Your tax dollars being misappropriated by the Government

THE PRESIDENT: "In recent weeks, many have expressed concern about the significant increase in global food prices. And I share this concern. In some of the world's poorest nations, rising prices can mean the difference between getting a daily meal and going without food.
To address this problem, two weeks ago my administration announced that about $200 million in emergency food aid would be made available through a program at the Agriculture Department called the Emerson Trust. But that's just the beginning of our efforts. I think more needs to be done, and so today I am calling on Congress to provide an additional $770 million to support food aid and development programs. Together, this amounts to nearly $1 billion in new funds to bolster global food security. And with other food security assistance programs already in place, we're now projecting to spend nearly -- that we will spend nearly $5 billion in 2008 and 2009 to fight global hunger." from "The President Discusses Food Aid" as released by the Whitehouse press secretary on May 1, 2008.

Those of you with charitable hearts will have them warmed by this kind of talk coming from the Whitehouse. After all, few things are sadder than watching pictures of starving children in foreign countries. I want to make a short statement concerning what goes on in these countries to starve the citizens and children.

I think it is well documented that a great deal of charitable aid sent to many of these countries ends up lining the pocket and furnishing the palaces of the ruling person or group. Very little actually filters down to the lower classes to help with tools and education for these people to learn to care for themselves. That is why those starving masses continue to starve while their leaders live in palatial mansions, ride in the finest limo's, and enjoy all of the finest acoutrements of life.

A few years ago, after the Tsunami tragedy in southeast Asia, the private philanthropists of our country raised and contributed $225 million to aid those hurt or left homeless by the tsunami.

Gratuitously, the President seized $350 million tax dollars and sent it overseas as a charitable contribution by this country. So, the nearly $600 million sent by the United States alone (along with amounts raised by the good hearted citizens of other nations of the world) could not get those people back on their feet. The other day, I heard a television spot stating a need to raise more money for these people.

Now he wants to seize over $700 million of your hard earned tax dollars to send more charitable contributions to the third world.

Charity is not the business of the Government. The business of the Government is to take care of the citizens of the United States.

Remember that tax money is money coerced from your earned income. If you do not pay it, you will face serious sanctions or punishments from your Government.

The taxes are for running the government, raising the armies for our protections, and building roads.

Forcibly reaching into another man's pocket in order to hand the money to another is theft plain and simple. It may be legalized theft, but it is theft nonetheless.

Your government forces you to contribute to charity all the time: welfare (free money to people who don't work), social security (the government's forced retirement plan), and big business bailouts (that is a topic for another time).

Past Presidents have refused to engage in this type of behavior. Theodore Roosevelt, when pressed to give money to aid another country, said he could not because the Constitution does not give him that authority. Grover Cleveland did the same thing.

President Bush is usurping authority outside of the constitutional powers of his office.

I like President Bush. I am proud that he has taken measure to protect us from the terrorists. The fact that he has not had Jimmy Carter tried for treason and hung is a tribute to his patience and patriotism. This forced charity, no matter what it might be called or no matter who it might be intended to help, is wrong.

I object to the seizure and misuse of our tax dollars. To restate one of my favorite columnists, Walter Williams, Economics Professor at George Mason University: to reach into one's own pocket for charity is laudable, to reach into another man's pocket for charity is reprehensible.