Worse, they’ll simply say they don’t care.

Their stance is actually more that saving these lives didn't benefit them and so it's good. Here go look https://old.reddit.com/r/Conservative/comments/1j2ykmz/its_o...

There's also a lot of smugly intentional misunderstanding of what usaid actually did. But plenty of clear-eyed cold blooded gloating about the money saved by these deaths.

I've tried conceptually (before seeing this) and their response is "why don't these countries take responsibility for their citizens and health". The "poverty is a consequence of poor decision making" mindset and lack of acknowledgment that US wealth was substantially built on our continents natural resources/lack of nearby conflict (and not just exceptionalism) makes it hard to make any productive progress in these discussions. Whatever. What bothers me the most is when the people arguing those points are christian, which is a faith system that's supposed to advocate for people with less resources.

It brings me some consolation that many of these diseases will be roaring back here again one day soon, and people will have to eat the consequences of cutting off these programs with 0 notice (which could have allowed UN/EU to step it up)

Do you agree that one adult dies every 3.3 minutes from HIV due to USAID funding being cut?

America must voluntarily replace anti-intellectualism, kratocratism, and illiberal attitudes with respecting competency, civility, and integrity because the alternatives are too bleak and painful to entertain.