Originally Posted by Island of 1,000 Condiments

America is in no situation to be helping other countries. Involving ourselves in another country’s affairs has never been a policy I supported. We may have a reputation to, but when it comes right down to it, we don’t have to. We have to help ourselves first, and when it’s between the starving children in Africa and settling a struggling economy, I’d choose the latter. There is no ‘Press here for Americans’ button. We have other priorities, namely getting our economy out of a recession. We’re also in Afghanistan and Iraq. Those two countries are on opposite ends of the world, I might add. It’s always Americans who need to help when I problem arises. Yet, where are other countries? How about China? They’re at least on the same continent. India? How about Russia? All three can easily be considered superpowers. Yet, Americans are supposed to come and save the day? We have our own problems. We can’t afford to venture off into Asia (again) and give our support. We could barely manage Katrina. Our response teams were slow enough in our own country. Halfway across the world, though? Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for supporting my fellow man. However, when it comes to my neighbor against someone out in Asia, I’d choose my neighbor. For example, if there were two fires. One burnt down my neighbor’s house. The other burnt down someone else’s in California. Suppose I heard about the fire in California. Who would I jump to help? Would a reasonable person fly all the way to California with supplies? No, he wouldn’t. He’d stay and help his neighbor. He’d stay and help out his community. Country to country, continent to continent, it’s the same concept, just on a smaller scale. Sure, people aren’t dying in America, but nobody is obliged to have their tax money spent somewhere in Asia. It could be used to build libraries, perhaps even research diseases. How about the war effort? I rest my case.