[IP] EOF more on Tsunami Relief -- an alternative view
------ Forwarded Message
From: Norman MacLeod <gaelwolf@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2004 10:13:01 -0800
To: <dave@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: RE: [IP] more on Tsunami Relief -- an alternative view
Dave -
I'd like to point out something here that is being missed by much of the
punditry and UN bureaucracy.
Where the United States is concerned, the majority of aid is provided from
individuals and the private sector. When looked at in these terms, the
overall American contribution to the world's relief efforts overwhelms the
rest of the world combined. Many of us realize that more of our dollar will
get to the actual point of need if it is managed through experienced
charities than if we entrust our contributions to faceless international or
federal bureaucratic entity, where all too often the portion of the dollar
reaching the point of need is a mere shadow of its former self.
As of last night, the U.S. Government contribution in plain dollars was $35
million. That does not include the amount of money used in converting
military operations of one carrier group, one expeditionary force and a host
of Air Force resources to the tsunami relief effort. Those converted
military operations consume millions of dollars a day that will be accounted
from the Pentagon's budget, and likely never published in the media. In the
same period, American corporations have added another $80 million to the
mix. Individual donors have poured many millions more into the charitable
organizations doing the work on the ground.
Although my most recent peek was day before yesterday, I noted that in
comparison to this, France had allocated a whopping $160,000 to the tsunami
relief effort. Remind me again of just how morally just and important the
French government is on the world stage?
The individual American citizen, on average, donates 7-8 times as much money
to charitable works as does the average individual French or German citizen,
where people rely on their governments to handle to national contribution to
disaster relief and foreign aid. Our nation chooses not to tax people to
provide funding for foreign aid and relief efforts to the extent several
other developed nations do. Experience indicates that we don't have to,
because most of us are brought up to feel and generously act upon a
responsibility to help those in need. Until such time as the American
citizen no longer performs that duty in times of need, we are not going to
have to raise the funding for these purposes through taxation. If the rest
of the world fails to understand this, perhaps it's they who should be
learning from us...not the other way around.
Norman
=====================================================
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:owner-ip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of
David Farber
Sent: Friday, December 31, 2004 9:17 AM
To: Ip
Subject: [IP] more on Tsunami Relief -- an alternative view
Dear Dave,
i agree that the first responsibility of the US governement is to US
citizens.
however, i would like to point out the following:
1. since the US needs other countries for economic and political reasons, it
is necessary for the US to maintain a friendly relationship with other
countries. such friendly relations can be improved by helping the affected
countries during disasters.
2. US is not the only country donating relief funds. see the list published
by BBC:
World Bank: $250m
UK: $96m
Sweden: $75m
Spain: $68m
China: $60m
France: $56m
EU $44m
Netherlands: $36m
US: $35m
Canada: $33m
Japan: $30m
Australia: $27m
Switzerland: $23m
Norway: $16.6m
Denmark: $15.6m
Saudi Arabia: $10m
Taiwan: $5.1m
Finland: $3.4m
Kuwait: $2.1m
UAE: $2m
Source: Reuters, United Nations
3. the amount offered by US is not big enough to affect the country's
economy in any way. in fact, this is just the 18-month salary of Alex
Rodrigues.
best,
deva seetharam
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