Think about where our aid is going...

[JNightshade]

Everyone here agrees that the tsunami was a tragedy on an enormous scale, correct? We (and many other countries) are sending millions and millions in aid to countries stricked by the tsunami. Now, here's something you probably didn't know:


In Affrica, 150,000 people die every two WEEKS from AIDS ALONE.

The question is, why don't we hear more about this? Why doesn't America send them 300 million every two weeks, or put more research into a cure for AIDS?

Discuss.

 

[The Mullinator]

Because AIDS research is a long term problem, 300 million would have to be sent for several years and it would add up to an outragious amount of money. The Tsunami disaster is not something that needs 300 million every week for nearly as long.

Besides, AIDS research is going about as fast as it can right now. There are already several potential cures that are being tested right now but they need a few years for testing. Pouring in more money won't speed up the testing.

 

[lord dubu]

visibility = the tsunami is hard to overlook and it's not very controversial... there's still a segment of the populous that see AIDS as a disease for the immoral.

quantifiable solution = there is no cure for AIDs, people won't stop having sex, you -can- feed orphans and rebuild houses.

guilt = human nature is to try and calm the voice inside us that tells us we shouldn't own two cars when most of the world go to bed hungry by pretending that we aren't completely selfish, the tsunami will pass, and we'll all feel better about ourselves having helped. AIDS might be here forever, and we're too lazy to commit.

 

[Eg.]

AIDS, i dont see y we should give money for it to other nations anyway. most of the money given to african nations dissapears and never sees anyone, just the same with food-aid. i reallythink we should stop giving out money as if they were ak-47's and start funding our own reasearch

 

[Death.Trap]

Actually, theres supposed to be a cure for AIDS in five years.

The US gave out 1.9 billion in AIDS research funding in 2003. That's out of a 16 billion dollar budget for AIDS research.


source

http://www.kff.org/hivaids/loader.cfm?url=/commonspot/security/getfile.cfm&PageID=29748

 

[Sgt_Shellback]

AIDS, i dont see y we should give money for it to other nations anyway. most of the money given to african nations dissapears and never sees anyone, just the same with food-aid. i reallythink we should stop giving out money as if they were ak-47's and start funding our own reasearch

Exactly....

 

[Death.Trap]

AIDS, i dont see y we should give money for it to other nations anyway. most of the money given to african nations dissapears and never sees anyone, just the same with food-aid. i reallythink we should stop giving out money as if they were ak-47's and start funding our own reasearch

We are funding our own research. 15 billion dollars goes to US AIDS research every year.

 

[Sgt_Shellback]

We are funding our own research. 15 billion dollars goes to US AIDS research every year.

Let em get it through donations or through capital investment of the drug companies... Any tax dollars going towards Aids research is bull.

 

[bliink]

Any tax dollars going towards Aids research is bull.

Why's that? I would have thought it would be a good idea to try and fight incurable disease, especially when the threat is only growing.

 

[Death.Trap]

Why's that? I would have thought it would be a good idea to try and fight incurable disease, especially when the threat is only growing.

It's only incurable for us now. In a decade or two we'll have it figured out.

 

[nicknitro]

Everyone here agrees that the tsunami was a tragedy on an enormous scale, correct? We (and many other countries) are sending millions and millions in aid to countries stricked by the tsunami. Now, here's something you probably didn't know:


In Affrica, 150,000 people die every two WEEKS from AIDS ALONE.

The question is, why don't we hear more about this? Why doesn't America send them 300 million every two weeks, or put more research into a cure for AIDS?

Discuss.

Here is a cure for aids..ready.. dont be a f*ckin idiot and just wear a condom.. it doesnt take a rocket scientist to teach some africans to do that.

 

[Steve]

Here is a cure for aids..ready.. dont be a f*ckin idiot and just wear a condom.. it doesnt take a rocket scientist to teach some africans to do that.

Do you try to be such a moron? It's all about education, man. If they don't KNOW they have to wear condoms, they won't. Also, the distribution system there leaves something to be desired.

 

[Kommie]

Here is a cure for aids..ready.. dont be a f*ckin idiot and just wear a condom.. it doesnt take a rocket scientist to teach some africans to do that.

..HOLY CRAP, someone please take this startling new information to the people in africa. Man trying to get the people to use condoms... BRILLIANT, I cant believe it hasn't been done before. :|

Let em get it through donations or through capital investment of the drug companies... Any tax dollars going towards Aids research is bull.

Well that would just be fantastic so then the drug companies could charge exhorbitant (as they do now) amounts for the medicine, at least with government research it will be more open to the public, provided it gets any investment anyway.

 

[bliink]

It's only incurable for us now. In a decade or two we'll have it figured out.

Yeah, but not without any funding...

 

[Sgt_Shellback]

Why's that? I would have thought it would be a good idea to try and fight incurable disease, especially when the threat is only growing.

Why do people who it doesn't affect have to pay? Is tax dollars going to MS? Nope... Donations and Drug Co. doing research...

What's so special about aids? Oh yeah, "We are the World..."

Give me a break. Let em die if they can't use common sense.

 

[Death.Trap]

Yeah, but not without any funding...

I'm all for the funding, hell it'll be one less thing I've got to worry about killing me.

 

[bliink]

I'm all for the funding, hell it'll be one less thing I've got to worry about killing me.

I'd say heart disease and cancer were bigger risks currently though.

 

[Kommie]

Why do people who it doesn't affect have to pay? Is tax dollars going to MS? Nope... Donations and Drug Co. doing research...

What's so special about aids? Oh yeah, "We are the World..."

Give me a break. Let em die if they can't use common sense.

I agree wholeheartedly, Its their children and rape victims and such who I sympathize with. Also some people have contracted aids via a partner they have been with for years.

 

[bliink]

"Common sense" isnt really an argument against people who've never heard of aids before as well.
A lot of the funding goes to education

 

[Sgt_Shellback]

I agree wholeheartedly, Its their children and rape victims and such who I sympathize with. Also some people have contracted aids via a partner they have been with for years.

I can sympathize... But it's no different than polio, ms, cancer, etc... I donate to MS... I wish I had the choice on the rest of my dollars but the world has their handout so this Super Power must pay and pay and pay...

Wait until one of our drug companies does find a cure... The UN will tell us we have to give the patents to India to make the drug at cost.... While we eat R&D

 

[Kommie]

Wait until one of our drug companies does find a cure... The UN will tell us we have to give the patents to India to make the drug at cost.... While we eat R&D

The U.N. Cant make the U.S. do squat and they know it. I just hope the drug companies don't find it first. They will charge their ludicrous prices for it.

 

[Sgt_Shellback]

The U.N. Cant make the U.S. do squat and they know it. I just hope the drug companies don't find it first. They will charge their ludicrous prices for it.

No they can't but they can whine... (The only thing it's good at)... And the media can pick up on it. Then the less fortunate in the world can jump on the band wagon... And before you know it Evil America, not giving away the cure to those who can't keep it in their pants, is the bad guy again...

Oh the moaning and gnashing the wacko left will do then.

But why do you say you hope the drug companies don't find it? You know they have to hire PHD after PHD. And these guys devote their lives towards the single cause...

They have to invest billions on research and development. Getting a drug approved by the FDA, and other countries regulatory agencies cost millions more... But in the end the drug they find is just a chemical. Very cheaply manufactured... A bit of this and a bit of that.

They charge the prices they do to make a profit... Sure someone who doesn't have to invent the drug can make it for 1000's of times the price but come on...

Who do you think will invent it? Dolly Madison?

 

[Kommie]

They charge the prices they do to make a profit... Sure someone who doesn't have to invent the drug can make it for 1000's of times the price but come on...

Who do you think will invent it? Dolly Madison?

She does make a damn fine snack!

I just hope independent, government sponsored researchers uncover the information and drug companies can take it from their. Drug companies would patent the information therefore not only providing them with a total monopoly on the drug, but the information need for others to come up with their own cures. If they are aplying for patents on parts of the human genome, they will do that too.

And I know that the chances of an independent researcher finding the cure is about as good as me finding a four dollar bill in my pocket.

 

[HunterSeeker]

I am pretty confident that a lot of people in africa dosent even know that AIDs is a STD. They dont have the money to get a HIV checkup. In fact they barely have any money at all and buying condoms might be sacreficing a weeks worth of food. Africas problems are so much greater then any problem in the west.

 

[Scoobnfl]

AIDS, i dont see y we should give money for it to other nations anyway. most of the money given to african nations dissapears and never sees anyone, just the same with food-aid. i reallythink we should stop giving out money as if they were ak-47's and start funding our own reasearch

you mean throwing $$$$$$ at the problem doesn't make it go away? but it feels good!!!!! I'm going to have to rethink everything now.....

I am pretty confident that a lot of people in africa dosent even know that AIDs is a STD. They dont have the money to get a HIV checkup. In fact they barely have any money at all and buying condoms might be sacreficing a weeks worth of food. Africas problems are so much greater then any problem in the west.

they don't buy condoms............. because they don't use them........... because of their cultural bias against using them........ it's not manly


Is it manly to die from aids though?

 

[HunterSeeker]

They cant afford condoms either.

 

[JNightshade]

It's not a cultural bias; the problem is ignorance. For instance,according to a rumor popular in Africa a bit ago, having sex with someone not infected with AIDS would cure your case. You can imagine the horrific rapes that occured due to that. One victim in particular was one month old. With better educating on STDs and the like, you could cure the problem at its source. In America, however (at least in areas where sexual education doesn't consist of that damned "abstinence only" policy) infection is almost always the fault of the victim. Still, we should be compassionate about it. "Let 'em die"? Shame on you.

 

[Scoobnfl]

They cant afford condoms either.

they give them away, they are available, they choose not to use them cuz it's not manly in their culture.

 

[RakuraiTenjin]

As far as money goes I really think the US needs to stop donating *cash*

Now don't misunderstand me, I support humanitarian missions (although I feel people should be able to designate on taxes if their money is to go out in foreign aid), but do it with the actual things it takes, such as tangible food, etc, because the likelyhood of that cash getting taken by the wrong people for the wrong purposes is very high. If the money is put to the humanitarian things before it gets over to those areas, (IE, all purchases already made and planned) then it won't happen.

As far as support for the Tsunami goes- these deaths happened in a few minutes from a huge natural disaster, it's bad about AIDS but it's still a totally different situation, and, not to sound insensitive, but mostly preventable.