Global Health Fund Is Sick

One major western nation has decided that common sense and good fiscal policy are more important than satisfying the "don't make waves" maudlin sentimentality of bleeding hearts trying to fix all the ills of the world by throwing money at them. Which one? Hint: It isn't America.

The Global Health Fund currently has $21.7 billion in its coffers, but like so many goody-goody projects, it doesn't want to account to anyone for how it spends those funds. If you think that it's all spent on, well, health--then think again. The corruption and waste of money became so notorious that even the Associated Press could no longer ignore it. Breaking from the liberal-leftist policy of ignoring the good intentions leading to hell, Germany has become the first western nation to say "where the hell is all the money going?" And it will be contributing no more money until it gets answers.

Since the Fund is allegedly devoted entirely to healing AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in the poor parts of the world, specifically Africa, guilt-ridden limousine liberals have poured billions into the fund without actually determining if anything good was being done. As it turns out, the Fund has indeed done some good. But it could have done it a lot cheaper and more efficiently if money wasn't being siphoned off for personal gain almost as fast as it was being replaced.

Naturally, the United States is the biggest sucker, with France a far-distant second. Germany was a close third, but with the election of a more conservative government with both a heart and a head, the gravy train will not depart from Berlin for the time being. Germany's first 200 million Euro ($270 million) payment was to have taken place as part of its three year 600 million Euro commitment. That will not happen now until the chief thieves at the Fund do some 'splainin.

Germany's new Development Minister, Dirk Niebel, said that no more money would flow into the Fund from Germany until there has been a thorough investigation and possible restitution. In order for the money to be allocated, he must ask the German legislature for the money as part of the commitment, and he will not be doing so. Niebel announced: "I take the allegations of corruption and breach of trust . . . against the Fund very seriously, and I expect that the Fund will promptly clear them up. But I have halted all payments until it is fully cleared up."

One irony here is that the Fund's Inspector General hired a highly decorated ex-US federal prosecutor to investigate the early allegations of fraud, misfeasance and malfeasance. That investigator, Robert Appleton, found that there was as much fire as there was smoke and exposed millions, and perhaps billions, in improperly used funds. The information was made available to American officials at the same time it was transmitted to Germany.

Germany read the report, and acted promptly to halt payments until the money was being spent on its goal, not on crooks, liars and blood-suckers who couldn't care less about communicable diseases in Africa. Those "healers" are much more concerned with their bank accounts in Switzerland. The Obama administration, on the other hand, has taken no action whatsoever. Not only will American money not be withheld, but there is no action on the report itself, and Obama is actually asking for more money for the Fund this year.

This is another example of the Obama administration's policy of playing to the masses, covering up scandals of epic proportions, throwing money at "feel-good" projects that enhance their phony image as humanitarians, and advancing the cause of worldwide corruption. In fact, it's just like Chicago.

Next stop--Haiti.