African aids aide, drop it or keep it going?

[opebo]

I think we should drop all aids aide to Africa. Face it, it's just not working. We spend billions of dollars a year taht goes to waste because the some of the Africans are paranoid and think we're trying to give them aids with the drugs!

Those billions of dollars could be spent somewhere else were it can go to better use such as welfare(which also isn't working), health care, social security and homeland security or just help shrink the deficit.

Actually the best argument for being skeptical about giving this aid is that HIV and Aids in Africa are somewhat dubious.  The statistics are all generated by computer models, and for everyone involved there's a huge incentive to exaggerate the problem.  I suspect HIV rates are much lower in Africa than we have been led to believe.

[opebo]

I think we should drop all aids aide to Africa. Face it, it's just not working. We spend billions of dollars a year taht goes to waste because the some of the Africans are paranoid and think we're trying to give them aids with the drugs!

Those billions of dollars could be spent somewhere else were it can go to better use such as welfare(which also isn't working), health care, social security and homeland security or just help shrink the deficit.

Actually the best argument for being skeptical about giving this aid is that HIV and Aids in Africa are somewhat dubious.  The statistics are all generated by computer models, and for everyone involved there's a huge incentive to exaggerate the problem.  I suspect HIV rates are much lower in Africa than we have been led to believe.

People DIE from it...

Yes, but my point was that the rates are extravagantly overstated.  In fact the single statistic that best belies aids claims is that the Death Rate hasn't gone up anywhere near as much as predicted in those coutries.  Answer: lower rates.

[opebo]

I think we should drop all aids aide to Africa. Face it, it's just not working. We spend billions of dollars a year taht goes to waste because the some of the Africans are paranoid and think we're trying to give them aids with the drugs!

Those billions of dollars could be spent somewhere else were it can go to better use such as welfare(which also isn't working), health care, social security and homeland security or just help shrink the deficit.

Actually the best argument for being skeptical about giving this aid is that HIV and Aids in Africa are somewhat dubious.  The statistics are all generated by computer models, and for everyone involved there's a huge incentive to exaggerate the problem.  I suspect HIV rates are much lower in Africa than we have been led to believe.

People DIE from it...

Indeed. It's interesting (as well as scary and depressing) to see that Opebo and MasterJedi can simply treat other human beings like statistics, and that a few minor problems are immediate justification for denying them help.

Empathy is another thing that separates us from animals. Some people would do well to remember that.

Empathy doesn't have anything to do with it - I feel badly for them.  That doesn't change the fact that I can be skeptical about the statistics.  All I'm saying is that they're greatly overstated.

[opebo]

The Aids epidemic is undoubtedly a massive problem affecting entire socities and millions of people, no matter what you believe about the specific statistics. Its right that we try to do something about this tragedy. This is one of the few areas where I think Bush made some steps in the right direction.

But the difference in terms of democraphics and the survivability of the society is huge between 2-5% prevelance and 20-25% prevelance.  Its something worth trying to be accurate about.

[opebo]

Wow, another old Opebo thread.

No, not really.  I'm still skeptical about the accuracy of the statistics.  However I would certainly double the monetary aid, just as a gesture of international good will.  Whether the rate of HIV is 5% or 25%, there is no harm in spending a lot more on the problem.

I also think that the key to reducing transmission would be coming up with some kind of cream or lube that could be applied by the woman - possibly even without the man's knowledge - prior to sex.  Obviously such a preventative would not be as effective as a barrier method, but I think it would be far easier to get people to use. 

I think it is folly to expect any group to consistently use condoms over the long haul, considering how poor condom-sex is relative to real sex.  Least of all third world males who do have some power and a fairly fatalistic attitude (not unreasonable given their situations).  The answer is to try to develop realistic strategies - better to get an 80% effect strategy used by 80% of the people, than a 99% effective strategy used by 20%.