I’ve never agreed with that; in practice it amounts as an apologia for malice, since malice can always be handwaved away as “they didn’t mean for that to happen”. It’s a standard practice to excuse atrocities with the claim that the results were unintended or that it happened due to bad information.
It also creates a situation where malice is encouraged because the more blatantly malignant people are, the more people feel obligated to make up excuses for them and creatively interpret their open statements of ill intent as “well intended” mistakes. And we end up in our present situation, where outright fascists get into power in part because people refused to acknowledge their open calls for tyranny and violence.
So now we’re going to reconsider any aid we give overseas. Who wants to bet it’s a way to make those countries come begging to Fuckface Von Clownstick? Only Israel and (for some reason) Egypt get waivers.
Sorry, no. It’s because of the disturbing number of American Christians who sit around waiting for the Temple to be rebuilt so Jesus can come back. And they all voted for Trump.
After I posted, I found that it was on Day 1. Among the first day XOs was one about foreign aid. It just got lost in all the other ones that were more controversial.
That I don’t know. But surely you are aware of the crazy Evangelicals and their doomsday prophecy, whereby the Temple is rebuilt, the Antichrist comes, big war, rapture, and Jesus returns? I’ve been to Israel many times (we have an office there) and my colleagues seem to really enjoy laughing at these nutters.
The new ambassador to Israel is one of those nutters.
Do we give any foreign aid to Russia? I’d be very surprised if we do.
There’s a small chunk of change we give to organizations in developing countries that helps them fight diseases, especially HIV. I forget the name of the program, but it was initiated by one of the Bushes. I expect that to be circular filed by these clowns.
More of the same. America may have been generous. But foreign aid costs it very little in percentage terms. The loss of goodwill might take years to replace. Pandemics are not in the interest of America. Gaps might be a foreign policy gift to China which could cheaply broaden its influence. Anti-American global sentiment helps those who would radicalize people, and it is unclear to me this is helpful in that regard.
I’m not saying all foreign aid is well spent. But doing a review first would be much smarter.
Trump’s view of government and America is a bit like this: say we slowly but surely removed the requirement for every single safety and emissions feature ever required for motor vehicles SINCE the advent OF the automobile.
Cars would get lighter. Cars would get faster. Cars might get better fuel economy. Cars might get cheaper, but our air quality would get steadily worse, and accidents, catastrophic injuries, and fatalities would inexorably rise.
And then Trump would embezzle every penny from the auto makers’ pension funds on his way out the door.