Originally posted at Writeindependent.org on October 11, 2011
subsidies – California farmer
I read a disturbing article about how our government has granted Morocco almost $700 million over the last five years toward improving their fruit tree farms, thus hiking salaries and employment in the region.
In 2004, our congress instituted the “Millennium Challenge Corp., a foreign aid agency headed by the secretary of state, to help developing countries reduce poverty” says the article, found here: http://www.sfgate.com/food/article/U-S-aid-to-Morocco-worries-California-olive-2309224.php
I looked into the Millenium Challenge Corp., which has been earmarked for over $7 billion in grants to help 23 African and Latin American countries.
It is a totally transparent system, with all the information you could ever want already on the web. The MCC got started with strong bipartisan support.
So what is wrong with wanting to help other countries? Nothing, except when our own country is struggling with poverty and unemployment. Just something to think about.