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Thursday, 30 January 2025

Foreign Aid Is A Racket

 




Many people are shocked that the USA was going to send $50,000,000 worth of condoms to Gaza. But you will only be shocked if you have not realized that war and foreign aid are simply rackets. Here is how it works: the official books say $50,000,000 worth of condoms are to be provided, that money actually goes to a particular company who has donated to the reigning political party of the day, or lobbied for kickbacks in some other way. The company takes a big chunk of that money and pockets it as "production costs", CEO's get bonuses, politicians secure high paying board  jobs after their time in office, and maybe some condoms get to Gaza. It's a racket. The same thing happens with weapons and all sorts of stuff.

I'll let Smedley Butler explain:

"But here's how some of the other patriotic industrialists and speculators chiseled their way into war profits.

Take the shoe people. They like war. It brings business with abnormal profits. They made huge profits on sales abroad to our allies. Perhaps, like the munitions manufacturers and armament makers, they also sold to the enemy. For a dollar is a dollar whether it comes from Germany or from France. But they did well by Uncle Sam too. For instance, they sold Uncle Sam 35,000,000 pairs of hobnailed service shoes. There were 4,000,000 soldiers. Eight pairs, and more, to a soldier. My regiment during the war had only one pair to a soldier. Some of these shoes probably are still in existence. They were good shoes. But when the war was over Uncle Sam has a matter of 25,000,000 pairs left over. Bought -- and paid for. Profits recorded and pocketed.

There was still lots of leather left. So the leather people sold your Uncle Sam hundreds of thousands of McClellan saddles for the cavalry. But there wasn't any American cavalry overseas! Somebody had to get rid of this leather, however. Somebody had to make a profit in it -- so we had a lot of McClellan saddles. And we probably have those yet.

Also somebody had a lot of mosquito netting. They sold your Uncle Sam 20,000,000 mosquito nets for the use of the soldiers overseas. I suppose the boys were expected to put it over them as they tried to sleep in muddy trenches -- one hand scratching cooties on their backs and the other making passes at scurrying rats. Well, not one of these mosquito nets ever got to France!

Anyhow, these thoughtful manufacturers wanted to make sure that no soldier would be without his mosquito net, so 40,000,000 additional yards of mosquito netting were sold to Uncle Sam.

There were pretty good profits in mosquito netting in those days, even if there were no mosquitoes in France. I suppose, if the war had lasted just a little longer, the enterprising mosquito netting manufacturers would have sold your Uncle Sam a couple of consignments of mosquitoes to plant in France so that more mosquito netting would be in order."[1]

This is from War is a Racket, by Smedley Butler.

Foreign aid is the exact same racket, only it can be run during peace time, and those who oppose it are just called uncompassionate and unmerciful. It's a con job that is more lucrative than many others. And worst of all it is done under a shroud of charity. 

Now I should note that there have been reports that question whether or not that $50 million dollars was just for condoms, or was rather for broader contraceptive aid, or even just a broader health package. But quibbling over exactly what every dollar is earmarked for misses the point. The point is American money is being run through government taxation and borrowing, then through private companies, and lots of people are making profits off money that never should have been taken (or created) and spent in the first place. Not one green American cent should go to buying condoms for anyone overseas, or any other foreign aid. Not one Australian dollar should either. As Matt Walsh recently said:



And yes, he did note that there should be no exceptions. Not even for America's greatest ally. This is a racket that has gone on long enough. It is time for the racket to end.

List of References


[1] War is a Racket, Smedley Butler, https://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/warisaracket.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR10Ta-1R2CsgPJjZhZMCVk5211V00Zr2iJbMtA2iVbsR8iv2dPaNtsWqYo_aem_J0UxSqtTD1b2vIyR9cnbfg#c1

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