr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@thescrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thescrr)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/5 "2022-08-20T16:37:16Z")
@Waldo really? Palestine? Afghanistan? How about America’s border from the millions of migrants flooding in? So you would like the wall to be built? Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/6 "2022-08-20T16:40:56Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > How do I feel about it? Terrible. It should be much, much higher. This is an existential crisis. Russia must be crushed. Exactly. With emphasis. **Delenda est Ruthenia!** Damn the cost. ---
**Author:** ![thescrr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@thescrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thescrr)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/7 "2022-08-20T16:41:09Z")
@Exapno. Yes I knew someone would bring that up. The US spends 700 billion a year on military and that is only about 2-3% of the total GDP of the USA which is around 25 trillion per year. Hmm but somehow the US is 30 trillion in debt and it keeps growing each year and that debt is handed down to you and your children. That doesn’t concern you? Will they just print more money when they need to? 50 billion seems like it would help a lot of Americans. Just saying. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/8 "2022-08-20T16:45:15Z")
> [@thescrr](#): > > How about America’s border from the millions of migrants flooding in? You seem to have difficulty distinguishing between armed invaders who breach a border for the hostile purpose of occupying another country and refugees who cross a border because they require help and mercy. Perhaps you can take a moment to explain why you’re struggling with this distinction. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/9 "2022-08-20T16:47:32Z")
We cannot stand by and let Russia invade Ukraine. 50 billion is small potatoes compared to what it would ultimately cost to appease Russia. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/10 "2022-08-20T16:48:33Z")
Since the OP is interested in what Americans think, they’re likely not Smericsn. I wonder where they’re from? ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/11 "2022-08-20T16:49:20Z")
Doing the right thing sometimes costs money… and in this case, lots of money. Should that money have been spent helping Americans? Try making that argument to the average Ukrainian who watches his country being mercilessly destroyed by an attacking force. Sometimes you have to stand up to evil and not look the other way. It seems black and white to me. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/12 "2022-08-20T16:50:38Z")
> [@thescrr](#): > > How about America’s border from the millions of migrants flooding in? So you would like the wall to be built? Interesting. Where are you getting that I’d like the wall to be built? I favor Ukraine stopping invaders by using _weaponry_, not walls; from that, sure, you can easily reach conclusions about whether I favor stopping yet other invaders by using weaponry — but you can’t really jump to that conclusion about, y’know, _walls_. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/13 "2022-08-20T16:53:18Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Since the OP is interested in what Americans think, they’re likely not Smericsn. I wonder where they’re from? A bot farm outside Moscow, I suspect. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/14 "2022-08-20T16:53:27Z")
I’d rather spend $50B on helping Ukraine than the $90B we’re going to spend on going to the moon (again) for. . .what reason is it again? ---
**Author:** ![thescrr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@thescrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thescrr)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/15 "2022-08-20T16:53:28Z")
@dolphinboy - but you aren’t actually helping Ukraine with the fighting. You are only sending them weapons. It’s not really like America is stepping in to help Ukraine. Think about it. And it’s great you want to help people, so why aren’t you helping the Palestinians or the Afghans or the other number of countries you’ve let down and left behind in ruins like in the middle east? Just asking. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/16 "2022-08-20T16:56:36Z")
Can’t fight a war without weapons. ---
**Author:** ![Kron](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kron/32/12444_2.png) [@Kron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kron)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/17 "2022-08-20T16:56:38Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > It should be much, much higher. Yep, that about sums it up for me. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/18 "2022-08-20T16:57:30Z")
There is also a big difference between money spent on the aid and money being sent straight to Ukraine. With the former, I believe much of the money is going to American companies employing American workers who are producing goods and services to support Ukraine. This also helps boost our own GDP. Granted with our inflation problem, there is also a flip side to that benefit. That said, the bigger impact on inflation is due to the $ trillions that the previous administration printed and sent out (with little scrutiny) in order to desperately save the economy post-COVID. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/19 "2022-08-20T16:58:07Z")
> [@thescrr](#): > > but you aren’t actually helping Ukraine with the fighting. You are only sending them weapons. You don’t know what you’re talking about and sound like a Russian sympathizer—just saying. If Russia attacks Palestine or Afghanistan, America might spend money there to fight them, so you can always hope for that. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2022, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991/20 "2022-08-20T17:12:51Z")
> [@thescrr](#): > > It’s not really like America is stepping in to help Ukraine. By the way, Americans are there fighting side-by-side with Ukrainians against Russia. There aren’t many, just some brave volunteers willing to die for a cause they believe in. I haven’t heard of any Chinese or North Koreans volunteering to fight with Russia against Ukraine. I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dear-americans-how-do-you-feel-about-this/969991.md?page=2)