Ok, let's start at the start. We are, basically, giving Israel gift certificates that are mandated to buy military equipment from American companies. They are not discretionary funds that can be used to feed the hungry, there, for example.
What do we get out of it? Well, it both helps to increase ( or not decrease) employment in those industries and helps those companies' bottom lines, big time.
Do you have a pension? If you do, there's a good chance that your pension fund owns shares of Raytheon or Lockheed Martin, or whatever, and the stock in those companies is buoyed, in part, by the money it makes from Israel's purchases. So, you, personally, are benefitting from this arrangement, as a pensioneer. And if you, personally, are not, there are still millions of Americans who are.
I'm not sure if Israel pays sales taxes, per se, on their purchases of American war stuff. I found this, for what it's worth, although I'm not sure I understand it:
"The current VAT (value added tax) rate for Israel is 17.00%." If this means they are actually paying sales taxes at that rate, that money is refunded to us, too, directly.
Think of foreign aid to any country that mandates purchase of US made goods (as Israel's is) as money laundering. Our government takes public, tax, monies and gives it to another country to buy US made products which privatizes the profits. And you, and your pension fund, profit from it.
Your beef is with the process not the players.
