Some in America are genuinely troubled about the money Congress is appropriating to Ukraine. No one wishes to “throw money away” to a small foreign country or lose face again in a foreign war.
This brief article explains the “Lend-Lease” agreement we have with Ukraine, and gives a glimpse into other driving forces in the world that emphasize why America needs to maintain leadership.
Article by Erick Erickson (Columnist, radio host)
Congress is appropriating more money for Ukraine. (October ’22) Many people on the right think we need to stop all the funding altogether and focus on problems at home. Some don’t want to be involved because of isolationist tendencies. Some don’t want to be involved because they support Russia.
I think we will wind up engaging militarily with Russia and China. Russia has expansionist policies that will eventually cause a conflict with NATO. I’d rather fight them by proxy in Ukraine than have our kids fighting them.
The money we give Ukraine will create American jobs in the American defense industry. Ukraine can get other resources from lots of places but can only get American weapons systems from the United States. The money we spend in Ukraine is money actually being spent around the United States, providing America first manufacturing jobs in industries only the United States can have.
That is reasonable to me.
Much of the money is on a lend-lease basis, which means Ukraine will pay it back. If Ukraine does get absorbed into the European Union, the EU will ultimately wind up helping Ukraine pay us back.
So we get a lot, though not all, of our money back, and with our money we are both (1) creating American jobs and (2) able to fight Russia without direct engagement.
This is not a piece to persuade but a piece to explain. I think this is necessary.
The isolationists live a fantasy that, in reality, always drags the United States into war. Other countries want to lead the world. We will either lead the West or be put in a vassal state status to China and its friends. Our currency is what keeps much of the world together and provides us with financial benefits. To isolate ourselves from the rest of the world would drive up our costs at home and ultimately lead us to war.
There are those who say we have so many problems here at home that we shouldn’t be spending money there. But they ignore that the money is being spent to create jobs in Texas, Alabama, Ohio, Virginia, Florida, and so many other states.
Russia is not nor has it ever been our friend. To think we can bring the Russians into the Western fold is to repeat a lot of past failed efforts. Putin wants to recreate a Russian Empire that works in opposition to our interests and the interests of the West. People who flirt with Putin either do not care or do not know the patterns of history and Russian self-victimization. Some of them have turned so hard against their own country and our domestic issues that they’d root for a madman dictator just because he says he hates the Wokes. He also hates you, whether you know it or not.
There is a meme circulating that the Americans who want to fund Ukraine also don’t want to send their kids to fight in Ukraine. Absolutely. That is the whole point. Better to take on Russia this way than directly and if we don’t take on Russia this way, we will take them on that way eventually, probably with China and Iran too.
The world is coming unglued. Destabilizing times are ahead. The United States not leading will make it far more destabilizing and will hurt you and your family far more than the current policy of creating jobs in Alabama at defense contractors by giving money to Ukraine.
I support America First initiatives and manufacturing. Paying Ukrainians (1) to buy our weapons (2) our citizens build (3) in American cities (4) so the Ukrainians can kill Russian soldiers (4) so we don’t have to is pretty freaking America First.
* E. E. article – 10/3/22