Dump the United Nations

Why, exactly, do we still belong to the United Nations? We provide about 25% of the funding for the U.N., apparently because it must be expensive to talk a lot without actually doing anything and to fund anti-American hate propaganda. Well, I guess the money doesn’t just go for propaganda. Does anyone remember the Oil for Food scandal? Does anyone remember the corrupt U.N. leadership getting fabulously rich, with no significant repercussions, even when they were caught? Does anyone remember Saddam Hussein chairing the U.N. human rights commission? Does anyone seriously believe the corruption has abated? So, why do we continue to support this corrupt organization that offers nothing but empty rhetoric and hates us?

While we’re at it, we should also note that we continue to send foreign aid to many corrupt regimes that subjugate their people and regularly vote against us in the U.N. Our foreign aid policy seems to center around enriching the corrupt leaders of poor countries, while congratulating ourselves that a few pennies actually make it down to those in need. So, in these troubled financial times (or any other times, for that matter), why do we keep throwing money at dictators?

I agree that we have a moral obligation to help those less fortunate than us, but does that extend to our enemies, especially the corrupt ones? Should we continue to prop up totalitarian regimes in the prayer that some of the money will dribble down to the truly needy? The issue here is not whether we are willing to help others – clearly we are, witness our largess with foreign aid and our willingness to spend a huge proportion of our budget to fund a military that protects the whole world. The real issue is whether we should continue to throw good money after bad – whether we should try to bribe others into liking us, or, phrased differently, whether we should continue to pay the extortion money they demand. In any case, clearly none of this is working.

How about a different approach? Why don’t we try giving foreign aid to charitable organizations and other NGOs and encourage them to work in countries where they are allowed to freely bring food and medicine to those actually in need. If there are good diplomatic or other reasons why we should give foreign aid directly to countries, how about limiting it to free and democratic ones?

Why don’t we just quit the U.N.? Let’s form an alternative international association of freedom loving, democratic nations. Call it, say, the United Free Nations – something like NATO on a world-wide scale. NATO countries don’t always agree with us, but they don’t hate us. Let’s support and associate with countries without dictators and with human rights. It’s not that we would be denying support to those in need – it’s that we would quit supporting oppression. Let’s see how all those totalitarian regimes do without our support.

The really bad guys like Ahmadinejad, Kim, and Chavez will no doubt continue to spread their anti-American vitriol, and the conniving bastards like the Russians and the Chinese will continue their Machiavellian ploys; but I suspect that many of the less whacko nations may clean up their act if they lose our support and suddenly have to depend on the likes of Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Russia and China.

I say we should begin to follow the advice our grandfathers gave us: choose your friends carefully.