The Ayn Rand institute comments on US disaster aid:
The reason politicians can get away with doling out money that they have no right to and that does not belong to them is that they have the morality of altruism on their side. According to altruism–the morality that most Americans accept and that politicians exploit for all it’s worth–those who have more have the moral obligation to help those who have less. This is why Americans–the wealthiest people on earth–are expected to sacrifice (voluntarily or by force) the wealth they have earned to provide for the needs of those who did not earn it.
What David Holcberg fails to comprehend is that disaster recovery aid, such as the Marshall Plan and in many other instances, serves a strategic purpose as well as an altruistic purpose. Economic development monies provide from the US government have been a key source of America’s power over the last century. The Marshall Plan, debt-forgiveness and other forms of aid have been key in (re-)building nations, not just out of the kindness of our hearts, but because developed nations that have been integrated with the world economy have more to lose when they act outside it. Their populations tend to be more receptive to new ideas, and new markets are created for goods and services that the US can offer. By focusing solely on the “altrustic” aspect, he fails to see the forest through the trees.