Greedy bastards

So millions and millions of people are starving to death in Africa, and a whole lot more may die because food aid is running out. American laws say that food aid must be grown in the United States and shipped overseas, a very long and expensive process.

So when its recommended that the law change and food be purchased in developing countries during emergencies rather than grown in the U.S.....

***

But Congress quickly killed the plan in each of the past two years, cautioning that untying food aid from domestic interest groups would weaken the commitment that has made the United States by far the largest food aid donor in a world where 850 million go hungry.

Representative Tom Lantos, Democrat of California and chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, warned last year at a food aid conference in Washington that decoupling food aid from American maritime and agribusiness interests was “beyond insane.”

“It is a mistake of gigantic proportions,” he said, “because support for such a program will vanish overnight, overnight.”

***

This man is such a scumbag. How can it be that American "business interests" are more important than potentially saving 50,000 lives? How can it be "beyond insane" to suggest that these people's lives are more important than the pockets of business?

The MORAL thing to do would be to support these people who are dying of starvation. The CRIMINAL thing (in my eyes) would to be to hold back aid that can easily be given to save their lives. Not only to hold it back, but to couple it to American business interests and profits. Truly disgusts me.

Of course these people will probably starve and die. Of course there is probably big agribusiness behind this, lobbying for this law's protection. And of course, more people will make money off these people's misery.

*sigh*

Source: New York Times