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THE LONG OVERDUE NEED FOR NATO REFORM THE NEED FOR A "FAIR SHARE" PLAN
When NATO was founded Europe was in ruins. A giant and dangerous Soviet empire threatened to take over the entire continent. American made a correct and absolutely vital decision to send troops and military aid to western Europe. However, as President Truman and our top military leaders assured us at the time, this was never to be the permanent subsidy that it turned into. Once Europe got back on its feet, most American troops were to return home, and Europe was supposed to make an equal commitment to its defense. Unfortunately, this never happened. Today this situation is a total joke, a joke that is costing American tax payers tens of billions of dollars as fabulously rich nations, such as Germany, the third largest economy on earth, spend almost 50% less than America does on defense as a share of their GNP. In other words they are making 50% less of a sacrifice than U.S. citizens, while NATO Europe as whole spends 40% less. Meanwhile, the Soviet empire has ceased to exist. Russia no longer even controls the Ukraine and the Baltic States. Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic now actually belong to NATO, not the Warsaw Pact. Sadly, while paying 40 % less for defense, the European Union has taken the benefits of U.S. foreign aid to finance a system of agricultural subsidies that are devastating U.S. farmers, who are now in their worst shape in 30 years. According to the U.S. Agriculture Department the European Union is responsible for a stunning 80% of the subsidies damaging U.S. farmers. As result, many European nations actually have a higher standard of living than America and are able to provide vital social services that American citizens are forced to do without. Many American troops are on food stamps and face losing health insurance altogether when they leave the military. FOREIGN AID FOR RICH EUROPEANS IS BLEEDING WHITE In Europe not a single citizen lacks health insurance. Unfortunately, billions of dollars of U.S. military aid to Europe has taken away funds needed for health care for U.S. citizens. A stunning 44 million Americans have no health insurance. At the same time U.S. dependence on imported oil has hit its highest level in history, forcing us to deploy huge military forces in the Persian Gulf and make an alliance with a feudal monarchy, Saudi Arabia, that bans Christianity and puts women in jail if they try to drive cars. At Pearl Harbor our dependence on foreign oil was zero. Today it is over 50% and it is expected to go higher. However, U.S. funding for renewable energy research has been cut by over 70% since 1980 to a tiny level of only $300 million a year. CLEARLY WE NEED NEW PRIORITIES Congress should add an amendment to the defense appropriations bill that will require the Germans and other "allies" to pay the cost of stationing U.S. troops in Europe. This money should then by used for the following goals:
RELATED CHARTS DOES GERMANY REALLY NEED AMERICAN FOREIGN AID? THE
UNEQUAL COMMITMENT OF EUROPE AND AMERICA HIGH COST OF U.S. SUBSIDIES FOR NATO THE COLLAPSE OF AMERICA'S COMMITMENT TO CLEAN SAFE AND AND RENEWABLE ENERGY |