2012 Presidential Election (free for all edition)

[Daseal]

Originally Posted by Slingin Sammy 33

Some more detail on the funding issues.

GOP cuts to embassy security draw scrutiny, jabs from Democrats - The Hill - covering Congress, Politics, Political Campaigns and Capitol Hill | TheHill.com

The way I see it, we should close a bunch of consulates....particularly in high risk zones. Too much risk, too much potential cost in lives and dollars.

I couldn't disagree with you more. People going into the Foreign Service are aware of the risks. They know that they will often be in harms way because of where they are in the world. It's important that the United States have a presence in those areas for multiple reasons.
1. To be diplomats -- reach out to the community, engage everyone and learn about their culture and customs. It helps to build bridges.
2. To be available to solve issues for US citizens. That embassy is a little piece of America in every country and the diplomats are, for all intents and purposes, the president of the United States in those countries.
3. Intelligence. Where do you think we get intelligence. It's not on the streets of Georgetown. It's in these dangerous areas. This gives all of our communities a safe harbor in every country. Allowing for secure transmissions and safety.

What do you think Embassyies do, SS? Just grant Visa's? That's just how they create revenue -- it is a tiny portion of what the US Dept. of State actually does.