| WHO Would Have Guessed? |
10 February 2003
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Bush Declares War on AIDS -- Not Quite
While the world focused on the Iraq part of President Bush's State of the Union speech, a few observers noted that he announced $15 billion in aid to take on HIV. $10 billion of it is new spending, and it will be sent to about a dozen African countries and a few Caribbean states that need it. Mr. Bush claims it will stop 7 million infections, help treat 2 million sick, and care for 10 million AIDS orphans and others. Could this be compassionate conservatism?
Naturally, this isn't enough, not when 2.4 million Africans died of AIDS last year (that's more than all the continents wars combined). As well, it could be a sop to protect that patents of American drug companies. Above all, no one has decided exactly how best to spend it.
Kensington prefers to let experts deal with technical issues, and so, health care professionals (e.g. Medicins sans Frontieres) should make the spending decisions. The Bush administration has an unfortunate habit of demanding to control how other spend money given to them -- who knows better what a poor African needs, a K Street lobbyist or a poor African? Let the recipients decide what is needed and then get it for them.
The good will generated by saving millions of lives can only make the Bush administration more successful abroad in other areas and America more popular in a world where we need a friend or two. More good ideas can only help. To keep the ball rolling, how about clean drinking water for everyone courtesy of the USA?