Tom DeWeese -- A Bigger, Grander UN "World Capital Building"

The UN is the protector of the innocent, the poor and the hungry. I know it's true because I read it in United Nation's propaganda. And, pity the unappreciated UN, with its noble mission. Because greedy nations like the United States just won't pay their "fair share," the UN lacks the money to help feed the tens of thousands of starving children. Worse, we're told, the UN can't even begin to help the tens of millions in third world countries afflicted with the HIV virus. All those victims need is $1 per day for medicine, and the UN can't afford it. Sniff.

Oh, well, on to more important issues. On September 30th, the UN unveiled plans for a billion-dollar top-to-bottom renovation of its New York headquarters. Also included in the plans is the construction of a new 30-story office tower which will displace a public playground next door. The brunt of the expenses would have to be covered by UN member states, although the organization is hoping for private donations and interest-free loans. The Ted Turner wing can't be far behind.

John D. Rockefeller, Jr. donated the land on which the headquarters is located and, in 1946, the property had a value of $8.5 million. Today it is worth in excess of $72 million. It remains UN property only so long as the UN remains there. When built, the building was planned to hold the bureaucrats from an anticipated growth to seventy member nations, but today the UN has 190 members with the recent addition of Switzerland.

In 1998, under the UN dues system the United States was paying 25% of the cost of its operation and, indeed, only eight nations were bearing the brunt of the UN's upkeep, contributing 75% of its budget. Along with the US, they included Japan (17.98%), Germany (9.63%), France (6.49%) Italy (5.39%), Great Britain (5.07%), the Russian Federation (2.87%) and Canada (2.82%). In 1999, the US Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation to cut the US assessment as the price of an agreement to release nearly $1 billion in payments that had been withheld. The deal was to cut back our assessment to 20%. The UN claimed the US owned $1.69 billion.

In September, the House of Representatives was asked to vote on whether to pend $8.6 billion for the operations of the US Department of State and related agencies in fiscal 2003. Of this amount, $244 million was allocated to the UN as "back dues", plus $78 million in dues said to have accumulated since 2001. Another $726 million was allocated for international "peacekeeping" activities under the aegis of the UN. The legislation raises the US share of these so-called peacekeeping activities from 25% to slightly over 27% for two years.

There's more. $820 million was allocated for general migration and refugee assistance with $60 million earmarked for the transporting, resettling and absorbing refugees in Israel. It is not clear whether these funds are intended for Jewish or Arab refugees. The UN has maintained so-called refugee "camps" in Israel since the first of the five wars waged against that nation. Some of these camps, i.e. cities, have been around for a half century making the Palestinians the oldest refugee group on Earth.

Even more, $891 million, was allocated for "assessed expenses" to international organizations for fiscal 2003 and the legislation expressed "the sense of Congress" that the President should initiate the return of the US as a member of UNESCO.

The fact is the old place just isn't up to snuff to be the world capital building for the New World Order. Such a mission requires it to be much grander than our nation's capital. It must be able to hold more bureaucrats than any sovereign nation ever dreamed of. And it must have unlimited opulence to pump up the self-esteem of self-appointed saviors of a world where people live under trashcans because of bad governments propped up by the UN.

It's refreshing to see that the UN has its priorities straight. Just think how big and grand the UN headquarters would be if they could just impose taxes on everything that moves on the earth. Well, they're working on it. Stay tuned.

Tom DeWeese is the publisher/editor of The DeWeese Report and president of the American Policy Center, a grassroots, activist think tank headquartered in Warrenton, VA. The Center maintains an Internet site at www.americanpolicy.org.