Why is the US tax payer supposed to pay for environmental problems in poor countries?

What is the cause of their dirty environment? Is it from manufacturing, farming, animals? I don't understand. In other words, what is our money being used for specifically? I heard we are supposed to build walls to keep out the ocean on an island that is partially below sea level. We haven't even correctly fixed the water barriers in New Orleans yet.|||I do believe in feeding the hungry, but the environment in poor countries? Like what, too much methane from farm animals? It is a ridiculous way of the liberal to keep us under the thumb of a large corrupt and controlling government





The liberal record of unmitigated legislative disasters, the latest of which is now being played out in Congress before our eyes. I just wonder with all the years prior to 1994 and the Republican takeover, Democrats had 60 years of virtually unbroken power in Congress, with substantial majorities most of the time. Couldn't a group of intelligent people, looking at the issues through the years, with unlimited resources at hand, and still show they never had a policy that actually worked?





It is just thing like this that makes one ask, why are they chronically incapable? They are either idiots who pursue destructive policies ,or they just do not comprehend the consequences of their actions.





A hand up works, by teaching a person to stand up on their own. A hand out does nothing but keep them coming back for more.





2010 could bring new changes in policies that could actually make sense.





MR|||dont ask to many questions, just pay your taxes.|||Why is the US tax payer supposed to pay for unjust invasions of poor countries?|||As the most industrialized and technologically advanced country, our leaders have decided that a certain portion of the US budget should be directed to foreign aid. While I agree with that concept in theory, there are too many pet projects out there.





There are just parts of this earth that should not be inhabited, but people don't want to "move off their land' and resettle elsewhere. So, our government has taken it upon themselves to "fix" these people's land...rather than "inhumanely" letting them figure it out for themselves and possibly die.





The only way to fight this is to fight lobbyists by making everyone aware of what our legislators are doing, then writing to them and pressuring them to stop this outrageous spending. We are going to pay for all kinds of things that we shouldn't be paying for, no matter what because of the lobbyists, but the more pressure we put to stop things and when we give good logical explanations (such as, let's fix this first) the better chance we have of fixing our own stuff first. Good luck..it's a noble cause.|||They feel that the "imperialism" that the West had during the 1800's and 1900's wrecked the developing world and we need to make up for it. I don't agree with them, but that is my opinion.





Also, they believe that With the US being extraordinately wealthy should help out the poor in the rest in the world. Once again Classic Liberal philosophy.





Edit: isn't it funny how Liberals answer your Question with another Question and give no solutions?|||Why not, we're expected to pay for everything else.|||It is because stupid do-good politicians in the US are all unmitigated idiots.|||And where did Hillary get $100 Billion to drop on the Enviros at Copenhagen? Does she have a slush fund of that size at the State Department. Does she think Congress will ratify a Treaty to that effect? Does she think they will authorize and appropriate funds?





Once upon a time there was a little girl who promised wolf. She said, I'll pay you 100 billion wolves.





But finally nobody believed her.





That what's happening to the promisory word of the USA when Hillary tosses around money she does not have, and that we don't have, and that nobody has.





You can't satisfy shakedown artists like the Copenhagen crowd by promising to give them money. All you can do is shut them up for about 15 minutes. Shutting up the enviros for 15 minutes is not worth $100 Billion.





Paying shakedown artists is almost the same as paying terrorists. The problem just comes back next year, bolder, bigger, brasher, more in your face. They want the cash you promised, and more!





The G-20 need to show leadership on the Global Warming issue by making an agreement among themselves and setting the tone and the example for the world. If the poor countries don't follow, cut off trade with them until they do. The best way to lead, is to just lead -- go do it first. The best way to get followers among poor nations is to make their followership the path of least pain for them. We should lead, they should follow. G-20 gets fixed first -- a bunch of promise keepers. Then they turn to the basketcase nations and get them onboard, without paying them or doing the job for them.





It seems too simple. Actually it's the only thing that would work. It's simple by design, but also by necessity. Hapless nations are hapless, you can't expect them to do much of anything. So Biafra and Chad are not going to solve the global warming problem. If it's going to be solved, the G-20 must lead the way, and compel the world to follow that way once it's established and the costs and techniques are known and proven to work cost-effectively.





No island nation has any right to not be flooded. Nations stand to each other as princes in the State of Nature. Rights must flow from communities. People give their common consent to be governed by a single higher authority (Leviathan). Then that authority allocates rights and duties. We are not in that kind of relationship with Mauritius or Bangla-Desh thank goodness. So they have at best a very thin moral claim, but no claim based on "rights". Mare Libra -- international waters are free -- have been since the time of Grotius -- Eliot Richardson's Law of the Sea Chimera notwithstanding -- we never ratified it -- it is a nullity.|||Because the first world caused the environmental problems in those countries where big American corporations dumped toxic waste.|||Pollution is a problem for all human beings. Specially kids who now have to breath air that almost surely will cause asthma problems. (Not like the older generation) CO2's in the atmosphere has increased dramatically in the last 100 years. Co2's are now the highest in over 300,000 years.





Because the USA was able to take advantage of the industrial revolution (and thru it become the richest country in the world) by the burning of coal and of oil, the USA has an obligation to help underprivledged countrys.





Most sensible people want a clean atmosphere and those who are willing to work cooperatively will want to work for a world of clean air. Those that do not, are of a mindset they may be able to get to a spacestation for survival.