U.S.-from world cop to world doctor

[sleestak]

I just came across an anti-poverty campaign put together by Bono. Link. (Warning PDF)

Bono wants all the U.S. presidental canidates to endorse the program and commit the U.S. to the program.

A quick list of some of the items on the program:

• The U.S. must ensure that, as it fights these three diseases, it does so in a way that strengthens broader health systems and improves overall health outcomes. This will require a particular emphasis on addressing health worker needs and shortages, as well as infrastructure constraints.

::::Boggle. Not only is the U.S supposed to pay for the health care, we are supposed to build the whole health care system and find doctors and nurses::::

• The U.S. should urgently scale up and expand efforts to address child and maternal health needs. It should aim to scale up existing programs for basic child and maternal health with an additional $1.6 billion by 2012. The U.S. should also increase its contribution to family planning and reproductive health by an additional $1.3 billion by 2012.

• For the U.S. to meet its equitable share of the $10 billion needed annually to achieve universal primary education, it would need to provide $3.3 billion a year from now to 2015.

There are some other interesting quotes in the document, like the statement ‘Education is a basic human right.’ which I totally disagree with but that is another arguement.

Now the questions for debate (or the questions I’d ask Bono if I could)

#1. In relation to the first quote: How, exactly, can the U.S. control infrastructure in other countries? Why is that infrastructure a U.S. responsibility? (See #5)

#2. How, exactly, can the U.S. affect family planning in countries where birth control is considered immoral?

#3. Why is educating childern in other counrties the responsibility of the U.S.? Why is it not the responsibility of the country where the people actually live? See #5 again)

#4. How, exactly did you decided that 3.3 billion a year is the ‘equitable’ U.S. contribution, espeically in light of the fact (which is listed in the document, 50% of the AIDS money is from the U.S. as an example) that the U.S. is already way a head of the rest of the world in working on many of these issues?

And most importantly:

#5. What, exactly, are you doing in those countries where the government is the biggest obstacle to reducing poverty?

Any other thoughts on Bonos little program?

Slee

[Mosier]

@sleestak

In relation to the first quote: How, exactly, can the U.S. control infrastructure in other countries? Why is that infrastructure a U.S. responsibility? (See #5)

This part isn’t so hard. The US could offer lots of things to help get a country’s medical infrastructure started, like cheap student loans to people who want to fly here for medical school. We could spend some money paying engineers and architects to design medical facilities and basic supply factories where they could make some of the medical supplies they need instead of hope they get delivered in aid packages.

Why is it our responsibility? Well, it’s not, unless we make it so. It’s not a random citizen’s responsibility to help you push your stalled car out of the intersection, either, but it’s a good thing to do.

#2. How, exactly, can the U.S. affect family planning in countries where birth control is considered immoral?

Not so sure about this one. I expect its a poverty issue, though, and not a moral or religious one. Poverty = huge birth rate, rapes, single mothers, and violence.

#3. Why is educating childern in other counrties the responsibility of the U.S.? Why is it not the responsibility of the country where the people actually live? See #5 again)

It’s my understanding that the countries some people are from basically don’t have a functional government. We have enough money to help people and still be extremely comfortable ourselves. Why not use it?

#4. How, exactly did you decided that 3.3 billion a year is the ‘equitable’ U.S. contribution, espeically in light of the fact (which is listed in the document, 50% of the AIDS money is from the U.S. as an example) that the U.S. is already way a head of the rest of the world in working on many of these issues?

The number seems arbitrary to me, too. I think it’s just another way for Bono to say “hey, guys, we could be doing better!”

And most importantly:

#5. What, exactly, are you doing in those countries where the government is the biggest obstacle to reducing poverty?

Any other thoughts on Bonos little program?

Slee

The government is always the biggest obstacle, and that’s why these huge dollar amounts we’re seeing going toward foreign aid aren’t solving any problems. We can’t do anything about it, which means our current foreign aid strategy isn’t going to be effective.

I think one of Bono’s arguments is that the more educated and healthy people are, the more control they have over their government. I’m not sure if he’s right, but I think trying to educate people is a better way to fight poverty than dumping 100 tons of rice onto an airfield and hoping that this time that warlord dictator won’t seize it.

[slaphead]

@Mosier

huge dollar amounts we’re seeing going toward foreign aid aren’t solving any problems.

Hmm. Last I heard the US was spending about $6 billion per month on Iraq alone, and it’s not like the US economy is exactly collapsing under the strain. ‘Huge’ is relative.

@sleestak

#4. How, exactly did you decided that 3.3 billion a year is the ‘equitable’ U.S. contribution,

The calculation I’ve most often seen used is that rich countries should donate about 0.7% of their national income in foreign aid, which is something they signed up to back in the seventies. How they arrived at that number I don’t know, but donating 70 cents out of every Franklin earned still seems too much for most countries to achieve.