Obama gives $155 million to Syria. And you thought the royal family was expensive?

Our president has proudly announced an additional $155 million in American tax payer dollars as “aid” to Syria. You know, because the U.S. has such a great track record of picking winners and losers–and not just mega banks and car companies–like Hosni Mubarak our favorite dictator of Egypt. I must say, it was very thoughtful of the White House to include Arabic subtitles in their special video to the people of Syria.

So how much does the British Royal Family cost their tax payers per year? Around $63 million dollars.

The total cost of the British Royal Household is tiny compared to just the president’s travel budget. It is also a fractional cost of an American election.

We free marketers and libertarians like to make jokes about ridiculous overspending for foreign aid and other interventions, but we need to remember that these are also moral concerns. Foreign Aid actually causes more misery, death and destruction.

Foreign aid worsens the situation faced by victims of natural disasters, perpetuates misery and suffering for years afterward, and provides governments with additional tools of oppression…‘reckless use of food aid causes famine. It depresses local market prices and provides disincentive for farmers to grow crops.’ All this makes the food shortage worse, and causes greater calls for food relief; and so the well-meaning foreign intervention grows and cumulates, fueled by agency venality, and causes the spiral of famine-aid-famine to get worse and worse. Until finally the marines land to try to solve the problem. – Mises.org