We're sending money where?

This just in.... "The Obama administration is providing $100 million in new Syria aid, U.S. officials said Wednesday, but the money is for humanitarian purposes only and not linked to any decision on arming Syrian rebels."  I can't help but think of the SNL Weekend Update skits with Seth Meyers, "Really?"  Our county's debt is over $16 trillion  and though I realize that $100 million is just a drop in the bucket, Really?  Anti-American sentiment in Syria has been growing there of the past 21 months due to this administrations inaction so, NOW (after crossing the "red line" with the suspected use of chemical weapons) you're going to offer up some hush money? Really?

 This has been such a sore point with me for a while.  Sending billions of dollars overseas to countries where an anti-American attitude is the norm is mindboggling.  I know that every administration sends aid to different countries worldwide, I get it.  But, in this day and age when our country is in such dire straits economically and our deficit is exploding upward can we really afford to "help" others before we help ourselves? Here are just a few statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau that may make us want to reconsider this policy:

·       Approximately one out of every six Americans is now living in poverty. 

·       More than 146 million Americans are either "poor" or "low income".

·       Approximately 20 percent of all children in the United States are living in poverty. 

·       Approximately 57 percent of all children in the United States are currently living in homes that are either considered to be either "low income" or impoverished.

·       In Detroit alone, 60 percent of all children in are living in poverty. 60 PERCENT!!!

·       More than a million public school students in the United States are homeless. 

·       More than 100 million Americans are enrolled in at least one welfare program run by the federal government.  And that does not even include Social Security or Medicare.

·       An all-time record 47.79 million Americans are now on food stamps.  (That number is up by about 10 million since 2008)The number of Americans on food stamps now exceeds the combined populations of "Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming."  If you look at it that way, it's pretty eye opening.

These are just a few numbers from the Census Bureau.  I'm not even going to get into the entire government spending issue.  It is simply ridiculous.  I am all for assisting other countries around the world.  That is a responsibility that has been thrust upon our country since we became a superpower.  However, let's be at least somewhat responsible with how we go about doing this.  At one point we must take a look at the big picture and take care of our own business first.  If not, sooner or later we are not going to have the ability to assist other nations.  

 Now, I know what the typical argument will be here. "It's this guy's fault or he's the one who started this" (this modus operandi has become so old ).  Well, the blame game has gone on long enough.  It's been over ten years since the war in Afghanistan started.  Again, I get it..wars cost money but, regardless of one's position on the wars, it doesn't change the fact that they exist.  Blaming past administrations will only get you so far so, we need to deal with the here and now.  We spend approximately $70 billion dollars in foreign aid annually. Yep, a mere drop in the bucket but, when you're putting American workers on furlough, cutting $40 million per year from defense and over $2.5 billion from education....that $70 billion looks a whole lot different doesn't it?