To make the planet, the world, a better place for Americans.

Your apparent lack of tolerance for things that do not directly serve your self interest is short sighted and foolhardy. It's sad that your way of thinking has carried the day in the US.

Theres nothing charitable or noble about donating other people’s money. If you feel these causes are worthy, donate your own money privately.

The 'other people' agree to it, via the democratic process. It's not stolen money.

Promoting US interests isn't "donating".

Some of the spending probably does fit that description, but I bet if we had a truth oracle that could actually tell us, it would be a lot less than you think.

I already do

All taxes are theft then?

We live in a polity. That polity can be generous, well-regarded, respected, feared, and despised. The admixture of those attitudes affects our polity’s ability to pursue its interests.

(I also happen to think that our polity should assist the least fortunate on its own merits, but you may not)

You're going to feel really weird when, in response to the US's waning engagement with global geopolitics, a bunch of countries form trade organizations and jettison their dollar holdings. Kinda like how a bunch of dairy and grain farmers felt when they realized the "welfare" programs they loved to bitch about were actually poorly camouflaged agricultural subsidies. Whoops.

>To make the planet, the world, a better place for Americans.

What does this mean?

It probably means transgender Americans can visit those countries without being crucified (figuratively or literally)?

It'd be nice if transgender Americans could live in America without being crucified (figuratively or literally).

Who cares? Work on your own country.

I think the point is rather that they don’t want to, and that you (or the previous administration anyway), did.

My job as a taxpayer is not to make the entire world a better place. It is to pay for common infrastructure like roads and schools and make our own country materially better.

I want exactly 0 of my dollars going to sex change operations in other countries.

Cool, I want $0 of my tax dollars going to fuck over Latin America when the people of a country there elect anybody slightly to the left of Genghis Khan.

I want $0 of my tax dollars going to bombs to Israel

I want $0 of my tax dollars spent on military bases abroad.

Let's curtail the big stuff and then we can pinch the pennies.

I’m sorry but that’s not a good use of taxpayer dollars.

There are much bigger problems than gay people in Uganda in the world. Enough problems to eat up all the taxes Americans pay. You have to draw the line somewhere.

If people want to support that kind of charity, that’s their business. The government taking your money at gunpoint to do it is ridiculous.

Sad!

Likewise

I lack tolerance because I think the government shouldn't support activist movements in foreign countries?

It’s pretty simple — better human rights in other countries means fewer refugees emigrating from those countries.

If your aim is to decrease the number of refugees coming here, USAID is a big lever you can pull.