Lowering poverty can be a unifier
2016 has been a hostile year, which many seem glad to see ending. Political stances became personal insults. People were angry, are angry. We’ve all grown used to hatred as our national discourse.
So what became of common ground? Did we stop looking for real ways we can effect change regardless of our party affiliation or the political grudges? We are not just Democrats and Republicans. We are not just Americans. We are all human beings and citizens of the world.
With that in mind, the Borgen Project campaigns across hundreds of cities to put global poverty at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy. U.S. foreign aid accounts for less than 1 percent of the federal budget, although many Americans believe poverty relief spending is significantly higher. With an extra $265 billion per year, world hunger can be entirely eliminated by 2030.
To put that in perspective, the U.S. defense budget was $612 billion this year. Millions of people would no longer have to starve simply because of where they’re born. All it takes is a phone call to your Congress members to make poverty reduction a national priority.