Hate to be a voice of negativity BUT.....

[Locut0s]

I can't help but feel that Haiti is just yet another example of temporary global charity. I'm not arguing that the charity that's being given and that will be given won't be heart felt. I'm not saying that it shouldn't be given, quite the opposite. I'm saying that it's a tragic commentary on humanity that it takes tragedy on a scale like this for people to wake up and give. All the while Haiti has been one of the poorest most crime ridden nations on earth for decades right at our door step. Sure Haiti will be on CNN for some weeks to come and billions of dollars in aid will be pledged by countries around the world, the US will lead the pack. But in 6 months this will be all but completely forgotten and Haiti will be worse off than before. It's going to take billions of dollars just for the humanitarian effort to say nothing of rebuilding the city which I have a very dim prospect will ever really happen. Remember the boxing day Tsunami several years back that killed almost 300,000 people? Same story there. There was an immense outpouring of much needed support temporarily then when the story left the front pages the funds just dried up. Much of the worst affected areas in Indonesia are still make shift shanty towns to this day.

The amount of suffering that goes on in the world DAILY in Africa, South East Asia, South America, and elsewhere make disasters like this seem small. I'm not trying to play down the horrors that are going on in Haiti here. 25,000 people die on average every day world wide due to hunger and many more due to other disease and neglect. If Haiti's death toll reaches 100,000 that's equal to only 5 DAYS of average deaths due to hunger.

The global need is so staggering but the solutions are so cheap and affective on a per capita basis that it's mind numbing that people (especially the rich) aren't willing to do more on a consistent basis. We are talking about dollars and pennis a day to save peoples lives. I'm also not arguing that everyone should adopt a child or something (though that would be great). I'm arguing for countries around the world to be more compassionate on a political level. How many B2 bombers to we REALLY need? The US spends more money on it's military than the rest of the world COMBINED! For ONCE IN A BLOODY LIFETIME IT WOULD BE NICE TO SEE THOSE FIGURES GO DOWN AND THE MONEY DIVERTED TO GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN CAUSES. Just do it for ONE FUCKING year and see if world war III breaks out. Trust me it won't. Quite the opposite will happen, you will need to spend LESS money on the military the next year! And I'm not arguing that the US should shoulder the burden along, every country should. The US already does give more charity than any country this I do know.

I'm not arguing for let's all hold hands around the world or some hippy dippy notion of world piece here (I am hippyish myself though). I realize the solutions are FAR FAR FAR more complex than that. I'm saying that the amount of money needed to drastically cut world poverty and the amount wasted by governments around the world on things like military and wall street spending are much closer than you might think. And it's a tragedy that more is not done.

[malaise]

1. They could start by spending some of that military money on

the poor in America.

[Locut0s]

3. That would be a good start yes....

If every country diverted money from their military to help their own poor the global problem would be much less. In places like Africa though where corruption is rife and more often than not it's the government who is killing their own people it will take a larger global effort.

[cali]

2. you're absolutely right.

except- just about nothing could make this natural disaster seem small, and no, solutions aren't easy. Aid is too often undeliverable due to corruption and lack of aid delivery systems,

[Union Yes]

4. Many/most areas in greatest need of aid have no roads leading to them..

or if there is a road it's likely been damaged. Much of the aid will have to be airlifted in.

This is an epic disaster and tragedy. At least the world is slowly starting to respond but my god what nightmare for the people of Haiti.

I got sick watching the news coverage.

[Locut0s]

5. Yes this was the same in Indonesia and Iran and...

countless other natural disasters of this type.

[stray cat]

6. We could redistribute the wealth in the US to Haiti and equalize income and opportunities??

although wealth redistribution is not generally as attractive if its means you or I lose money and decrease our own standard of living

[HillbillyBob]

8. Who we mean generally are the greedy billionaires who

could afford a few million to help others..
Hell i doubt anyone here has more than just enough to keep the lights on.
truth to tell we are struggling to do just that, keep the lights on and keep the house payments current and our house payments are less than some millionaires and billionaire food or liquor bill.

[HillbillyBob]

7. I have been thinking along this line for a long time.

Help today..invasion next week.
The US backed the Duvaliers (PoppaDoc and BabyDoc) and led a coup on Aristide a democratically elected president, not that I know much about Aristede that is not propaganda.

If we were truly Christian and spend our money and political good will in helping the world cope we would be beloved not feared and hated.

I don't know who is unreccing, it's likely its the same sick F...s that hate anything unselfish that are doing it. Coward.
Hey you Sicko why dont you get a hobby?
Oh thats right, unrecs and dissension is your hobby, good will is anathema to you I suppose.

I bet you think you are Christian too.
I have needed a hand up so many times and gotten a kick in the teeth instead.
Repigs wonder why they are hated and despised..sheesh