If We Are So Poor As A Nation

[bazwillrun]

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-05-13/uk-provides-extra-30m-humanitarian-support-for-syria/

how comes we can as usual find 30millions to throw away into some foreign cess pit ?

Total thrown away is now £170million (what % has been pocketed ?)
I bet some of these "rebels" are doing pretty well thankyou very much, with god knows how much stolen and stashed away

yet another example of the outrageous actions of a government who seem happy to put foreign citizens welfare above its own, in this case millions of which is to help the islamist "rebels".

[jim360]

I don't provide food to beggars all that often. More so than perhaps many, less often than I ought, though.

gness, if you really are looking for a SIL... :)

[gness]

Isn't it just Pdust....Never been a student but have a daughter who was. Mountain of debt but generous to a fault.
I was however, thrown out at fifteen with nothing but I still know how blessed I am not to be living in true poverty.

[gness]

Oh I am Jim...I am...just convincing the daughter she needs a husband as well as the terrific....poorly paid...but terrific job. :-) x

[jim360]

Well, I've published my email on this site often enough, haha.

[Svejk]

It wasn't my analogy, gness.
Anyway, we could go around in circles all night.
Some people like to come on AB & parade their caring,sensitive nature. And let's say, some of us are more pragmatic.
Let's agree to differ and all be friends. ;-)

[gness]

I'll be friends if you take back the parading bit...I don't parade but I bloody well defend.....but then you know we Culchies.

[gness]

Searching for emails now........being a caring though not overly sensitive Mum. x

[jim360]

Pragmatically, though, my debt problems are neither going to go away nor be solved for want of that fiver. Oddly, the percentage is remarkably similar to the amount we are giving to Syria compared to GDP. Certainly of the same order.

If I am going to deal with that debt, my best option is to go out, get a job, and start earning the money I need to pay it back. In the same way, if the UK wants to get out of its debt, it need to start growing and create jobs and pay and grow its way out of debt. Cutbacks where they can be made help, but charity is not a cutback worth making.

[237SJ]

£30 million is pretty small fry in the scheme of things. However, I do think the Government tends to throw money to high profile causes (possibly because they want to improve their humanitarian image on the world stage). I have been to the favelas in Rio, the townships outside of Cape Town where you are lucky if you manage to construct a bit of corrugated iron to live under. I have been to Jufureh (where Alex Haley claimed to originate) when the locals were telling me how great their electricity system was that the charitable foundation had installed - even though it had broken down three years` previously and nobody had come to fix it. There are so many good causes around the world but you have to be very, very careful where you put your money. A lot of aid seems to be more political than humanitarian IMO

[Svejk]

It was a bit naughty, I take it back. :)

[jim360]

You may be searching a while, gness... the first time was way back, and I've apparently answered over 700 threads now. I post far too much...

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puzzles/Crosswords/Question1050882-2.html

[gness]

Thank you S. To clarify...I wasn't parading...you need to know what I do to know where my information comes from. x

[gness]

Thank you Jim....noted....x

[jim360]

You realise I'm now going to be disappointed if I don't hear anything. You are trapped, trapped!!! MUAHAHAHAHA

/off-topic

I'm sorry if it ever came across that I was parading anything. I don't normally bring it up, but it seemed appropriate in this thread since it's about charity at some level. And my circumstances do provide a fairly close analogy, I think.

[bazwillrun]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-22519770

gness and ladybirder.....happy were helping animals like this !?

still as long as youre happy throwing money away at pointless causes let alone things we have no right to poke our nose into thats fine.

and as to a responsibility...please, stop it it hurts when i laugh too much.

[gness]

Oh Baz....my silly love...you missed the point. Happy? Who said we were happy to be as we are? I'ts because we are deeply unhappy that people are suffering that we do what we do.
You're the one who's laughing til he hurts....why do that to yourself??
Gx

[jim360]

It's a pretty pointless counter to say "oh that's so funny". Why? Why not care?

[slark]

Strange how we can't afford to look after our own but can give millions away to other countries

http://news.sky.com/story/1089813/bedroom-tax-blamed-for-womans-suicide

[bazwillrun]

"Oh Baz....my silly love...you missed the point. "

oh dear here we go

Ive not missed any point, its people like you that try and salve your own consciences by poking your noses into everyone elses business and throw money at them thinking that will make it ok.

heres an idea I'll keep my money in my pocket and decide who gets a share of it you throw yours away.

[jim360]

You've yet, really, to explain why we are throwing it away. Is it throwing money away to provide the humanitarian needed for the tens of thousands (or is it now hundreds?) of Syrians fleeing the country -- without food, shelter, water? The basic essentials? That seems worth paying for.

If money is going to the "wrong people" then we need to be aware of that and be more careful about where our money ends up. That is different from not giving any money to the needy full stop. This is where your views seem to diverge from mine and gness's...