USAID
BARN OWL
Below is the post for week #52
THE LOSS OF USAID
This is about a grim and unimaginable moment from the last year. It has haunted me.
BARN OWL is a local effort to reach out to the people who have been lost to the progressive movement due to neglect. It is clear to me that no one would benefit more from social democracy than those who put in the work to make the nation wealthy. The working class hold different values and customs. They may focus on home life and friends and barely acknowledge politics. But they are still the natural allies of progressive people. I read a lot of angry and disparaging remarks about people in rural Red areas in Substack and on other sites, forgetting that when Fox News came to rural towns, no one offered a counter narrative, certainly not one as loud, concise and colorful.
We chose to abandon that group and talk to ourselves and our ever shrinking base. BARN OWL shows interest and respect for the people who live in rural counties. I write short and concise not because I can’t afford to buy more ad space, but because 400 words is about as much as anyone cares to read as they scan the paper. I write weekly so everyone knows that BARN OWL is not going away, not just connected to a candidate or an election. This is a progressive and historical narrative that offers food for thought and respect.
Today in the mail, from a small town near me, came a note: “Your articles are very informative and well written! History and current event facts NEED to be learned and kudos to you for doing the Barn Owl! If we as a nation survive, you as a “truth” warrior of the written word greatly helped to accomplish that.”
If you or a group want to start to post this in your rural county, just contact me. There is no charge. Your task will be to raise the money for the ads. This may be easier than you think once others decide to support you. I think there is a real hunger for what we have to say.
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May this next year see the next step in the rise against oligarchy.
The Loss of USAID
USAID’s food packages are marked with the words, “From the American People.”
USAID represented an America that was strong and caring.
On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order 14169. This order stopped almost all US foreign aid programs. Trump planned to shut down most of the work done by the US Agency for International Development, known as USAID. Elon Musk boasted that,“We spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper.”
USAID was created in 1961 when President John F. Kennedy signed the Foreign AssistanceAct. It was part of a campaign to help children survive preventable diseases. USAID grew into the largest funding agency for humanitarian and development aid in the world.
A 21-year study published in the medical journal The Lancet, found that USAID had a huge impact on saving lives in Africa. USAID helped reduce all-cause deaths in Africa by 15%. 92 million people were saved, including 30 million children under the age. HIV and Malaria deaths were cut in half.
USAID paid for humanitarian assistance and health but also for projects for clean water, schools and birth control. USAID helped countries track disease patterns and outbreaks.
Some people complained the agency cost too much for Americans. But USAID funding was less than 1% of the federal budget.
Researchers say that with USAID funds gone, by 2030 there will be 14 million more deaths,including 4.5 million children under 5. A million people will die of HIV/AIDS and Malaria alone in the next year. Experts predict there will be more maternal deaths and starvation.
With no warning and no exit plan, 86% of USAID contracts were ended (77% related to health). The World Food Program was cut from 4.3 billion to 326 million. UNICEF was cut from 2.3 to 1.3 billion. African nations lost key support for tracking and fighting diseases. In the rush to shut down programs, 66000 metric tons of food was left behind with no plan to give it out. The food has since expired and either destroyed or used for animal feed. This stockpile cost U.S. taxpayers $98 million. It was enough food to feed a million people for a month.
In its place, Trump created the America First Global Health Strategy with a purpose to end a “culture of dependency.” The message Trump sent is “We are no longer a world leader. Go somewhere else for help.”
By Ben Boardman and Friends. Paid by gifts from supporters
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Kudos for a reminder that we are judged by our deeds as a nation, just as we are as individuals. Our values are clearly stated by where we invest our resources of effort, time, tangible goods and money. By this measure, Trump, Musk and his power ilk, as well as those who through some combination of malice, apathy or ignorance, are to be condemned. USAID and the Peace Corps were statements of empathy, commitment to everyone’s human dignity and noble generosity. Only a pseudo-Christian or sadist can stand idly by while he kills millions with the stroke of a pen or an edict over X. By contrast this is not what the vast majority of American people are, but we must show and shout and then eliminate that yawning gap between our people and those we have erred in choosing for positions of power. 26 is coming, and was man does, man can undo.