Donald Trump Is Wrong about Wanting to Charge for American Help

Dear Donald Trump, You have some excellent ideas about how to save America from financial disaster. Ideas like becoming petroleum independent and letting American business do what it does much better than any government - create jobs and make the economy prosper.

On the other hand, I don’t know what you studied about American history or culture, or where you’ve been when America helps others. We do it because we are a nation based on Judeo-Christian values. Values which teach us to help others, to do good wherever and whenever we can.

Telling our international friends and neighbors that we will now charge them for doing what our culture asks us to do out of love for our fellow men seems to be reaching a bit too far. And if you think it will solve our financial crisis, you are wrong because it is peanuts in our budgets.

If you are thinking about charging for military assistance, perhaps you ought to look at where South Korea is, for instance. We help those countries where we have vital interests. If you find, as President, that some of our military commitments are misplaced, that our vital interests are not at stake, then you should end them.

But, charging…Mr. Trump, that’s self-defeating and just plain stupid.