Posted by
JayPeriod on Friday, May 09, 2008 10:04:18 AM
Those on the left, and some in Europe, complain about the wealth of the United States. They claim we abuse the poor with our capitalist economy. They harp and moan about the evils of the US and our greed. Let's ask the World Food Program (WFP) what they think.
In a report on
Fox News this morning, they report how the US gives $1.16 billion to the WFP each year. This is listed as more than five times that given by the next highest donor, the European Commission. On top of that, President Bush has promised an additional $250 million this year to help combat escalating food prices worldwide.
In stark contrast to US giving is that given by the oil-rich Middle Eastern Islamic countries. Saudia Arabia, for example, which makes $164 billion each year off its oil, does not even show up on the giving list for this year. The same is true of other Islamic countries whose main source of income is from oil. So, while these countries are responsible for the escalation of hunger around the world, they offer nothing in return. In response to the estimate that 100 million people will be added to the list of the starving, the oil-rich Islamic Middle Eastern countries have nothing to offer.
There are countries on the list of giving which are also among the receivers. Even those countries have a larger heart to help the hurting and hungry than the leaders of the oil-rich Islamic nations. It does mirror giving to charitable organizations in the US, where those in Blue States give less than those in Red States, even though the incomes in Blue States is higher than those in Red States.
With gas prices in the US approaching $4 per gallon, and prices in Europe in the $8 per gallon range, in the oil-rich Islamic nations gas is still under $1 per gallon. These Islamic leaders have no problem making extreme amounts of money from the rest of the world, passing that along to their own people, yet want nothing to do with helping the rest of the world.
I would suggest that it is due, in part, to their desire to spread their message. Indonesia is the largest Islamic nation in the world because the Islamic nations focused on it, sending money and education. With that money came the religious training. They outgave, so Islam became the predominant religion, and now the only religion. (BTW, Indonesia produces more terrorists than any other nation)
I would suggest that these oil-rich Islamic nations might be willing to send money for food if they could bring their message, but in recent years we see that their greed is more powerful than that. In December 2004, when the tsunami hit the Indian Ocean, the US out gave every oil-rich Islamic nation. Combined.
So, as we begin looking for causes to the rising gas, food and energy prices, we need to give the oil companies a break. Yes, they are making record profits, but they also invest in research, and their profits are due in large part to the amount of oil being consumed worldwide. Let's not forget to look at the greedy oil-rich Islamic nations, those willing to do nothing for the poor of the world, even though they have more resources to do so than anyone else. I guess we can just chalk it up to the compassion of Islam.