Scandanavians gove more foreign aid per capita than any other country. Yet Americans are some of the most reliably generous people in the world. We just don't rely on the government to handle our charity; we do it through private and religious organizations.

Why should I be taxed to support the UN's ridiculous, irrelevant sanctimony, when I can voluntarily send a contribution to a private charity that will do the job efficiently and honestly, and competes in a market to earn my donations rather than appropriating them through a corrupt self-appointed monopoly? Hell, if I wanted to spend money on ridiculous, irrelevant sanctimony I'll just give my money to the Episcopal Church.

You know, I really think we ought to listen to Jan. I'm not suggesting that taxes should be raised, but maybe we are being too stingy. Maybe we should donate the entire amount of the federal budget that's earmarked for the UN in general to disaster relief efforts.

And while we're at it, we could evict the UN from its digs in NYC and sell the property to someone who could develop it as "affordable housing." And the cash from the development deal could also go to disaster relief! That would make the libs happy, no? After all, low-income families from NY could find a place to live, and the General Assembly hall would make one Hell of a rec room. The downtrodden in places like Sri Lanka get help out of the deal. Meanwhile, all the diplomats could fuck off to Sweden or Switzerland, where, let's face it, they really belong.

Hey, everybody wins!

To a European seeking to flog the United States -- and that's essentially any Eurocrat who gets within shouting distance of a microphone, these days -- any stick is good enough. But underneath the rhetoric is always the same core motivation: envy.

Their people want what we have, but the ruling classes want to keep the people down and their States' coffers bulging. (There's a reason "Oil For Food" is a European scandal rather than an American one, eh?) So they can't afford to admit their real reason for despising us: compared to them, we're unbelievably free, unbelievably rich, and very secure.

"I'd rather be a junkie in a New York City jail than King, Queen, and Jack of all you Europeans." -- P. J. O'Rourke

Ace, See-Dubya:

Damn you! Early blog catches the worm, I guess.

Who wakes up at 4? Or, better yet, who doesn't go to sleep until 4?

Anyways. . . I posted the same thoughts as See-Dub over at my site. Why tax when you can donate?

Oops, that's right, private donations require something called "take home pay," which last time I checked, you don't get with a 10% unemployment rate.

Of course, when I first read the headline, I thought it read "U.S. official slams U.N. as 'stingy' over aid to Iraq."

Alas, one can hope. . .

Cheers,
Dave at Garfield Ridge

Guys, ol Jan is just another poli-whore who needs the spotlight for his 15 minutes of fame. Our genorosity speaks for itself and assholes like Jan represent the very worst opportunists out there. Don't stoop to his level.

Jan thinks the American people want to pay higher taxes? Oh yes, we are yearning for it!

Newsflash, Jan; socialism is a dirty word in most of the US. You fucking blind idiot.

Its bad enough when our own mindless ideologues claim to speak for the People. But you've got to have humongous brass ones if you think a Eurocommie such as yourself could ever correctly divine what Americans want. Not if you had 1000 guesses, you twit.

You shouldn't smoke so much hash, Jan. Its making you loopy, you nutty kid.

Americans and our government give far more in aid as a percent of GDP than the Europeans do. We just don't use UN or European aid organizations to do so.

There is a good reason for that. The UN is the most corrupt institution in the world. Embezzlement is not the exception at the UN; it is a way of life.

Go to Geneva as I have and look at the palatial offices where these UN agency bureaucrats work. Look at all the limos parked outside. Go into the neighborhoods and look at the palatial homes they live in.

Jan Egeland's is griping because his Ferrari is two years old and he needs a new one.

http://kerryhaters.blogspot.com/
this guy posted Mr. Stingy's phone and fax number.

I've got a better idea. Fire half the UN. Cut the other half's pay (to, say, $40K/yr max). Send the savings abroad for disaster relief.

They do, after all, "want to give more".

or Jan could donate half Norway's oil fund

http://www.aftenposten.no/english/local/article927125.ece

I come to work, pop up Ace, and discover he's on fucking FIRE!

Damn, Ace, tell us how you really feel.

That Swedish meatball can go puff on a turd if he thinks the American people wwant higher taxes.

Fuck him.

It's bad enought that he mouths off about our "gift." (Who complains about a gift but a true fucking ingrate?) But then he has the audacity to speak for ME? No, sir, you can go jump off a fjord.

Man, this asshole has me steamed too, Ace.

and, yes, I see he's Norwegian, but I couldn't resist the "Swedish meatball."

From Frontpage this morning;

"Americans make a minimum of $34 billion in private donations to assist the less fortunate overseas, the overwhelming majority from religious foundations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). "

As it should be.

When it comes to giving aid through direct donations of our tax cash, the government is like a bucket brigade fighting a fire, but all their buckets have holes.

To then pass whatever remains of that money through the thieving UN....well.

Again, Jan; kiss my grits.

Shut-the-fuck-up-juice? That's great. Where can I get a tanker-truck-full for our own Liberals?

I just wrote about the stupidity of Jan on my own site, then came to Ace and found his primal scream of rage at the UN. Beats the hell out of my post.

Maybe Jan should ask Kojo Annan to give some of his blood money to the people of Asia. Humanitarian aid has a funny way of disappearing into UN pockets. Maybe Jan is just pissed that his cut of $15 million won't be that much.

Wait, maybe Jan's right. Maybe we do want to pay more taxes. Let's try making taxes voluntary to see if revenue goes up.

Van Helsing,
Our Republican governor got so sick and tired of people whining about no money for this special program or that. He held a press conference and announced a special "Pay extra taxes" fund. Anyone that felt they weren't paying enough in taxes was encouraged to send money to this fund. Three years later, there is about $1000 in it.

As for the U.N., screw them and the horse they rode in on.

72 Virgins, here ya go;

http://www.jordansplace.net/homepage/shutup.jpg

Makes a beautiful gift for lefty trolls.

To call the UN's scandal the "the greatest theft/embezzlement in human history" is overdoing it a bit. Sure, it's absolutely huge, but it's small potatoes to the billions stolen by kleptocratic governments throughout the world, usually over decades. The UN was acting according to what many of its members consider "normal operating standards". Not that that excuses anything.

Let's try to keep some perspective here: the problem isn't just the UN, but with many of its members.

Weren't the Vikings Norwegian?

I guess the modern descendents of Vikings are just pussies.

A detailed account of US foreign aid, public and private, from the Hudson Institute:

http://www.hudson.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=publication_details&id=3479

The only thing I hate more than America-hating UN pussies like Egeland is America-hating UN pussies who don't have the BALLS to stick to their asinine America-hating positions.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,11803670%255E1702,00.html

He feels he has a right to comment on the US because HE LIVES HERE, where is UN income is tax free.

He needs to be sent home.

Yes, and his tax-free UN income is approximately 350K per year.
He is so convinced that people WANT to be taxed more; maybe he could start a trend and donate 40% of his income to the US Treasury. Show that he is willing to walk the walk, you know?

United States fought a war to end taxes imposed upon us from another nation. Guess what, We Won! I have the right to donate my income as I see fit! Stay out of my bussiness.