Prioritization of funds needs to be utilized more in the aspect of thinking of others and not just one's self. People do this most everyday and do not realize it because they do not think nor dwell on it. If people were to make wiser decisions when it comes to finances, the world as a whole will be more prosperous. Global aid is becoming more and more of a need for those countries who are suffering. We need to concentrate more on the world as a whole, and not just ourselves. Those countries need help to get going in the right direction by first off setting up a standardized economy that will work.
The United States, since the attacks on September 11, 2001, have boosted military numbers to ensure it does not happen again. Well, maybe we need to change our priorities. Fareed Zakaria, a foreign affairs analyst for Foreign Affairs' magazine and a Ph.D. graduate of political science, says in his essay “A Threat Worse than Terror” that “a flu pandemic is the most dangerous threat the United States faces today” (Falkenrath qtd. in Zakaria 418). This threat was determined because of the probability of occurrence along with the number of lives that could be lost if it does happen. Clearly a flu pandemic could spread like wildfire throughout a population such as in China where many people live in close proximity relations to others. Since the United States is one of the largest “melting pots” in the world, we are more susceptible to people migrating to our country, some of which could potentially be a carrier of this pandemic which we should fear. This increases the chances of a faster, uncontrollable movement which can spread to many parts of the continent. Zakaria also notes that the United States only fund $119 million on research for influenza whereas ballistic missiles get $10 billion and R&D drawings for the pentagon receive $4.5 billion. Zakaria puts it right when he says “do we have our priorities right?” (Zakaria 419).
Namrita Talwar, environmental reporter at New York University, tells about the urban area slums that are everywhere and people choose to ignore them. Currently there are about 900 million of these people that live in conditions which I compare to that of an outhouse; foul air and feces filling ditches. People will avoid such places at all costs just to go to the bathroom, but consider that you are the person who lives there. Talwar states that if aid in the form of building houses for these people were to commence a consideration of giving the title of land ownership to the slum dwellers would only result in the outcome of them selling the title to higher income households at which time they will go back to their original state of living (Talwar 416). In my opinion, once the title deed is handed over to the new landowner, possibly having them pay a rental fee would reinforce the aspect of ownership and the owner will have more pride in their state of living and will not give it all up. Also, according to Talwar, “half of the world's population - nearly 3 billion people - lives on less than $2 a day” (Talwar 414). From my calculations, I estimate that most Americans, who pay $500 a month on rent or mortgage, spend roughly forty to fifty dollars a day to survive. Hopefully, as a reader one can realize the pain and agony people in these areas go through even when they are not the ones to blame.
One of the thoughts of eliminating world hunger is the creation and usage of genetically engineered food. Anuradha Mittal, founder and director of the Oakland Institute, says that “the people who are to use the modified seeds and eat the modified food often want nothing to do with them” (Mittal 421). After all, who wants to eat something that is not natural and contains unknown ingredients? People from India suffer more than anyone else in the world in my opinion. Twenty-five percent of the hungry people in the world live in India and it is not because they do not have food, it is because they do not have enough money. Mittal found that “more than 60 million tons of excess, unsold food grain rotted in India last year because the hungry were too poor to buy it” (Mittal 422). He proceeds to state that “some farmers burned the crops they could not market and resorted to selling their kidneys and other body parts, or committing suicide, to end the cycle of poverty” (Mittal 422). Mittal is right, it is not fair to the people who live there. They deserve a right to live a life just like the rest of the world. People should never commit suicide, no matter the circumstances.
People all over the world, especially in India, are living an extremely poor, unsuccessful, degrading life. These types of people try their best to get along with their lives but it is the economy that needs changing. A better economy will draw in wealthy and prosperous countries which in turn will aid those needy people in earning more money and giving them the opportunity to live a cleaner, healthier life. The United States has the funds to aid some countries but we do not prioritize ourselves. How can people say that spending $4.5 billion on drawings for the pentagon good management of money when some countries do not even have half that amount of money? Currently the United States contributes $119 million on research for flu vaccinations to keep lives healthy mainly here, but some of it does reach other countries. Imagine if the United States donated more money than that to the research funds, how much better off those suffering countries would be? Also, the United States has formed alliances with other countries to set up clinics throughout many of the poverty-stricken cities. The downfall to these clinics is that they are non-profit and the people who need the help, refuse to take it and therefore the system fails.
