One more reason to send the U.N. packing. (As if there aren't enough reasons already)

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,240800,00.html

If you don't mind, why not open up this thread a bit? What are the reasons for ditching the UN?

I'm open to some advocacy on this matter. Currently, the way I see it, the UN is where nations can come together as peers to resolve differences. That's not always how it's gone, but it's gone that way a lot of times. Rather than get rid of it, or marginalize it, why not rectify that which is not in line with these purposes? Having a venue of this kind is not a bad thing, in and of itself.

Also, our actions as of late, have diminished our global reputation. If one takes the position that our leadership is doing the right things and has done no wrong, then the UN is probably an issue given it's general resistance to some key policy.

I'm not sure that position is defensible however.

Thoughts?

ditch the UN? hell no. the president needs that little shred of "justification" the UN convienently provided to make up for the lack of WMDs.

Absolutely ditch the UN.

It's worse than the League of Nations.

The UN is little more than a corrupt spy nest.

Herb

Missing_kskd, I think that is how the U.N. was envisioned when it was formed, but it's turned into a socialist run money pit for the U.S.

I don't know the exact figure, but I remember reading that the U.S. percentage of the U.N.'s budget was some huge number. Money that I think can be better spent right here at home.

BTW, I have the hardest time with the last part of your forum name! I grew up in St. Louis. There was a Radio and TV station combo there, KSD, (CH 5 TV and I think 550 KHz. AM) that when their parent company sold the TV station changed their call sign to KSDK. Every time I see your name I think of them!

Did we ever pay our outstanding bill with The U.N.? Didn't we have millions of dollars of outstanding dues or something?

I thought it was during Clinton.

Chickenjuggler, when I was doing a Google search to try and find out what % we pay of the U.N.'s budget, I saw in one article where we still owe the U.N. somewhere around $546 million.

Here is a link to some other information. I didn't spend a lot of time looking at it right now. (I'm bouncing between my work computer and home computer, working, don't you know!) http://www.globalpolicy.org/finance/tables/core/un-us-06.htm
and it shows close to $1.5 billion. That's a bunch of cash.

As I said, let’s use the money here at home first!

If we owe that, shouldn't we actually pay it?

That's what we ask others to do right?

Also, consider briefly the Iraq war reaching one half trillion dollars... Seems to me, had we fully considered the implications of that, money would not be that tight right now.

(Remember no wmds = no justification)

I'm all for putting our dollars to work for us. But saying we need those dollars here, when we are putting our budget at risk on Iraq is a bit like bitching about one's healthcare policy costs after having purchased a big new SUV --or engaging in a legal battle that could have been mediated.

Found this with a Google search. Don't know how accurate it is:

The United States supplies more than one-fifth of the United Nations' total budget (and 57 percent, 33 percent and 27 percent of the budgets for the World Food Program, the Refugee Agency, and Department of Peacekeeping Operations, respectively). We've been the United Nations' biggest donor every year since 1945. Taxpayers reluctantly agree to such largesse because we're told of the good works the United Nations does. And yet, whenever there's a catastrophe, Uncle Sam is asked to dig deep into his pocket for more money.

"As I said, let’s use the money here at home first!"

Absolutely.

Herb

And would the taxpayers not be so concerned if they were not being squeezed to the hilt?

From where does the majority of that squeeze come?

Iraq.

We can either fight terrorists over there or here.

And Saddam was indeed a terrorist.

He not only shot at us, he murdered others and gave safe haven to other terrorists.

Herb

Tired, not wired bumper sticker stuff. You've posted exactly the same bit many times. It's been refuted as many!

Cheers Herb.