Let’s imagine that President Bush was looking to cut funding for global AIDS programs: this would be all over the news. Yet, since it is (NMP) Obama doing this, it has mostly been ignored. Go ahead, try searching, see if the story is in other media outlets, other than this one from WRAL, sourced from Bloomberg, which I just happened to noticed when looking at the local news on my ‘Droid Sunday afternoon
(WRAL) Facing a growing deficit and political demands to cut spending, the Obama administration is planning to scale back U.S. support of global AIDS programs and pushing to unload some of the burden on other countries.
This week there is a big AIDS conference in Washington, D.C., the first time in 22 years. Of course, Obama is mailing it in by offering a video address, rather than attending.
Former President George W. Bush, a Republican, more than tripled U.S. funding for global treatment during the last five years of his administration through the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, or PEPFAR. With that increase, U.S. funding covered about 59 percent of all donations for global AIDS relief, according to Jennifer Kates, director of global health and HIV policy for the nonprofit Kaiser Family Foundation, of Menlo Park, California.
In 2010, the year after Obama took office, the PEPFAR budget was $6.9 billion, including money to combat tuberculosis, the leading killer of AIDS patients. Next year, the funding will fall to $6.4 billion, if Obama’s proposed budget is enacted. The administration believes other countries need to step up and help carry the financial load in the future, according to Eric Goosby, Obama’s Global AIDS Coordinator.
Good news for global AIDS funding, Obama’s budget won’t be enacted, since even the Democrat controlled Senate refuses to hold a vote on it.
What the Obama administration wants to do is get other countries to “pay their fair share”. Sound familiar? I guess Obama sees no votes in keeping the funding going. Interestingly, President Bush had an opinion piece in the Washington Post the other day on the global AIDS fight
Some 25,000 delegates are gathering in Washington this week for the 2012 International AIDS Conference. This is a moment of exceptional promise. Gains in AIDS treatment are remarkable — and continuing.
One of the saddest tragedies in the world is for people to die of HIV/AIDS when lifesaving medicines are available. Just a decade ago, that tragedy was playing out across Africa. Thanks to the generosity of the American people, this is no longer the case today. Through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis — working with committed governments, faith-based and community organizations, and the private sector — treatment and prevention have advanced at an almost unimaginable pace. This month, the Joint United Nations Program on AIDS (UNAIDS) announced that 6.2 million people are on lifesaving antiretroviral AIDS drugs in sub-Saharan Africa — up from just 100,000 in 2003. This is more than a vast statistic. It is a series of real people’s names — those of nurses, doctors, civil servants, farmers, students, entrepreneurs and parents who did not leave orphans behind. It is proof of what many in Africa call the Lazarus effect: Communities once given up for dead have been brought back to life, and millions of men, women and children are alive to build their futures.
You know what Bush doesn’t do? Give himself a constant big pat on the back. He gives credit to the American people. And to “UNAIDS, Susan G. Komen for the Cure and private-sector partners. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been a consistent champion of this effort.”
During the past decade, millions of lives have been saved and changed. This has been a global effort. It would be a sad and terrible thing if the world chose this moment to lose its focus and will. Other countries and local governments in Africa can do more in providing resources and increasing funding — as the new government of Zambia is doing. But to continue the momentum in the fight against AIDS, America must continue to lead. Having seen the need and accepted the challenge, we can’t turn our backs now.
Yes, it would be great if other countries pitched in. But, the US needs to lead from the front, not from behind. Leading from behind is following.
Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.
If Bush is such a great gup why has the GOP refused to even allow him to appear at its convention? And that snow grifter sarah Palin??? No invite for her also.
As usual john, you are as well informed as a 4 year old.
Concerning Bush:
“President Bush was grateful for the invitation to the Republican National Convention,†Bush spokesman Freddy Ford told media outlets today via email. “He supports Governor Romney and wants him to succeed. President Bush is confident that Mitt Romney will be a great President. But in keeping with his desire to stay off the political stage at this point in the post-presidency, he respectfully declined the invitation to go to Tampa.â€
As for Sarah Palin, she is not an office holder, she is not a delegate, she is not a coordinator of delegates. Why you believe that qualifies her as a speaker is beyond anyone’s idea. Perhaps you should look at all the people that are bailing from the Democrat’s convention – people that should be there to support Obama.
Thanks for beating John down, GC. Personally, I’m doing a double facepalm after reading his comment.
You’re welcome.
It’s why you keep me on the payroll, isn’t it? 😉
Payroll? PAYROLL!! Wait a minute there. I smell a conspiracy.
…. oh. nevermind. That was just silly john’s effluence again.
While I laud the efforts from this program, I think we have to be realistic. At a time when money has stopped growing on blackberry trees, and we are looking for places to trim the EXTENSIVE and Explosively Bloated budget, all things must be on the chopping block.
If we are going to be serious about turning this country around economically, then we must trim ALL expenses until a time when our debts are not greater than our income. Add to that, when we have a growing economic sector, taxes are not punitive, and our markets and services are producing again.
You betcha, GC. In fact, I’m going to give triple your pay!
Well, true, GB. We should be looking to get other countries to help out more. Even GWB says that. I just find it strange that Bush was better at fighting AIDS than Obama, who wants to cut, and if it was Bush proposing these cuts, he would be trashed in the media. Obama? Not so much.
Very true Teach. It’s proved more and more so every day. I can’t wait for the moaning and gnashing of teeth come the evening of November 5 by the members of the Socialist Democrat Media Party when their anointed loses in near massive landslide.
(However, I am pessimistic. With 30% of population still believes in the cherub-in-office, and 50% don’t want to start paying taxes, and with the corruption from the unions that will come out (esp. AFLCIO and NEA), I think it will either be close or Obama will win. Remember, a few states carry the votes due to sheer massive numbers of people in their Socialist-dominated cities.