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Harris Wrong – Foreign Aid No Border Fix

Posted on Tuesday, May 11, 2021
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by AMAC, Robert B. Charles
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foreignVice President Harris is pushing Americans to support big money for three Central American countries – as a solution to the burgeoning border crisis.  As a former Assistant Secretary of State, who managed two billion dollars instability programs globally under Colin Powell, allow me to say – the wrong answer.  See, e.g., https://www.foxnews.com/politics/kamala-harris-immediate-relief-northern-triangle-mexican-president.

Does America benefit from working with foreign governments around the world to stabilize, stop public corruption, restore the rule of law, and create economic opportunities?  Yes, of course.  We have been doing that for 75 years.  See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_foreign_aid.

We do so on the premise that a safer, more democratic, self-reliant, self-sufficient, self-policing, and thus stable world is better for all.   We do so with the idea of intervening to gradually solve – and then prevent – costly crisis.  We do so on the notion that “teaching a man to fish is better than plying him with fish.”

Before explaining why Harris’ idea of cash for Central America is wrong and offers no solution to the border crisis – is a deflection, allow me to say clearly, foreign aid can be critical.  US aid rebuilt the economies of Europe and the Far East after WWII, South Korea after the Korean War.  US aid to South America – especially Peru and Colombia – restored the rule of law when drug-funded terrorists seemed unstoppable.  US foreign aid – conditioned on concrete results – has helped stabilize 90 countries. See, e.g., https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/FY-2020-CEN-Strategy-Progress.pdf;   https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/us-foreign-aid-by-country.

But foreign aid is neither a panacea – some easy answer to endemic foreign instability, corruption, poverty, crime, terrorism, or cultural and legal deficits – nor is it a substantive response to the US-Mexico border crisis.

First, while caravans of illegal aliens push north from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras, the answer is not cash to these countries.  The US has long pushed major foreign aid to these countries, including under the Trump Administration.  That aid has helped stabilize these countries, even attract some foreign capital, in turn creating jobs.  But structural, cultural, physical, and political barriers to rapid progress exist in these countries; planeloads of cash will not solve them.

Moreover, cash to those in power – since aid is government to government, and even non-government organizations who benefit operate under host country authority – often ends up lining the pockets of corrupt leaders.

Additionally, “absorption” is a major issue.  The faster and larger the amount of money that arrives, the less likely a lasting impact, accountability, or return on investment by American taxpayers.  The process of making foreign aid pay dividends to US taxpayers – in legal and economic stability, reduced need for military intervention, and increased trade – is generational, not done in months.

In short, Harris either fundamentally misunderstands how foreign aid works, what we have been doing around the world, and how wasteful cash dumps are – or she is intentionally misrepresenting what can be done, aiming to distract.

The Biden-Harris team has created the conditions that are producing a flood into the US of illegal aliens.  The Central American countries are not creating the new conditions, as they have long labored under their structural problems.

No, this illegal alien flood is a result of signaling “go” to human traffickers, who often abuse the humans they are illegally trafficking.  It reflects Biden-Harris’ disdain for Trump, who had policies in place that worked.

This flood is the result of stopping wall construction, ending treaties with these countries, ending a “hold until adjudication” treaty with Mexico for Central American asylum seekers, halting deportation, restarting the indefensible “catch and release” program – releasing illegals into the US with distant or non-existent court dates, offering uncapped housing to tens of thousands of unaccompanied minors – who are then relocated to the Heartland, and making clear our borders are open, laws do not matter, sanctuary cities protected, US citizens to suffer.

So, what is the solution to the border crisis?

Point One:  Return to the effective deterrent policies put in place by Trump – as they worked.

Point Two:  Send a clear signal that rule of law matters here, just as we teach it does around the world.

Point Three:  Do not imagine cash dumps to governments – via USAID or State – will suddenly reverse endemic problems or that we have not been working to improve stability, economies, trade, the rule of law for decades.

Point Four:  Note many illegally crossing the border are not from these countries.

Point Five:  Return to basics.  The core drivers are ill-conceived Biden policies, from open borders and sanctuary cities to demeaning police, federal laws, and law enforcement, promoting drug legalization and giving away money to illegal aliens, to banning the use of the word.

In short, charity starts at home – and so does deterrence.  Not to see this is willful blindness.  Not to address the border crisis from within is to deflect from a major error of the Biden Administration, one undermining rule of law here.  And to imagine planeloads of cash as the solution is naïve at best, deceptive at worst in short – Harris id dead wrong.  Deflection is not a solution to the border crisis.

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KD SQ
KD SQ
3 years ago

The number one thing to do is get rid of the coup plotters and fraud presidency created by that coup. Literally anyone with half a brain knows the dominion machines changed millions of votes in every single state.

Momcat
Momcat
3 years ago

typical democrat response, create a problem, then raise taxes, give that money to other countries. Why? that money is always extorted back into the democrat’s pockets.

Robert Dragonetti
Robert Dragonetti
3 years ago

The typical liberal response. Ready, fire, aim, throw (our taxpayer) money at the problem then wonder why it never works out. Ridiculous! The only way to stop this is to vote them out.

Phil Hammersley
Phil Hammersley
3 years ago

The obvious question is: If we give these countries more money, will it get down to the common people or go into the offshore bank accounts of the corrupt leaders?
If our own inner cities are any indication, we know the answer!

Lee S McQuillen
Lee S McQuillen
3 years ago

VP is no smarter or better than AOC. Now we have 2 of them! Educated but stupid….

Jonathon W Hood
Jonathon W Hood
3 years ago

Imagine Harris being wrong… Seems about right to me. She’s practicing the Democrat theory of “throw money at it and hope that it goes away”. Same OLD song and dance, as always.
Just proves Biden Harris – wrong. Proving further that Biden/Harris are wrong for America… They seem to think that the American check book is never ending and open ended. I, personally haven’t seen where Democrats have done anything positive for this country in my lifetime of 63 years. It seems that driving our country farther in debt seems to be their goal. Heck, we can just print more money and increase taxes! Will America ever get the concept of once these politicians are elected that this “party crap” needs to be put aside and everything done needs to be for the good of our country and special interests are not the governing factor. Most of these foreign countries are not even held accountable for the monies that they receive. Most goes into the accounts of whoever is in charge of their countries at the time.
It’s high time that we secure our borders and focus our aid inside of them and to the benefit of our own citizens. The USA should not be the baby sitters and financial support of ALL the countries of the world. None of it is appreciated or even regarded highly, except for the folks in the high end of these governments.
Sincerely,
Jonathon W. Hood

PaulE
PaulE
3 years ago

Well of course shoveling more foreign aid to incompetent or corrupt foreign governments is NOT going to improve anything. The vast majority of so-called foreign aid given to most governments never trickles down the the average person. Especially in most of South America. However in Harris’ case, she has no understanding or competence in matters related to foreign relations issues she is trying to play at. The Biden administration raced to completely dismantle everything President Trump put in place to successfully curtail much of the illegal alien problem on our southern border. Now the Biden administration is trying to divert attention away from a problem it has directly created, by claiming more foreign aid is the magic bullet.

By the way, Harris doesn’t have much real understanding of U.S. domestic policy issues either. So the Biden administration will of course do what almost all Democrat administrations do: They will throw money at the problem and when it fails to “fix” anything, they will throw even more money at the problem. They will repeat this process as often as necessary until the American public forgets that the Biden administration caused the problem to start with. Then they will claim the problem is “systemic” and can’t be fixed without even more government programs, edicts and of course spending to fund it all. Which will of course do nothing to fix the problem either, but it will grow the size and scope of government.

Tim Thompson
Tim Thompson
3 years ago

Her philosophy follows what our politicians think about the donors who filter money into their campaign funds, give me, give me, give me more. Of course any campaign money not used ultimately goes into their personal retirement fund when they decide to give up their seats. Nifty if you an get it. Well those three countries on our border are going to do the same thing, goes into the leaders pocket to be stashed away in the Bahamas for their unseating eventually. So Harris is playing the same old game, look like we are helping when in fact the people have already come to our borders and know they will be handled with Democratic give a ways. Hopefully this lady will not see her way into the Presidency if she does it will be the final nail in America’s coffin.

Kitty
Kitty
3 years ago

The only thing we can do to reduce poverty and crime in poor countries is to educate them on birth control and provide the equipment for them to do so. Failing that, I suggest spay/neuter programs for all illegal aliens.

Phil
Phil
3 years ago

VP Harris is plain common……and dumb.

Jocie Taylor
Jocie Taylor
3 years ago

I’m sorry but we can’t even help America much less help other countries it’s time to back off and take care of our own close the borders enough is enough we’re done

Jeff Noncent
Jeff Noncent
3 years ago

She is so dumb and idiot

par
par
3 years ago

Harris is more clueless than Biden. She hides in her cave.

Edward T Curtis
Edward T Curtis
3 years ago

Kamala Harris is not a Vice President, she is merely a spokesperson for the decadent left and Hollywood celebrities who only sound smart when reading the lines from a good script.

Art A
Art A
3 years ago

SAME OLD SONG. THROW MONEY AT THE ISSUE. HOPE THAT IT GOES AWAY. IN THE MEANTIME DO NOT FOLLOWUP ON WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT CASH. “HEELS UP” HARRIS DOES HAVE EXPERIENCE IN RELATIONS JUST NOT FOREIGN ONES.

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