In a Better World Campaign ad, the headlines say, “Great Nations Pay Their Bills.”

Out of 183 countries in the United Nations, 170 pay less than 23% of the total bill. 29 countries paid as little as $10,516 for 1998. Yet they each get one vote, just like the U.S. which pays 25% of the entire U.N. bill.

This doesn’t even include 30% of the cost for peace-keeping missions, or $900 million to the UN affiliates, and $2.9 billion diverted from the training and readiness of our armed forces, and given to the U.N. Security Council.

So in spite of what the Better World Campaign says, the U.S. voluntarily gave almost three times as much as required in 1998. The UN building in New York is rent free, they pay no property taxes, the foreign employees pay no taxes… and only 7.1% of the employees are American.

So instead of asking why we are paying so little, perhaps the question should be, why do we pay so much? And, what do we get for the money we pay, besides insults?