Thread: Bush approves programs for Latin America

And he continues to sell us out! He's spending our tax money pretty darn freely isn't he?

http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_5360384

Bush approves programs for Latin America
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 03/05/2007 11:45:35 AM PST

WASHINGTON -- President Bush, facing criticism he has ignored Latin America, said Monday the region's grinding poverty is a scandal that has caused some to question the value of democracy. He said the United States will spend tens of millions of dollars to improve education, housing and health care across the region.

"The United States of America is committed to helping people rise out of poverty," the president said.

Many children in Latin America do not finish grade school and many mothers never see a doctor, Bush said in a speech at the Ronald Reagan Building to about 400 invited guests, most of them members of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

"In an age of growing prosperity and abundance, this is a scandal and it is a challenge," Bush said.

The speech came three days before the president leaves on a weeklong trip to Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico.

National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley said Bush's efforts in Latin America have been overshadowed by the global war on terror, the fight against illegal drug trafficking and trade issues.

"It's something we have not done well enough, getting out the full scope of the president's message," Hadley said at a briefing before the president's
address.

Since taking office, Bush has doubled U.S. foreign assistance to Latin America to about $1.6 billion a year. The money includes development assistance, military assistance and counter-narcotic assistance. Colombia is the largest recipient of U.S. aide outside the Middle East and Afghanistan, with most of the money earmarked for anti-drug efforts.

Bush announced a series of steps to help the region:

-- A Navy medical ship, the Comfort, will make port calls in Belize, Guatemala, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Suriname. Its staff will treat 85,000 patients and conduct up to 1,500 surgeries. Other military medical teams will provide medical care through 62 medical readiness training exercises in 14 countries.

-- A health care professional training center will be established in Panama to serve all of Central America, training students to be nurses, technicians and health care workers.

-- The United States will commit $75 million over three years to help thousands of young people improve their English and study in the United States. Over the past three years, the United States has provided $150 million on education programs throughout the region.

-- A program to make housing more affordable will be expanded with an additional $385 million. The United States already has provided more than $100 million through the Overseas Private Investment Corp. to help underwrite mortgages to working families in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and the countries of Central America.

Later this year, the administration will convene a White House conference on the Western Hemisphere, bringing together representatives from the private sector, non-governmental organizations, faith-based groups and volunteer associations, to explore more effective ways to deliver aid.

"The United States of America is committed to helping people rise out of poverty," the president said.

With the exception of American citizens, whom he is trying to sink into poverty at warp speed.

Since taking office, Bush has doubled U.S. foreign assistance to Latin America to about $1.6 billion a year

Well folks, here we have it! We can't afford the fence (according to Congress) but we can afford to squander tax payer monies in every other area.

The United States will commit $75 million over three years to help thousands of young people improve their English and study in the United States.

This is my favorite.

You make an excellent point, sippy. It just doesn't make much sense, does it? I must have missed it, when did the United States get nominated as the keeper of the world?

I really don't have a problem with charity, but don't tell us we don't have the financial resources to stop illegal immigration and then volunteer to give away 1.6 billion of our money to foreign countries - charity starts at home!

"In an age of growing prosperity and abundance, this is a scandal and it is a challenge," Bush said.

It's not our challenge, and it's certainly not our scandal!

I really don't think that we can any longer afford the services of George Bush, it is apparent he no longer represents the American Tax Payer, those who was stupid enough to put the bastard in office no less then twice, including me, , I think I will write him a letter and let him know I no longer need his services, and hopefully he will do the right thing and just resign!

Don't kick yourself Nitty I've cursed all of you who voted for this idiot enough to compensate for every man woman child and dog in the entire free world The main thing is that we are all on the same page now and doing all that we can to take our country back.

As for a resignation, don't hold your breath those backing him realized that he was two slices of bread short of a sandwich and arrogant and bat sh*t crazy enough to "stay the course" of corruption no matter who didn't like it.

I have a bit of a different opinion. I'm not minimizing the concerns of spending more hard earned tax dollars. But I believe there might be long term advantages to helping those in our backyard. There is a growing problem in Latin America with more and more countries going Socialist, with at least a couple radically so. Hugo Chavez is down there stirring the pot and using his oil money to bribe the other countries. I think this needs to be seen in a broader context.

We give billions of $$$ to people in these Middle Eastern countries like Egypt, Jordan, etc., where the population is virulently anti-American. I'd rather spend less on them. Maybe if we helped Latin Americans in their own countries, more of them would stay put. My concern is that this money actually go directly to improve the lives of the people and not be diverted by their corrupt politicians.

We have no money for our elderly, social security is broke, 47 million unisured and he's going to go south and give medical treatment to hundreds of thousands, a little boy in the U.S. died yesterday because his parents could not afford dental care.

criminals are killing citizens at an alarming rate yet we can not afford to support local law enfocement to help enforce immigration laws that are the reason for the crime in the first place.

We can not afford to build our fence.

We give 1 1/2 billion to Mexico in aid and then are expected to educate and take care of their poor.

Mr Bush you are Americas nightmare. Please get out of office and take all the worthless congressmen with you that don't have the backbone to say NO MORE.

In addition he sends one of the best navy's medical ships to provide medical care to other countries when we have veterans from bush's war who need care. Bush must have some brain disease otherwise he would see what he is doing.

Connet the dots. he sends our military to Iraq which depletes the military. He refuses to let the border patrol do their jobs and send unarmed NG which are already tried to the border. Bush complains about Americans using to much oil will allowing 30 million illegals in the country to use our oil. Bush let the war go on without change so that many anti-illegals were not re-elected. He is destroying the country while allowing it to be invaded from Mexico.