Re: Picture of the Year
  By: John Massey to Ross Sauer on Mon Dec 31 2007 05:24 pm

 > And UNICEFis a sorry excuse for an aid agency that could not exist with out
 > the money foods and goods provided by the United States. We (the US) should
 > cut all funds to the UN.

I don't think any aid organization is going to be particularly successful if
people aren't donating goods/money to it.  However, UNICEF does not depend on
the United States for its existence.  From what I can tell as of their 2006
report, the United States provides UNICEF with approximately $329 million.
That's about 12% of UNICEF's budget of $2.7 billion/year.  Their mission is to
provide for the health of children throughout the entire world, through various
food, vaccination, education, anti-violence, etc., programs.  They're supposed
to promote the health and well-being of all children in the world on less money
in a year (for offices in over 190 countries) than we spend in one month of
killing people.

So as far as UNICEF existing without the United States, I'd say they'd probably
get along just fine without us.  Though, it's in our best interest to support
such organizations, since they do promote for better health and wellness of
people throughout this world.

Ideally, the United States should provide greater funding, support and
participation with regard to the United Nations.  Doing so would allow us to
more easily and efficiently work with our worldly neighbors in an effort to
actually get things done, rather than continue the isolationist and
narcissistic view that EVERYTHING is about us, and EVERYTHING is because of us.

 > IF the UN is so great let's give them Haiti and see what they can do with
 > it by themselves.

There is no "by themselves".  The UN is made up of 192 member
states, of which
the United States is only 1.  Perhaps if we'd play a more active role in the
United Nations, rather than attempting to stonewall them at every turn and have
little pissing matches, something would actually get done.

-- Daniel
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