After-school tutoring programs, care for the elderly, shelters for the homeless, disaster relief work, and a variety of other services would all benefit from government funding.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
There are cases where government-to-government aid actually has worked. Look at the eradication of smallpox and the near eradication of polio. But these are really top down solutions that require government-to-government support and aid.
We build schools and give government loans and grants to college kids; for those of us who are parents, tuition will often be the last big subsidy we give the children we've raised.
One of the most crucial kinds of intervention is in advocacy. We can think about charities in the context of delivering services, and indeed that is part of their job, but advocacy is also getting governments to step up to the plate. They can also give more voice to those who don't have one.
If I get the chance to be philanthropic, I want to help kids and teachers.
I am going to put money into education at the expense of other programs.
If the government is going to mandate levels and punish schools for failing, they should send that money to the school system.
Aid can work where there is good governance, and usually fails where governments are unable or unwilling to commit aid to improve the lives of their people.
Unemployment, foreclosures, bankruptcy - the cure is not more government spending, but helping businesses create jobs.
The government is not your salvation. The government is not your road to prosperity. Hard work, education will take you far beyond what any government program can ever promise.
Budgets that don't balance, public programs that aren't funded, pension funds that are running out of money, schools that aren't funded - How does that help anyone?