ROME – Secretary of State John Kerry announced here today that the United States is preparing to provide $60 million to the Syrian opposition in an effort to help strengthen those trying to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad.
The funds will not be used to arm the fighters, which would have been a more aggressive step that some had hoped the US would take to convince Assad to step down. Instead, the US financial support will mostly be used to allow Syrian opposition leaders to provide security, sanitation, and educational services in areas that they now control.
Comments
I'm paying for this? Why not $60M for us? This country is ridiculous.
I personally know of children and the elderly, in the United States of America, that go to bed hungry at night, have no real roof over their head and abosolutely no medical. care So how is it that the the people in Syria get this aid over those in the United States. Where is this money coming from? This is why there is no respect for the leadership in this country, time and time again they show lack of leadership and are taking the US taxpayer's money and shipping it out of the country.
It isn't just that Syrians are getting aid over Americans- it is considered, rightly or wrongly, to be in the national interest. What do You propose to do about Syria, start dropping bombs? As for medical care for your American friends, universal health care, commonly known as Obamacare, is being created. But you probably think it's socialism, right? I'm glad that your friends will stick to principle and turn down any government benefits that may come their way (or will they take the money and run?).
Well here is 60 million I think we can find a better use for.
Borrow $6oMM from China to give to Syria. UFB!
Referendum: STOP ALL FOREIGN AID!
Maybe if we stop putting the jurks back in office then something will happen there should be term limits. I willl noit vote for an incumbent. There will be a social reveloution in this country maybe not in my life time but there will be.
The toughest front line rebel fighters are associated with al qaeda. How do you keep the money from them? Half the massive budget cuts starting tomorrow will come from our Defense Department, and the other half from domestic federal programs. Do we really want to put defense industry workers out of work? Do we really want to tell the poor in New England that the feds no longer will provide home heating assistance, and that the feds no longer will provide their children with educational assistance? And we do these things just so we can TRY to buy goodwill from the rebels about to take over Syria? How long did the Afghan rebels thank us when we financed their resistance to the Soviet Union in the 1980’s? How long did we thank France after we won our independence with her help? Other people put their survival and self-interest first, and we should too.
....ah, good right-wing Americans looking for a handout. But none regret the costs of Bush's wars. Pathetic.
Perhaps you all would prefer to live in a world where nothing outside our borders mattered. Unfortunately, that isn't the case and it never will be. Foreign aid is the most cost-effective practice our government conducts.
Debate the merits of whether the syrian rebels need or deserve this sum. That is a healthy discussion, and we deserve it. But to start from a position that foreign aid is inherintly bad is completely misguided.