Steve Peacock's U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor

Patriot Update: Obama Seeks to Raise Global Competitiveness—In Mexico

My latest from Patriot Update. - S.P.

In terms of global competitiveness, Mexico ranks 58th among 142 nations—and U.S. taxpayers are stepping in to help raise that ranking.

Increased credit access, especially for small and medium-sized businesses, is one of the targeted improvements the Obama Administration is hoping to accomplish through the Mexico Competitiveness Project II, or MCP II.

A $22 million contract that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded to Abt Associates, Inc., will support Mexican-government efforts to help businesses as well as to institute system-wide reforms.

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New Obama Program Targets Unemployed Youth—in Pakistan! (Patriot Update)

The Obama Administration’s Youth Workforce Development Program (YWDP) promises  to deal with the growing number of “idle, disaffected youth” nationwide—that is,  in the nation of Pakistan.

The initiative comes at a time when the U.S.  Department of Labor acknowledges that the unemployment rate for American  teenagers in March remained about the same as in February: 24.2 percent.

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Patriot Update: Obama Spending $500 Million on Foreign Readers

A $500 million reading-skills project has been unveiled by the Obama Administration. And young readers all around the globe—except United States citizens—will benefit from it.

Continued at PatriotUpdate.com...

World Affairs Brief

Many thanks to Joel M. Skousen's World Affairs Brief for highlighting my recent PatriotUpdate.com article  "U.S. Cost of U.N. 'Rule of Law' Project: $500 million." As Skousen's brief is a subscription-based service, I am delighted that he saw fit to deem that piece worthy of mention to his readers, who no doubt want their money's worth.

For those who have not yet read that article, I had discovered, through routine database research, that the U.S. Agency for International Development will pay contractors up to a half-billion dollars to train other nation's to comply with United Nations-sanctioned "rule of law" guidelines (click through the link above for the full Patriot Update article).

There's nothing inherently wrong with encouraging governments to treat their citizens fairly and to be held accountable to their people; however,foisting this additional financial burden upon U.S. taxpayers -- compunded by the laughable notion that our government is some sort of Beacon on the Hill for the masses to follow -- is hypocritical if not downright laughable. Now that the sequestration process is unfolding, the White House and Congress should take a closer look at such projects when they start claiming that there's no place left for budget cuts.

Quarter-Billion U.S. Special Ops Program to Target Language, Culture

My latest from Patriot Update:

Sharpening the ability of U.S. Special Forces to execute global operations takes more than just advanced weaponry and unwavering bravery; reflecting this perspective, the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) recently revealed a $250 million foreign language and cultural training program whose aim is to help these elite units interact more effectively with any “target region’s people.”

Continued at PatriotUpdate.com...

Patriot Update: ExxonMobil Gets Freebie as 'Obama Finances Energy, Port Project Trips to India'

Obama Finances Energy, Port Project Trips to India

By Steve Peacock; PatriotUpdate.com, Nov. 28, 2012

In the days and weeks after Hurricane Sandy wrecked ports, resorts, and power lines across the mid-Atlantic coast, the Obama administration launched multiple projects targeting the revitalization of such infrastructure. Not in seaside New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, but in cities across India: Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Mumbai…

Upon closer inspection, however, Patriot Update has discovered that taxpayers will foot the bill for industry trips to India—trips taken on behalf of a consortium whose members include multinationals such as ExxonMobil, GE, and IBM.

Continued...

PatriotUpdate.com: U.S. taxpayers foot bill for Ethiopian footwear push

U.S. taxpayers foot bill for Ethiopian footwear push

By Steve Peacock, PatriotUpdate.com, Sept. 15, 2012

_{Although the mission of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is to create programs that “improve the health of the Nation,” the Obama Administration apparently is taking liberties with which nation the NIH should be helping. Indeed, a project aimed at influencing parental decision making—attempted via songs, stories, and posters encouraging “consistent shoe wearing” in Ethiopia—reveals the notion of “the Nation” is open to interpretation.}

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