Bill Gates, our friendly Pacific Northwest neighbor and philanthropist, says “we all have the chance to create a world where extreme poverty is the exception rather than the rule.” The richest man in the world is also a man of action, having donated millions of dollars to better lives other than his own. Yet, the United States, as one of the wealthiest countries in the world, cannot seem to do the same.

A common misconception by many Americans is that we spend more of our federal budget on foreign aid than we actually do. The first numbers that might come to mind might be roughly 20 to 25 percent, however, the reality is that we spend only 1 percent of our budget helping the world’s poor.

With President Trump’s current proposed budget for 2018, this measly 1 percent would become even less. It is in our best interest to address the needs of those in countries other than our own. For own economic well-being, we should want the poor to become a class of consumers, but as fellow human beings, the livelihoods of those in the developing world should be a cause addressed in full.

Jennifer Faulkner

Kirkland