Why I hate Ayn Rand, lesson #364

[gridlore]

A op-ed piece on the Ayn Rand Institute site declarte that the government should not send aid to tsunami-ravaged areas.

A few specific points here..

The question no one asks about our politicians' "generosity" towards the world's needy is: By what right? By what right do they take our hard-earned money and give it away?

Try the Constitution of the United States, moron. Article I, Section 8, Clause 1 grants the Congress the right to levy taxes and duties. The 16th Amendment specifically authorized the income tax. Article 1, Section 9, Clause 7 allows the Congress to draw money from the Treasury.

But how did Congress get there? We voted them into office. Thus is a representative government. I vote for a Congressman, 2 Senators, and the Presidential ticket on the national level. We get the government we ask for. Anyone having a problem with this is cordially invited to leave the country, or, work to elect people who agree with you.

Then there is the question of why send the aid? Let's ignore the fact that the government is good at moving masses of supplies on short notice. Ignore the vast fleet of military aircraft available to carry supplies.. let's examine what we get for out money.

1. Improved standing in the region. US aid on the ground helps our image. For those of you who didn't know, the vast majority of the world's muslims don't live in the Middle East, they live in SE Asia, specifically Indonesia (almost 700 million of them.) Indonesia is going to be the battleground in about 20 years, mark my words.

2. Without immediate action, the current death toll is just the beginning. Disease and famine are a very real threat. Ground water has been contaminated, thousands of bodies are unburied. Cholera, diptheria, dysentary.. all are going to crop up and kill people.

3. Lastly, and this will be a shock to the Randites.. it is the RIGHT BLOODY THING TO DO! Hundreds of thousands of people are dead and missing! There is no excuse not to help!

I swear, I want to smack some of these idiots.

And of course, Fred Phelps had to open his hateful mouth on the subject... (links to a PDF)

Thanks to lysana for the links.

Comments

[gridlore.livejournal.com]

There is a budget item every year for forgein aid, and another for discretionary spending. Requested by the President, and voted on by Congress.

Thanks, the Amendment has been fixed.

[ex-cerebrate131.livejournal.com]

I think the argument isn't so much whether there *is* such a budget item, but if said item is Constitutionally authorised.

[nsingman.livejournal.com]

Precisely.