Editor,

Well, they've done it again. With no more thought about our national debt than someone pitching a penny in a wishing well, the Bush administration has pledged one billion dollars to help rebuild the country of Georgia after the Russian invasion.

This really upset me when I heard this. Why do the American taxpayers who are struggling to put food on their tables, clothes on their kids, gas in their cars, and pay for their homes have to help rebuild a country that Russia destroyed? How stupid can they be, especially when we have to borrow the money from China to do it?? At this time, there's Hurricane Gustav, Hanna, Ike, Josephine, and God only knows what other hurricane family member bearing down on the United States that we're going to have to deal with financially. There's absolutely no reason on earth for our country to send money to Georgia. After all, I think they've got a huge oil pipeline running through their country. They're surely getting money from that. I guess that's why our great leaders in Washington are sucking up to them. Perhaps they want to further infuriate the Russians.

I understand the "good neighbor policy" of helping, but this is ridiculous! I thought there was some kind of oversight for handing out taxpayer's money. I like to help people, but it should not be a "one-way-street" when it comes to generosity. How many times have you seen a natural disaster in our country and saw blankets, food, or medical supplies from countries with better economies than ours?? If we had national leaders with any kind of pragmatic logic at all, they would look at this too. It's like they want world approval by giving everything away overseas instead of taking care of Americans.

It's bad enough we're paying for Russia's aggression in Georgia, but I doubt there's any oversight about how one billion dollars we borrow from China is spent in Georgia. If one greedy Georgian bureaucrat gets his hands on that money, it will probably end up in a Swiss bank account while our grandchildren continue to pay the interest on it. "Stupid is as stupid does" makes a lot of sense here.

I try to imagine what one billion dollars could do for West Virginia. We need schools, roads, bridges, sewer and water infrastructure, hospitals, and job training programs. Do we get that kind of help? No. Tough luck. Keep on paying your taxes so they can give it away to people who care nothing for us. Charity starts at home boys and girls, that is, for every country except ours.

Thanks for allowing me to express my opinions.

Sayonara.

Mike Robinson

Accoville