Disclaimer: “The content of this website is mine alone and does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Government, the Peace Corps, or the Ghanaian Government.”
I encourage everyone to read the commentary in today’s New York Times by Samantha Power, former administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Here is a link that will allow you to read it for free:
I Ran U.S.A.I.D. Killing It Is a Win for Autocrats Everywhere. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/06/opinion/usaid-trump-samantha-power.html?unlocked_article_code=1.vE4.Qj_9.aXSp_PtE3ZkS
My own thoughts:
What can possibly justify the wholesale and rapid demolition of an agency that has existed for over 60 years and provides powerful testimony to the greatness of the United States by distributing essential food and medical aid, and works to provide safe drinking water in developing countries throughout the world? What thoughtful consideration has been given to how the agency might be changed to conform to the priorities of the incoming administration without destroying all of the vital work that the agency does? In what world can you hack away 98% of the workforce of a hard-working organization and then expect its programs to continue? If you think for one minute that “Oh, everything will be OK, that work will be taken over by the State Department.” then you are extremely naive about the complexity of the work that is being done. USAID has over 10,000 people in the field throughout the world seeing that food, medicine, and essential services are getting to those most in need. These are not jobs that can be done from an office in Washington, DC. No one can just step in without the guidance of the current workforce, who know, for example, how to navigate the complexities of working with local medical clinics or refugee camps in the most remote locations.
What’s been going on for the past two weeks looks more like governing by drunken frat boys. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Andy from Seat 17C. I’ve locked the flight crew in the latrine because I heard someone say that they are part of a criminal conspiracy. But don’t worry, I’ve seen lots of photos and videos of airplane cockpits, so I’ve got the situation under control. Everything will be fine.” I encourage everyone to contact your representatives in Washington to express your concerns.
The greatness of our nation is not determined by how much or how often anyone might claim that they are making America “great again”. The true measure of a country’s greatness is how many people from other countries say, without prompting, that America is a great nation. Watch for the respect and admiration of the United States to decline rapidly around the world.
Not A Typical Day 
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