Open Thread: Republicans Unveiling Bill to Bring Major Changes to the UN
House Republicans are introducing a bill today with hopes to force major changes on the United Nations. The bill would require the UN to allow member countries to fund the UN agencies of their choosing rather than according to a formula, end funding for Palestinian refugees, limit U.S. funding to be used only for purposes specifically outlined by Congress, and end contributions to peacekeeping programs until changes in management take place.
With the United States contributing 22% of the UN's operating budget, the GOP believes there is enough leverage to force these changes in the UN. Led by the Republican chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ilena Ros-Lehtinen, the changes are designed to end corruption and inefficiency in the global organization. How involved do you think the U.S. should be in the UN? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
The U.S. pays 22 percent of the UN’s regular operations budget and is assessed 27 percent of the peacekeeping budget. The U.S. payments totaled $3.35 billion in 2010, of which $2.67 billion was dedicated to the 16 peacekeeping operations worldwide, from South Sudan to Haiti. [...]
Ros-Lehtinen’s aim in shifting the UN budget to a voluntary system is to encourage competition for funds and therefore elicit more effective performance from UN agencies, said a House aide familiar with the legislation. He wasn’t authorized to speak on the record.
The bill’s timing runs counter to the emergence of the administration’s “Obama Doctrine” of working with others to address international issues, particularly those that don’t pose an immediate security threat to the U.S., said Jeffrey Laurenti, a UN analyst at the Century Foundation, a New York-based economic, political and social research foundation.
The bill comes at a time when President Obama is increasingly building his foreign policy with multilateral institutions like the UN and NATO, which he uses to justify the U.S. involvement in indirect threats like Libya. For this reason, it is likely the bill will face opposition from the Senate. What do you think of the new legislation? Should the U.S. decrease its involvement in the UN?
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Comments
Too little too late.
Submitted by c5then on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:21am.
We should simply withdraw from the UN completely. It is an utterly corrupt organization right down to it's foundations. Most of the programs are designed and structured assuming that level of corruption and some are structured to specifically take advantage of it. In my opinion it can not be reformed or adjusted to a working organization.
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
c5,
Submitted by Dave. on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:25am.
You took the words right out of my keyboard.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Indeed we should
Submitted by jon_torlin on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 11:36am.
How long do you think they will last if the US was out of the picture of being involved with the UN in any way?
What bothers me is the idea that they may try to object (wrongly) and might even go so far to declare some sort of action against us much the same way they did with Libya. If that were to happen, I can definitely see Soetoro offering the surrender of the US to the UN. He's been trying to do that anyway and the most obvious evidence of that was letting someone else take charge in the illegal action against Libya.
-Jon
Not Just Yes
Submitted by JustAl on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 11:37am.
But Hell yes! A thousand times YES!
FDR and Woodrow Wilson and their messiah complexes.
Submitted by drsamherman on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 1:04pm.
No matter what you call it, UN or League of Nations, the idea was dumb from the start. In both cases, the UN and League of Nations were ineffectual, infected by insane levels of bureaucracy and unproductive. Notice how many issues the Security Council has resolved successfully without violence? Would that be NONE?
Any organization that is as inherently corrupt and useless as the UN should not be funded by the US taxpayers.
I remember that US diplomat saying to the UN that if it wanted to move out of New York, the US delegation would be at the docks waving them a fond farewell. That piece of valuable New York real estate on the river could be put to far more productive and profitable use as a miniature golf course.
Yea! Get out of the UN
Submitted by lrgon on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 1:54pm.
Trying to reform the UN is like trying to reform a desease.
I've been saying all along
Submitted by killa37 on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:23am.
I've been saying all along that we should tell the UN to go find some other place to operate, with their own damn money, and do something else with that building in NYC. The UN is an anti-American, anti-Israeli gang of thugs, thieves, dictators, socailists, communists, totalitarians, and self-serving corrupt 'diplomats' who, as far as I can tell, don't have much of a track record to brag about - other than their phony reputation and their disingenuous intentions.
We don't need them............they're just another (in a long list) entity that gladly takes our money with one hand,and gives us the finger with the other.
The ideal new home for the UN should be...
Submitted by Fenwick on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 5:33pm.
... France!
The perfect place for the UN
Submitted by Denny Crane on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 8:48pm.
The most neutral place!
We Are The 53%
Jeez, Denny............you
Submitted by killa37 on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:21pm.
Jeez, Denny............you wanna ruin it for the penguins, huh??? What about Haiti............or North Korea..........or Kenya.........or somewhere in Pakistan???
And if it has to stay in the USA..............maybe the inner city of Detroit, or some other similiair place - where these pampered corrupt 'diplomats' would actually have a view of the 'real world'!!!
Killa, thanks, so much.
Submitted by UpNorth on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:53pm.
Even though the idiots in Detroit would probably welcome the UN with open arms, and guns extended, We. Don't. Want. Them. They'd be all over west Michigan, just to get out of Detroit.
North Korea and/or Kenya would be fine, or perhaps Libya? Syria? Any of those locations would be fine, and the mooooslems wouldn't have to travel so far to get hostages. Unless, it relocated to the Norks.
We could put them up at the Princeville!
Submitted by Denny Crane on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 11:02pm.
Just kidding Killa. :-)
I like the idea of relocating them to El Paso. I think Congress should be moved there too. Maybe then they would consider spending a measly 8 Billion to build a border fence.
We Are The 53%
Very Simple
Submitted by Carborendum on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:27am.
The UN out of the US.
The US out of the UN.
I agreee 100 percent
Submitted by ohio granny on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:36am.
And why should the American taxpayers be subsidizing an organization that is hell bent on destroying everything this country was founded on? The UN is too corrupt to ever be cleaned up.
Not another cent from the Americans.
Decrease Involvement = Yes!...
Submitted by Grumpy in Arizona on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:31am.
What I think of the bill? Well, being that Ilena Ros-Lehtinen is the chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I think she is doing her job… and I support her efforts – despite the fact the bill (IMO) is nothing more than another dig at the policies of our Dear Leader and therefore a purely political act.
By the way, just got back from a trip… haven’t had any coffee yet this a.m., and the first article I find here at NB is an OT about the UN… Should have stayed in bed for a couple of more hours….
- Grump :o)
Withdraw.
Submitted by johnsonl on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:59am.
Kick the U.N. out of the U.S. Revoke all U.N. visas and deport all U.N. members/families/staff. It is an utterly corrupt third world organization.
Kick 'em to the curb right
Submitted by ant on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 11:06am.
Kick 'em to the curb right after getting all the parking violation fines the 'diplomats' owe New York.
I would say just tow the cars
Submitted by Scuba Dude on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 12:31pm.
I would say just tow the cars to the impound lot. And if they want the car back pay the fine.
If the UN wants to stay in the US I think we should move them out of NYC. We have plenty of open space here in the country. Why not plunk it down somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Places like Kansas, Nebraska or Alaska come to mind. Think of how much cheaper and easier it would be for security? Put an exclusion zone of lets say 50 or so miles around the place that they can put the families of the diplomats and they must go through a rigorous security screening to leave the zone and enter the US. We can put all the groping TSA workers on that job.
Oh, and the only restaurants allowed within 75 miles of the place should be BBQ specializing in pork. :-)
Don't send them here!!!
Submitted by PalinYes on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 1:21pm.
I don't even want them in NY, why would I want them here?
Shit, just move it to Mexico....
Submitted by nonncom on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 4:09pm.
bye....and good riddance....
Stop payments until we get what we want
Submitted by Callawyn on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 11:18am.
We should simply stop sending them money.
Maintain our seat, and veto, on the Security Council (otherwise Israel would get screwed), but don't send them a dime.
Oh yeah, and pressure NY city to crack down on diplomat's parking violations.
Uncle Onyango Obama arrested. DWI
Submitted by Red Jeep on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 11:36am.
"Obama’s Uncle Being Held By ICE On Deportation Order…" http://weaselzippers.us/2011/08/30/obamas-uncle-being-held-by-ice-on-dep...
"Did president's uncle benefit from 1980's Dukakis fake ID policy for illegals?" http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/watercooler/2011/aug/30/picket-quest...
Maybe the UN can help him.
I think what really proved he was related to Da One was ...
Submitted by Newsbubba on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 12:49pm.
... when the arresting officer said that the guy would not shut up! He just kept interrupting and yakking until the cop insisted that he shut the hell up!
Guess it runs in the family.
Yeah, he was probably
Submitted by killa37 on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 1:33pm.
Yeah, he was probably blabbering on about the 'polilce acting stupidly'!!! I also see that the guy has an SS# and a driver's license..........must be still taking after his 'historic' nephew, who may have a couple of differetn SS numbers as well as about 3 passports - all from different countries.
Hey bubba, I wrote you a PM.
Slight difference
Submitted by paulnashtn on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 11:35am.
I believe the world needs a world organization(if only to yell at each other) but it should NOT be IN the U.S., they should re-locate to somewhere like the Azores
About the proposals, they sound perfectly reasonable to me
Need a new organization
Submitted by jon_torlin on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 11:52am.
We need a new organization that is based on the foundation of the US Constitution.
With this organization, Freedom is the underlying principle that should be followed and those nations that don't believe in such things should either be set apart or should fix their country so that it follows the same ideals as a free country.
Totalitarians need not apply but should be warned that if any country that's part of this organization is attacked, they will be met with extreme prejudice and their leadership will be prime targets.
If a crime has been committed, local laws will apply, none of this "diplomatic immunity" crap or the nonsense like that crap with the Mexican national who brutally raped and killed a teenager, and no delay before sentence is carried out, especially when it's without ANY shred of doubt that the perp committed the crime. And there WILL be a death penalty as a deterrent against violent crimes, otherwise shooters like what happened recently in this country and others will get off free. Mental illness is no excuse for mass murder, someone who does that is an absolute danger to society.
Commerce and liberty are also the other ideals as well. No caste system, no monarchs(except as figureheads as part of their history such as the UK), no dictatorships, no slavery, and NO SHARIAH or any other Islamic nonsense.
By having the above, poverty would be reduced, dictatorships would be an unhappy memory, crime would go down, the quality of life would improve.
What a dream.
-Jon
A staff of two and budget of 200K
Submitted by DaMav on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 11:59am.
That should be our committment to the UN. Give the Ambassador a clerk.
Very generous.. two people and $200k.
Submitted by NevadanConservative on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 3:30pm.
I've a better.
Tell the UN we are done, that they have 30 days to clean their gear out of the building, anything they leave is confiscated.
All diplomatic corps plates and priveledges are pulled at that time.
Any known staff that is still in country will have a valid non-diplomat passport or will be deported back into their home country via parachute.
IF the UN had been totally serious about being an agency for peace, they would have, out of their own pockets, built headquarters in a neutral, non-member country. I wish I dared be optomistic enough to say that we will not be a member by 2020. However, with BHO and his crew of thugs a-helm still...
NVCon
Tax income from Turtle Bay
Submitted by anneftx on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 3:24pm.
I suggest that the UN be booted out of New York and relocated to some European city. Just think of the development jobs and tax income the city could glean from tearing the building down.
I see absolutely no reason the support this corrupt organization. I long ago gave up on the idea that the UN provided any useful service.
Begone.
Harry Reid will block it.
Submitted by Phryj1 on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 4:34pm.
That's his job, to run interference for Obama, keep him from getting his hands dirty from vetoing popular legislation, and ensure House Republicans can be painted as a 'do-nothing Congress' by blocking everything in sight. Dishonest politics, thy name is Democrat Party.
Not to mention, but isn't it unconstitutional (not to mention, arguably fascistic) to circumvent separation of powers like that?
Progressives seem to be completely averse to facts and logic. Apparently, reality has a conservative bias.
Phryj1
Submitted by Jer on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 4:59pm.
Are you not in the least bit embarrassed to post that "darn those Democrats exercising their Congressional prerogatives" lament after the GOP minority spent two years employing every delaying and blocking tactic in the book [short of turning on the sprinkler system and flooding the Senate chamber] in order to impede Democratic legislation?
Jer
You mean like the Democrat minorities did previously?
Submitted by drsamherman on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 5:24pm.
You know the Senate permits unlimited debate unless cloture is required. When the Republicans thought about jettisoning the rule, the Democrats whined about it. Republicans did the same when Democrats suggested repealing the filibuster.
The minority party has no constitutional requirement to support the majority party in its agenda, Jer. Please cite the part of the constitution which does require that.
Do-bee-do-bee-do. Dr. Sam.
Submitted by UpNorth on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:32pm.
That's all I hear. But then, it's to be expected.
Yes, drsam, but not quite as frequently or feverishly...
Submitted by Jer on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 12:38am.
The probablility of my success with that assignment would be co-equal to your ability to locate constitutional references to filibustering, blue slips, holds and other dilatory tactics employed in the senate to frustrate the will of the majority party. Ironically, attempts at cloture reform to prevent the endless Strom Thurmondesque-like floor oratories of generations past have resulted in the unintended proliferation of filibuster abuse in recent years. Mitch McConnell essentially forced the Democratic-controlled senate to conduct business under the "continuing threat" of filibuster meaning that virtually nothing could move forward without a 60-vote supermajority unless the requirement were waived or the legislation was subject to the resolution process in which case a simple majority would prevail.
In any event, if you can open this .pdf, you'll find an interesting, but by no means exhaustive, essay on the history of the filibuster.
Jer
It might be different
Submitted by bkeyser on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 5:28pm.
if you could argue that any of the legislation that Republicans tried to block was doing any good -anywhere.
Jer
Submitted by Phryj1 on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 5:59pm.
I wouldn't take issue with Reid's blocking of everything if it wasn't for the fact the MSM and the Dems are going to blame the GOP for Reid's actions. Phrases like, "Do-nothing Congress", "Too Extremist", "Out of touch with the Politics of Reality", etc. are going to be relentlessly repeated throughout 2012. The GOP will take every last bit of the blame for every single time Reid blocked a House bill. Reid, on the other hand, will not only get a pass for being the Majority Leader of the Party of No, but actually be praised for stopping the 'radical, extremist, anti-government' GOP agenda.
It's the spin that the DNC/MSM is going to be spewing that bothers me.
Progressives seem to be completely averse to facts and logic. Apparently, reality has a conservative bias.
Or to put it another way, Jer
Submitted by Phryj1 on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 6:12pm.
Here's the DNC/MSM's 'logic':
When the Republicans block everything, it's because the Republicans are hyper-partisan extremists.
When the Democrats block everything, it's because the Republicans are hyper-partisan extremists.
See the problem?
Progressives seem to be completely averse to facts and logic. Apparently, reality has a conservative bias.
Hmm...
Submitted by Jer on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 6:19pm.
Not really. :-)
Jer
Not going to be popular, but here goes anyway
Submitted by Unsane on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 5:12pm.
Hell, as if I care about popularity. I'm not running for office.
I say, keep the US in the UN, but get the UN out of the US. I like the United States being in the United Nations because it has its uses. But since it is full of ingrates, I think the UN can go to its alternate HQ in Geneva - permanently. New York can use a new parking garage and transit center.
That being said, I am in 100% agreement: it is a corrupt organization. This is where the United States should leverage its paying so much of the freight to its advantage.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
skateboard park
Submitted by wizardjr on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 5:30pm.
Give the UN 60 days to vacate Turtle Bay then pull down the buildings and make a skateboard park and not another dime to corruptocrats and America haters.
FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Submitted by ricklail on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 6:05pm.
We are now 110 hours without power. Good news. A power company truck drove by the house. I think they were doing an assessment of the situation. it has been very frustrating. We can't prove it but many of us in this area know that our Obama hind tit sucking governor directed the restoration effort to the coast. She made a comment Sunday while at the outer banks. She said, "The coast WILL be open for the last weekend of the summer." If you heard that comment what would it lead you to think? Carteret County schools opened back today. They were right there where the eye came ashore.
No federal disaster declaration yet?
Submitted by ricklail on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 7:33pm.
Obama has failed to declare the eastern NC counties as a federal disaster. He did declare 34 counties a federal emergency. That means that state agencies and town government can get reimbursed for money spent getting ready for Irene and measures used during the storm like rescues. We'll get the cost of our diesel fuel and overtime. They moved over 2100 prisoners from the coastal areas to the western part of the state. They could get money to cover the all the costs associated with that. As of right now not FEMA, When the brothers start whining enough they'll be here.
By the way, anybody heard from Heavy Chevy? He lives in Elizabeth City. They took a pretty good lick too.
We should tell the UN to go
Submitted by talkradio55 on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 9:50pm.
We should tell the UN to go pound sand and get out of our country. Let them operate in Damascus.
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Submitted by ricklail on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:14pm.
My wife just called. We have our power back. There are still alot of folks that don't
Great Rick
Submitted by Boudin on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:27pm.
My folks in north New Bern got em back this time last night.
BTW, we Louisianans are trying to payback NC generous assistance, from the fine folks there after Katrina, . We have sent up over 200 utility trucks and some of our finest folks. If you see any of them, please let them know, we have a lamp lit.
Take care
Got to the email and let me
Submitted by ricklail on Wed, 08/31/2011 - 12:42am.
Go to the email and let me know who they are. I might know them. New Bern has it's own electric department. They may have told you about how they pay a good bit more that us folks out in the county that have Progress Energy. You can tell the folks I live next to West Craven HS.
USA4Freedom lives in New Bern. Haven't seen him here for a while. He post comments to letters to the editor all the time
Good going,
Submitted by killa37 on Tue, 08/30/2011 - 10:36pm.
Good going, rick.........these power company workers are pretty darn good, in my humble opinion. We get a lot of outages over here - and at all sorts of weird hours and in bad weather - and these guys do their work in less than optimum conditions. I can't gripe about the power companies' upper-echelon agenda (I think we might pay the highest electric rates in the country) too much when I see the blue-collar guys doing their work. And anyway, Boy Barry DID promise to 'neccessarily raise the power rates', right???
Like I told you before, we were WEEKS without power after Iniki, because basically every line and pole on the whole island was down. All you heard was generators, for weeks................powered by EVIL BIG OIL!!!! Oh, yeah, our power company is powered by EVIL BIG OIL too!!!!
Slick Willie AND ALGORE have both vacationed here on our island...........I didn't hear them griping about EVIL BIG OIL when they were burning up the kilowatt hours. Hell, ALGORE had TWO air-conditioined limosines, and both of them were running 24/7!!!! Why do I know this?? Because one of my sons was working at the local gas station, and the security guys rolled in to fill'er'up, and the were talking to my son, and told him the scoop.