Thursday, March 18, 2010

Two Bills in Favor of One Great Bill


This past Wednesday former President Bill Clinton and Microsoft mogul Bill Gates sat before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and testified in favor of Obama's Global Health Initiative. They both touched on what their respective foundations have done for poverty and health care in Haitian relief efforts and initiatives in Africa and Asia. Bill and Bill went on to discuss the GHI as "the next logical step" in reaching the Millennium Development Goals.

The GHI would allocate $9.5 Billion to global HIV/AIDS prevention, vital vaccinations, and scientific and technological R&D for the fiscal year 2011. Additionally, it calls for $63 Billion over the next six years to reform a new global health strategy. It is a legislative bill that is designed to wean developing nations off of foreign dependency.

The experience and expertise brought to the table by both of these advocates is unmatched. The energy and focus that led Gates to his success is now redirected toward global health, an area of which Gates is very knowledgeable. Combine this with the political experience that Clinton possesses to actually implement change and you have a powerful humanitarian team that would be difficult to say no to.

-Nick Mohazzabfar