LEAVING IT AT ZERO WOULD JUST ACHIEVE...:

Republicans' 'Starting from zero' aid proposal startles pro-Israel community (Ron Kampeas · November 15, 2011, Jewish Telegraph)

Texas Gov. Rick Perry introduced the plan during the first foreign policy debate Saturday night, held by CBS and the National Journal at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C. South Carolina is a key early primary state.

"The foreign aid budget in my administration for every country is going to start at zero dollars," he said. "Zero dollars. And then we'll have a conversation. Then we'll have a conversation in this country about whether or not a penny of our taxpayer dollar needs to go into those countries."

Newt Gingrich, the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, signed on immediately. Gingrich said the plan made "absolutely perfect sense." Romney, who has made clear that he disagrees with Perry on much else, in this case said he welcomed the idea, saying "You start everything at zero."

The proposal of such a radical change raised concerns in the pro-Israel community.

"Hacking away at the international affairs budget of the U.S. government is inefficient and counterproductive, and will not advance U.S. fiscal interests," said Jason Isaacson, the American Jewish Committee's director of international affairs. "There's too little money and it's too vital to put on the chopping block."

..what the new Likud bill attacking money from foreign governments is trying to do, no?

Posted by oj at November 16, 2011 5:42 AM
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