We can't have healthcare for all yet we'll give $40 billion to Israel

[Rosa Luxemburg]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by treestar (a host of the 2016 Postmortem forum).

Don't get me wrong I like the Israeli people but it has a rotten government. Here's the US government intending to give it $40 billion. We seem to be giving money away at the tax payers' expense.

[swhisper1]

1. Pisses me off every time. they let our kids starve

[Hortensis]

19. While we spend $13 BILLION or so every year

on Halloween. Fourth of July just around the corner, more billions they just... Oh, wait.

WE just...

Less hypocrisy, more living our values?

[pottedplant]

21. So it's up to us to pay above and beyond what we pay in taxes to live in a humane country?

I'm thinking many people feel their tax dollars should go to such things as guaranteeing kids don't grow up in poverty....1 in 5 does.....before arming other nations to the teeth. Israelis get free health care...we get the very real possibility of going bankrupt to pay for the same. We have go fund me pages so people can pay for surgery and funerals. Pretty sick.

[Hortensis]

24. We don't actually disagree on that. Just less of

the "they" and more of the "we"? Nothing's stopping you from giving the money you would have spent on red-white-and-blue throwaways and orange-and-black throwaways to, what was it you were all exercised about? -- feed our starving children.

[Lars39]

32. Our safety nets via taxes paid should be strong enough that *no one* goes hungry in this country.

[Hortensis]

41. Sure. But what does that have to do with

whining only about "them?" They are we. I know, as so many observing do, that many of those attracted to this virtuous new movement didn't bother to educate themselves to vote knoweldgeably, or even to vote, many times in the past. Trace all our problems back to their origins, and the failure of citizens to do their duty is there big time every single time.

We infer the the negligence of some of Bernie's followers, btw, from the obvious and constantly demonstrated profound ignorance of many of them here on DU. (One of the realities of forums is that people reveal something of themselves every time they post.) Great earnestness and yearning for "what Bernie says" do not excuse them or somehow instantly transform them into superior citizens worthy of leading those they so arrogantly and foolishly imagine do not see.

Not that it's limited to Bernie's hyperpartisan followers, of course. Not by a long shot. Many mainstream Democratic liberals, regardless of who they favor, are right up there; but as a group we average out more experienced, balanced, and knowledgeable. Not much more probably, but it's still easy for many to to see a difference.

[pottedplant]

38. I didn't mention starving children, wrong person.

I did mention childhood poverty and lack of healthcare. I work in human services and I can vouch for the fact that programs are grossly underfunded. It would take a lot of decorations to make a dent in it.

[Autumn]

2. Don't expect any complaints about that "free stuff " from

either party.

[azurnoir]

3. but wait there's more-if this aid package has the same or similar fine print as Bush's

75% of that aid has to spent buying from US weapons makers - so in essence Israel is acting as the middle man between US tax payers and US weapons makers

[Rosa Luxemburg]

5. They have enough weapons

[azurnoir]

22. true enough but rather it's a means of putting more money into the pockets of the MIC

without being obvious about it

[CountAllVotes]

4. and still that is not enough

Israel wants more more more than $40 billion!

[Live and Learn]

6. So only Israel can have 'free stuff', unicorns and fairies? nt

[Rosa Luxemburg]

8. Free stuff for some but not for all

all at the expense of the US taxpayers. As I watch the drips through the leaking roof of our school.

[Live and Learn]

10. Pathetic, isn't it? Where are all the defenders of these policies? nt

[Rosa Luxemburg]

11. The next time the republicans and clinton shout free stuff

we will start asking

[Live and Learn]

15. I just did. I doubt they will answer, though.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=2205212

[CountAllVotes]

25. Likely hunkered up in a cave somewhere

Hiding out so no one will know where they are. Wouldn't you be if you were cutting off life support for those in the USA that need HELP?

Grotesque pigs the lot of them!

[AntiBank]

7. they actually are demanding 50 billion

http://www.pri.org/stories/2016-04-29/why-would-israel-reject-largest-us-aid-offer-history


Their latest disagreement: the terms of a US military aid package for Israel. Israel wants more than a proposed $40 billion over 10 years — even though it's reportedly the largest aid package the US has ever offered another country.

Zachary Fryer-Biggs, senior Washington reporter for Jane's Defense Weekly, says military leaders would prefer at least $1 billion more in annual aid. Current US military aid to Israel amounts to $3 billion per year.

"Israeli leaders and defense officials are providing all kinds of anonymous quotes to Israeli media about how really they need roughly $5 billion a year to maintain the qualitative edge," Fryer-Biggs says.

"They don't want to do that publicly because if they do and they get less than the $5 billion, which seems likely, then they have on the record indicated that they are no longer going to be able to maintain an edge. So what they're trying to do is pull other levers to convince the US to go above what the initial offer seems to have been, which is $40 billion."

snip



extortion via AIPAC et al.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. what!

another $10 billion that could be used to fix our dangerous bridges! C'mon Obama!

[AntiBank]

12. it is not just Obama, they have control of congress as well

AIPAC is a danger to our national security, plus the Israeli Mossad has penetrated every layer of our national government, so massive dirt on a multitudes of pols.

You also have the evangelical wackos who think that Israel has to be maintained at all costs for their judgment day fantasies to come to fruition-

It is a clusterfuck.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

13. Israel can be maintained

i have no problem in Israel being maintained but this is ridiculous! We are told we cannot afford this, that, social security yet there is a money river flowing east.

[AntiBank]

17. unfortunately AIPAC is probably the most powerful lobby

in Washington, with the the possible exception of the banking lobby. There can be no realistic hopes for anything but increases in monies flowing to Israel on the long term event horizon.

It's baked into the cake.

[cali]

26. AIPAC is up there, but hell, the NRA is far more powerful.

And financial industry lobbies are also more powerful.

[AntiBank]

29. the NRA is all Republican, banking and AIPAC control BOTH parties

the NRA is just constantly in the news much more. People are terrified to critisise AIPAC for fear of being called anti-semite and primaried. The banking lobby just tosses billions around to insure compliance. They were instrumental in helping craft the weak-sauce Dodd-Frank "reform" bill.

[cali]

33. who controls the House and Senate?

That's right, Republicans.

[AntiBank]

36. yes but the filibuster stops truly insane NRA action

When you have majorities of both parties shilling for bankstets and Israel the fix is truly in. Dems had both houses and POTUS and yet not much positive done in terms of any action on all 3 fronts.

[grossproffit]

34. Wow, you managed to get both AIPAC & Mossad in.

[AntiBank]

37. truth is an ugly thing for some

[grossproffit]

39. Using propaganda to further ones agenda is both ugly and dangerous.

[AntiBank]

40. lol @ "propaganda"

So that's what reality is being called these days?

[2cannan]

20. And he just signed a huge food stamp cut into law...

President Obama signs $8.7 billion food stamp cut into law
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/obama-signs-food-stamp-cut

[Fumesucker]

14. Israel has universal health care, oddly enough

[Rosa Luxemburg]

16. Jesus!

[Fumesucker]

18. I rather doubt His involvement in this particular matter

[Live and Learn]

43. ROFL. nt

[mwrguy]

23. Those Palestinian families aren't going to bulldoze themselves

If we don't keep stirring the pot then peace might break out!

[randome]

44. God, that's hilariously sad.

[bvar22]

27. The real irony here....

..is that every single Israeli has cradle to grave Health Care Coverage (also Universal Education), some of the best in the World,
paid for by Americans who don't have Universal HealthCare or Universal Education.
There is no such thing as "Medical Bankruptcy" in Israel, but it is still Big Business in the US.

Israel should be sending us Financial Aid

[elehhhhna]

42. You get a bonus when you exit the Israeli army and discounted travel

Meet Israeli kids on 2 month trips to Mexico constantly.

Nice deal really.

[MariaThinks]

28. how much do we give Pakistan?

[grossproffit]

30. And Afghanistan, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, Gaza, etc

[MariaThinks]

31. and the cost of protecting saudi arabia

[grossproffit]

35. What does Israel have that those countries don't? Hmmm, let me think. eom

[MariaThinks]

47. Democracy

[randome]

45. We can't have decent roads and bridges, either.

We can't have equitable funding for schools.

Yet people keep voting the laziest, cheapest bastards in the country into office. I only hope that Trump helps bring us a wave election in November. Something has to give.

[lancer78]

46. That $40 Billion

is half of what more we would have to spend on education in order to have free college. Israel has 140+ nuclear warheads, it can take care of itself. Why do people in this country have to suffer while we play military wet-nurse to other countries so they can have free education and healthcare.

[bigwillq]

48. The USA should end all foreign aid

Until it has all of its issues under control, like feeding the poor, ending homelessness, lowering health care costs, fixing bridges, roads, schools, and the like.

[treestar]

49. LOCKING - not about GDP

Maybe try GD or IP.