Utilitarianism??

Even among Unitarianist this is not any easy question.  The world is not a theoretical model, it is a real place.  True the citizens of the United States of America use a disproportional amount of the world's resources.  We have also failed to honor pollution reduction initiatives and agreements.

The immediate response should be We must do these things for the good of all mankind.  But there is also another view.  Not once but several times in the modern history, the United States used its resources to contain the military or economic actions of other countries.  This is true because as citizens of the world, we cared.  The world has forgotten this.  We have never been repaid.  In point of fact, we have been criticized.

If the moral worth of an action (by person or nation) is determined by its utility (maximized good), then one must consider both short term and long term results of that action.  Some honestly believe that the short term benefits are outweighed by the long term benefits (to all of humanity) of our actions.

What I deplore is the waste and the ability of some in power to bend this for their own personal gain.