PALESTINE — In Sunday’s edition of the Herald Press I wrote concerning the enormity of the bureaucracy Congress has created to administer foreign assistance. Today we will look at the dollar amounts this massive arm of the federal government hands out to countries large and small, friend and foe alike, around the world.

The legislative body of our federal government, Congress, comprised of senators and representatives elected by us, the voter, spent $39.4 billion taxpayer dollars in foreign aid last year.

A report titled “Foreign Aid: An Introduction to U.S. Programs and Policy” prepared by the Congress Research Service for congressional members lists only the top 15 ranking countries receiving foreign aid from the U.S. in 2010; however, a web site, www.foreignassistance.gov illustrates every country and the amount of U.S. foreign aid recommended for distribution in 2012.

First, the 2010 Top 15. Not surprisingly, Afghanistan, Israel and Pakistan rank numbers one, two and three respectively. We poured $4,102,000,000 into Afghanistan in foreign aid. Realize this dollar amount does not include the cost of putting military boots on Afghan soil, only foreign aid in five areas: “Peace and Security,” “Investing in People,” “Governing Justly and Democratically,” “Promoting Economic Growth and Prosperity” and “Humanitarian Assistance” according to the CRS report.

Foreign aid for Israel in 2010 was $2,220,000,000 reduced by almost half from the 2000 total and this nation is one of our closest allies.

Our foreign aid dollars given to Pakistan raise my ire. Pakistan jumped from a “no-show” on the Top 15 Recipients of Foreign Assistance list in 2000 to an exalted No. 3 spot in 2010 for obvious reasons garnering $1.8 billion from the U.S. in foreign aid. But, apparently, one cannot buy loyalty.

Pakistan, the country which provided sanctuary to Osama bin Laden for five years, has received the better part of $20 billion  since 2001. That amount of foreign aid should be more than adequate for protective sanctuary and a couple of goats each week for a compound full of terrorists.

Pakistan smiles and shakes our hand by the light of day then meets with al-Qaida terrorists by night. It is painfully obvious we cannot buy friendship much less loyalty with foreign aid.

Pakistan is just one example of the U.S. providing foreign aid to countries which betray our trust and support, vote against us in the United Nations, harbor terrorists within their borders and try to kill our military troops.

Foreign countries completing the 2010 Top 15 List include: Egypt $1.269 billion, Haiti $1,271 billion, Iraq $1,117 billion, Jordan $693 million, Kenya $688 million, Nigeria $614 million, South Africa $578 million, Ethiopia $533 million, Colombia $507 and West Bank/Gaza $96 million.

More of the foreign aid recommendations for 2012 are most disturbing. The repressive regimes of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe and Omar al-Bashir in the Sudan are recommended for $109.9 million and $518.2 million respectively.

Further, Russia $64.6 million, Mexico $333.9 million, Cuba $20 million, Somalia $82.3 million, and China $12.8 million are once again on the list for foreign aid next year. (Why are we providing China with foreign aid when we owe them trillions of dollars?)

The following is only a partial list of proposed foreign aid for 2012. Iraq $2.36 billion, Egypt $1.5 billion, Nepal $93.8 million, India $142.6 million, Bangladesh $266.1 million, Vietnam $125.2 million, Philippines $163.5 million, Indonesia $253.1 million, Israel $3.0 billion, Jordan $675.7 million, Senegal $119.8 million, Liberia $211.4 million, Ivory Coast $142.8 million.

Also, Ghana $204.5 million, Nigeria $660.4 million, Democratic Republic of the Congo $261.8 million, South Africa $561.9 million, Mozambique $424.5 million, Zambia $400.7 million, Tanzania $571.8 million, Kenya $751.4 million, Uganda $527.7 million, Columbia $400.2 million, Bolivia $32.7 million, Peru $111 million and Haiti $405.3 million.

Foreign aid in smaller million dollar amounts are tagged for Tajikistan, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, New Guinea, Morocco, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Chad, Angola, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Madagascar, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Brazil, Guyana, Suriname, Paraguay, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina and the Dominican Republic.

These are only 61 of the 149 countries recommended to receive U.S. foreign aid next year. Certainly, the long list and the astronomical dollar amounts should send an alarming message to taxpayers and voters.

The bureaucracy created to administer U.S. foreign aid is a monster of no small proportions only slightly less disconcerting than the amount of foreign aid this nation gives away each year.

As voters we must do two things. First, we must contact our U.S. senators and representatives and tell them to stop the federal government’s accelerating level of spending.  Contact Congressman Jeb Hensarling, 202-225-3484; Senator John Cornyn 202-224-2934; and, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson 202-224-5922. Tell them radically excessive spending on foreign assistance must stop now.

Second, we must vote for those candidates who will work to stop this country’s ever-increasing cycle of spending. If incumbent Congressmen are neither able nor willing to operate this nation within the structure of a balanced budget, then we must vote them out of office and elect honest, moral, God-fearing, conscientious, common sense men and women to represent us in Washington.

Let’s hope and pray the 2012 ballot offers us that opportunity.