Quote Originally Posted by kokopup View Post
Our Giving to Pakistan goes way back. I was a part of a task force back in the late 50's/early 60's where the US government had given Pakistan several of our older destroyers. We were there to train them on those ships so they could defend themselves from the ENEMY OY THE DAY. I was aboard a Carrier so I wasn't directly involved with the actial training. I was just there trapped in Hell (Karachi) for a very long time. It may not be common knowledge that most of the piping for everything onboard ships is made of brass. In the months I was there the ships finally were not sea worthy because the Pakistani's had stripped the ship of all piping, including those necessary to run their engines. Those ships became floating blobs. I'm sure any aid sent there today, 50 years later, is still going down the same rat hole.
Okay - I'm not the sharpest when it comes to politics and government, but how do we do what we (U.S.) do?? Our own government is working in the red - a big deficit - so how can we provide any aid to anybody when we don't have it to give???? The U.S. wants to cut funding for projects and programs here in our own country to help "balance the budget", and at the expense of deserving people and programs, but the handouts continue to everybody and his brother outside of the country. There is the on-going aid (such as to Pakistan), and the emergency aid to countries that fall victim to natural disasters such as tsunamis, earthquakes, and the like. If we don't have - how can we give? Maybe there's someone a lot wiser than I am that can explain it to me,, cause I don't get it!!!