disgruntled-and-catholic said: To the Christians who would feel uncomfortable at the idea of cutting aid, especially since the USCCB has called on US foreign policy to responsibility on the world stage, how would you quell their consciences?

We have to establish a few things in order to more fully answer your question as it specifically relates to the USCCB.  I don’t take the position that every dime spent by the federal government on foreign aid does evil things.  Some foreign aid may very well be doing very good things.  Ultimately, though all foreign aid must still be cut.

First, please listen to this speech from the floor of the Senate by Senator Rand Paul listing the gross abuses of foreign aid over the past 50 years.  You will hear how foreign aid helps dictators, is corrupt, and is immoral.  There is zero justification for the majority of our foreign aid.  Those, like the USCCB, who say that we cannot cut a penny from foreign aid are not helping the situation.  Most of the money goes to dictators and ultimately breeds hatred against us.

Secondly, our nation is a republic, a nation ruled by law.  The Constitution does not provide for foreign aid.  It is immoral for a government trillions of dollars in debt to give billions of dollars to dictators around the globe.  It is NOT the purpose of the Federal government to fund Catholic Charities.  If we want to support Catholic Charities, we will have to write them checks ourselves.  Imagine that: our missions, our money!  For the USCCB to say, “Don’t touch our sacred cow!” is plain silly because the majority of the pie it is defending is rotten and corrupt filth that no one should be associated with.  If we believe in our missions than the people in the pews should support them, plain and simple.

Allow me to propose an analogy.  Let’s say that I was spending vast amounts of money more than I brought in every year, and I borrowed to make up the difference.  I was now in grossly in debt but did not change any of my ways.  Now, through this time I gave you and others some money every year to make the world a better place.  You used it for good, others used the same program to enrich the rich, hold down the poor, and create world instability and geopolitical conflict.  I then decide to shut down the program in order to begin the process of getting my financial house in order.  You are the USCCB and say, “Hey!  I’m doing lots of good here!  What gives?  You shouldn’t cut my money, nor the money the others are spending as part of our program.  You should continue to go deeper into debt so that I can do more good things with the money you are borrowing.”

This is precisely the problem.  The USCCB is defending money being given to dictators (the scum of the earth), all so it can receive a minuscule portion of the funding from the same program that is used to enslave and oppress millions across the globe.  All this while the program itself is unconstitutional and “paid for” by adding money to the nation’s credit card that is already grossly over the limit.  Christians who feel uncomfortable at the idea of foreign aid should take off their rose colored glasses, and write a check to (or better yet, volunteer for!) charities that do good in the 3rd world.