Altruism... by whose definition?

Disclaimer:  You do not want to read this post if you do not like opinions, sensitive subjects, mild foul language, or the thought that I'm not always nice.

If you have not done so already, please read the Introduction: My Outlook.

We have to read the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Progress Report 2013 for the Theory and Practice class.  The MDGs are 8 goals that were created in 2000 by the UN under Ban Ki-Moon.  They're target completion date is 2015, some have been met but others need more conscious efforts.  The goals pretty much centre around decreasing inequalities in the world: health, education, poverty.

As I'm reading this I came across one excerpt that really irked me, "There is less aid money overall, with the poorest countries most adversely affected... In 2012, bilateral official development assistance to these countries fell by 13%, to about $26 billion."

Ok... HOLD THE PHONE.  SHUT THE FRONT DOOR.  Every emphatic phrase you can think to PAUSE.

Decreased to TWENTY-SIX BILLION US DOLLARS.  We are arguably still in a global recession, and the UN is complaining about $26 billion dollars - and that is just for bilateral development assistance.  I can't even fathom how much money that is actually.  And goals are obviously created with the intention of meeting them, so giving up would be failure, but in 2000 there was no expectation of a recession half way through the process. Now, recall my second life principle about altruism; I feed the homeless, I donate to charities.  I'm not sure at what point I sound like a total asshole, but is there not a point where I get to keep what I earn and not feel guilty about it?

This is what I've been talking about that some of the topics in my classes are incredibly hard for me.  There are many advantages to global development: longer lives, more productive societies, political stability, etcetera.  And I've always thought of myself as being considerate of others and conscious of needs, but then I'm faced with topics like this and it really makes me question my sense of self.  I haven't yet determined a good balance.