mr. chairman , i yield myself such time as i may consume .  i would like to state improvement is our goal , too .  a healthy u.n. , rather than a vast , sprawling , bureaucratic cesspool which is where it is headed .  everyone agrees to that .  now this notion that we are obliged by the treaty to pay our dues and that it would be an international default if we did not , that was argued before back in the 1980s .  contributions to the u.n .  are made subject to authorization and appropriation of the u.s. congress .  we have a duty to the taxpayer first to ensure that there is good stewardship of their dollars .  we have to hold the u.n .  accountable .  all countries benefit from an efficient , transparent , and accountable u.n .  it is not only in our interest .  we have not signed away part of our sovereignty .  we are paying big dues : $ 442 million a year just on the dues part .  peacekeeping is another $ 1 billion .  to say we do not have an obligation to make the providers that we purchase with our dues perform honorably and efficiently does not make sense .  