Helping the World's Poor

[theBruiser500]

"In 1998, the United Nations Deelopment Porgram estimated that it would cost an additional $9 billion (above current expenditures) to provide clean water and sanitation for everyone on earth. It would cost an addition $12 billion, they said, to covered reproductive health services for all women world wide. Another $13 billion would be enough not only to give every pperson on earth enough food to eat but also basical health care. An additional $6 billion could provide basic education for all... Combined they add up to $40 billion." - John Robbins, author of Diet For a New America and Food Revolution.

Kind of interesting huh? How much did congress just approve for the Iraq war, $80 billion?

[Matty]

173 Billion so far

http://costofwar.com/

[JackWhite]

Those dollar figures seem very low. How could you provide health care and food for everyone in the world for 13 billion dollars? That figure cannot be accurate. In the US alone, don't we spend hundreds of billions a year on health care? There are around 6 billion people in the world. I really think it would cost a little more than 13 billion to provide food and medical care.

[Matty]

[ QUOTE ]
Those dollar figures seem very low. How could you provide health care and food for everyone in the world for 13 billion dollars? That figure cannot be accurate. In the US alone, don't we spend hundreds of billions a year on health care? There are around 6 billion people in the world. I really think it would cost a little more than 13 billion to provide food and medical care.

[/ QUOTE ]The figures are for very basic care. Probably means the basic immunizations, medicines, diagnoses. Also don't assume we'd be starting from zero everywhere.

Also, other industrial countries get better healthcare for much less money than we do.

http://www.mercola.com/2000/jun/10/us_healthcare.htm

We're consistently ranked fairly low by the World Health Organization (or whoever else ranks such stuff) despite spending much more per capita. So, there are better things to make comparisons with.

[theBruiser500]

I think basically as grey says, it's law of diminishing returns. To provide the beginnings of basic healthcare and food is very cheap, we already spend a lot on that so to make improvements in our system it will cost more and more.

[lastchance]

Also, some of the major problems of doing this are not represented by the dollar figures, namely social and political factors in the region.

Still, $40 billion is very cheap bribe.

[Dynasty]

$40 billion total? Well, it would seem that in order for everybody to get these services, they would only have to pony up about $5-$20 each per year. If people aren't willing to do what it takes to earn and pay that amount themselves, why should I be giving it away?

[Matty]

[ QUOTE ]
$40 billion total? Well, it would seem that in order for everybody to get these services, they would only have to pony up about $5-$20 each per year. If people aren't willing to do what it takes to earn and pay that amount themselves, why should I be giving it away?

[/ QUOTE ]It's sad that you don't realize how good you have it.

For many people, the best they can hope for is a job making hundreds (not thousands) of dollar a year, and they need that money.

Children in Sudan are eating leaves to try and stem off starvation right now. But that's just because they're greedy and don't want to part with $20.

Just thank god you were born in a country where you'll never find out what real work is.

If you were born in North Korea what would you be doing right now? Starving. What would Donald Trump be doing if he were born in North Korea? Starving.

[Jakesta]

This is seriously pennies to a country as rich as the United States. Why not cut our military budget and implement the recommendations above?

[Matty]

Because of people like Dynasty. Do something like this and you're a communist liberal looking to put the whole world on welfare.

Also, as lastchance alluded to, there are some practical problems beyond just money. Not too hard to get food into a country, but getting immunizations into North Korea? Good luck.