Ditch United Nations 	

ByBBBy Sharon Rose Young Hampton    
August 4, 2008 
Noblesville Daily Times
Original Source:  http://www.county29.net/cms2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17012&Itemid=111

Receiving e-mails from taxpayer action groups, I keep track of costly legislation, including things like pork barrel spending and increasing financial commitments to the United Nations. This may not be a local issue, but I bet when you start paying the Global Tax it will feel pretty local.

I was just alerted to Bill S.2433, Global Poverty Act of 2007. Introduced by Presidential candidate, Barack Obama, it passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee “without a public hearing.” Earlier this year it passed out of the House, this is like rubber stamping legislation. I guess it would slow down the process if they actually debated the issue and its strengths and weaknesses.

Since both votes were “voice” votes, there is no way to historically tell who voted for or against. This is not a good kind of vote at anytime if you ask me. I would like every vote “recorded” for each piece of legislation. How else would a taxpayer know who to blame? We have the technology to record votes. Must be some other reason they don’t want you to know how they voted.

Anyway, there is a sudden surge of activity around this legislation and it could, with very little notice to the American people come to a full vote. Predictions are that the cost to the taxpayer will be in the neighborhood of $843 billion. Of course, as our dollar weakens, that number could go much higher.

How would they raise that kind of money? The word is they would have a tax on, what else but, fossil fuels. So, consider paying this tax on your heat, electricity, gas, diesel and then the added cost to all forms of transportation and the products moved. If you think a gallon of gas hurts now, wait until the federal government funds this monster of a bill, and even worse, we put it in the hands of the United Nations.

When we hear stories of mismanaged resources by the UN and corruption in foreign governments redirecting those resources, it doesn’t make me want to give them more taxpayer money. Not to mention the diversion of money to those who hate Americans.

Reports as far back as February 2000 exposed millions in graft and deceit within the administration of the United Nations. As recent as April 2008, an internal audit was leaked that exposed 43 percent of all United Nations procurement contracts were tainted. The United States citizens and taxpayers contribute 25 percent of the overall budget of the United Nations. So basically, you could rationalize that all of the taxpayer money from the U.S. is lost to criminal and unethical practices. How do you feel now?

On the other hand, churches and faith-based organizations supporting world hunger generally act in a true fiduciary manner. Taking greater care with those donated resources than they would with their own money. That money is voluntarily given and respected and donors can be fickle if disrespected.

Look at the attempts to raise millions by the Catholic Church to compensate victims of abuse. Many Catholics do not believe that their actions caused the problem and therefore they should not be “fined” with extra ordinary demands. There is something ethically wrong with that picture.

Think what human suffering could be eradicated with the use of those funds redirected from the lawsuits. We did not have knowledge of the crime or the cover-up but they want us to step up and take the beating. It takes a long time to recover trust once it is lost. That is why great effort must be taken to guard and protect the people’s “trust.” So, if we don’t trust the UN, why do we fund it?

Things won’t change without, “thinking” people “acting.” Children are punished to change bad behavior because it works. You punish children as an act of love. Who punishes adults with bad behavior? There are not enough courts to prosecute all the crooks so WE must do the heavy lifting to effect change. Take away the money and eliminate the opportunity to mismanage it.

The United Nations sucks too much money from the economy and returns too little for the dollar. Do your own research. I implore mainstream media to report on the millions lost through unethical practices by people with authority. The Fourth Estate needs to step up, do their job, and inform the electorate.

If we shut down our participation in the UN, I think we would be at the front of a very long line. Sometimes you have to lead and throw the baby out with the bathwater. Change will come too slowly for the amount of money that will be flushed down the toilet and worse, end up funding enemies of the Free World and United States. We have been stupid for too long, and stupid is as stupid does.

The United States needs to stop living in guilt. We seem to let the world guilt us into decisions that undermine our national interests. Pull the plug on the UN. We can use that money to solve problems through other avenues that we would have more control over. Establish your expectations, set a standard and adhere to it. No more false threats. Shut it down or clean it up completely. Hold the purse strings, set a deadline, make good on your threats, or get ready to pay the Global Tax on fossil fuel and be a chump, one more time.