Tsunami! :: Dec 29, 2004
A few horribly cynical thoughts I've had about Sunday's massive tsunamis in the Indian Ocean...
Look for price increases at WalMart and your local Nike store, due to the sudden shortage of SE Asian sweatshop 'employees'.
I suspect the impending epidemic of emergency amputations in Sri Lanka won't make headlines... It's one of the most landmine infested countries on earth, and a lot of landmine markers were washed away.
Imagine the Bush administration jumping for joy, as they realize nobody will be paying attention to anything they do in Iraq for the next week or three.
...sigh.
On the other hand, look at the generosity this has caused.
Amazon.com collected $50,000 in 10 minutes for the relief effort, and $4.5 million on just 75,000 donations.
People are caring for people they don't even know. They see a little of themselves in the survivors of the disaster. Somehow, that makes me believe that maybe, people can be decent.
Posted by grnidone @ Dec 30, 04
True, true. Thanks for the silver lining there. :-)
It would seem the populace is more generous than our government.
Posted by mivox @ Dec 30, 04
US Aid for Tsunami victims $35 million
Bush Inaugural $45 million
Cost for one day of Iraq war $177 million
Posted by Jack Frost @ Dec 30, 04
...and what's a silver lining without a little rain? *snort*
So, we have firmly established that while the citizenry can experience feelings of compassion and generosity, the government is a bit lacking in the whole "humanity" department.
And let's not forget, the gov't started out only 'pledging' $15 million... until the general "you stingy bastards" uproar became great enough that they uppped their offer.
Posted by mivox @ Dec 30, 04
Looks like Bush upped the ante:
President Commits $350 Million for Tsunami Relief Efforts
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/tsunami/
Posted by grnidone @ Jan 04, 05
Yep... Whaddya know, the US gov't can bow to international pressure.
Then again, we already know Bush has no problem spending money. ;-)
Posted by mivox @ Jan 04, 05
Unfortunately, by the time the US government funds get to where they are going, they will only be a shadow of their former selves. Not to mention that I'm sure the UN will take their share and there will be corruption in the local governments.
Frankly, as a government, I think we should have pledged zero. Maybe some equipment and helicopters to do some of the heavy lifting, but certainly NO CASH. Am I a stingy bastard? No. Just intelligent enough to realize that the government is a lousy vehicle for a job like this. Try UMCOR, the Red Cross, and a thousand other charities whose giving efficiency is 95-100%. The US government is around 40% on a good day (that's just a guess, but give me data to prove me wrong). The American and international private citizens stepped up all by themselves and by the time it's all over, will dwarf any contribution made by the US government.
Quit looking to the government to solve your problems. No matter who is in charge, they are really bad at it. Their main job is to get the hell out of the way give people ownership of their own lives.
Posted by Beer Phantom @ Jan 21, 05
books gone wild
