for taking our noses out of those comfortable spots. :)
In all seriousness, we can afford it a lot more than most anybody else. If we don't, who will? But I would like it if the rest of the world that can afford it [takin' care o' the world], would. A US hegemony is dangerous and unstable, especially since we (like most nations) tend towards isolationism. The world shouldn't be relying on us if we don't want to deliver!
That's why I, a feelthy American, wholeheartedly support things like the European Union and a European defense force - teach a man to fish and all that.
As far as the UN payment shares... It's been a while since I did MUN in school, but as I recall the US share would actually be *higher* if it were calculated on the same scale as everyone else's (I believe it's scaled by the country's GNP, capped at 25% of the budget). We have absolutely no right to complain -- the relative burden on the US to pay its dues is much smaller than that of small countries which have to pay the minimum rate.
I'd also note that in 1996 the budget of the New York Police Department's annual budget was half again as large as the United Nations' entire annual budget! ($1.8 bil vs $1.2 bil) |
