July 9, 2008
Lobbying Efforts have  Renewed Obama's Global Poverty Act
Rumors have been circulating around Capitol Hill that a few activist groups have renewed their surge and have begun lobbying full force for a bill introduced by presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL). The bill has already passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee without any public hearings, and it also passed the House earlier this year.

It is important to note that both of these votes were "voice votes," which was a deliberate strategy of the congressional majority so that no record would be kept of those who voted in favor of this problematic bill.

1. It carries a price tag of $845 billion of American taxpayers' money. The U.S. already spends $16.3 billion on foreign aid per year. The Obama bill calls for an additional $845 billion to be spent over 13 years. This amounts to a tax of over $2,000 per American taxpayer.
2. History tells us that exporting large amounts of money to third-world countries has little effect on eradicating world hunger and poverty. Foreign aid dollars very often end up lining the pockets of those developing nations' corrupt dictators. One recent example of this was the infamous Oil-for-Food scandal, where the UN's humanitarian aid program ended up with Saddam Hussein pocketing billions.
3. It is part of a much larger UN scheme. The Global Poverty Act is simply a first step in adopting the provisions outlined in the UN's Millennium Development Goals , which includes additional assaults on American's wallets in the form of "currency transfer taxes," "fees for commercial use of the oceans," and "taxes on the carbon content of fuels," just to name a few.

Fellow conservative leader, Cliff Kincaid, president of the watchdog group called Accuracy in Media, recently revealed a letter he received from a concerned parent of a child enrolled at a Christian preschool in New York. This can be taken as an indication that the lobbying effort for Obama's bill is spawning a nationwide campaign of deception:

"Dear Parents, We would like to join efforts with the congregation of St. David's to stop world hunger. You and your child can help by coloring and signing the enclosed sheet. This sheet will be sent along with many others to our representatives in Washington..." [The enclosed sheet reads] "Dear Senator: At Preschool, I learned to thank God for the food I eat. I also collect coins to help those who don't have enough. Today, I ask you to help, too, with more and better aid for the world's poorest countries. We want Congress to pass the Global Poverty Act. Please cosponsor S. 2433. Thank you."

If Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) places this bill on the Senate calendar, a vote will be quickly upon us! Call your Senators' offices today and let them know that you expect them to oppose the Global Poverty Act, S. 2433