Foreign aid. Watching a recent political debate between parties, I was struck at the opposites of what the debate was on and the advertisements coming at the breaks. While the politicians of this great nation were discussing the rate of homeless now in the country, the number of families living below the poverty line, the number of students who are unable to read, the number of jobs lost, and the number of foreclosures happening there was an advertisement of one of our tax paid politicians promoting aid for a third world country.

I have been unable to get a straight answer from any of the local politicians that represent my district to a simple question. How much money is spent each year in foreign aid. Foreign aid to make sure other people of other countries get the medical treatment they desperately need. Foreign aid to building housing. Foreign aid to give food to those that are hungry. Foreign aid to build schools to educate their children.

Why is the United States trying to take care of other nations when it can not take care of its own people. We allow so many foreigners to come into our country both legally and illegally and we support them. The government helps them realize the 'Great American Dream'. Yet that same dream is out of reach of the average American today. Scholarships are given to those coming here to study, when many of our own children can not read let alone pay for a college education.

I was interviewing an elderly woman in March about her social giving back to the community, she got up to take her medication and was cutting it in half. I asked her if she needed help and her reply was no, but thank you. She went on to explain that she cuts her medication in half so it lasts longer as she can not afford to pay for taking the prescribed amount.

These things are amazingly difficult for me to understand with the knowledge that millions perhaps even trillions of dollars are sent out from our own government to other countries for economic aid. I get angry when I see my tax dollars paying for a politician to travel overseas to see if the foreign aid we have sent is being used to help the people, especially when while there they take the publicity opportunity to do a paid endorsement commercial for a private organization trying to raise money to help this other nation.

If Oprah wants to send her personal money to Africa, that is her prerogative. It should not be the prerogative of our government to spend our tax dollars outside our country for anyone's aid. Especially when they turn around and cut programs for our children, elders, jobs, or any number of programs.

Where is the accountability to our own tax paying citizens?