The really scary stuff
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Bill Clinton is there helping manage things.
Can't stand the guy (any more), but I think it's great for the victims to have a leader leading. He's pitching for money. He can redeem himself a little more. Life is good. Maybe he'll be asking hard questions.Tsunami - US Private Donations 200 million: 230,000 deaths
9/11 - US Private Donations 1.88 billion: 2752 deaths Katrina - US Private Donations 3.27 Billion: 1815 deaths / 702 missing[quote=Spaceman Spiff][quote=Milyunair]WSJ home page says Americans, through the federal government, will be providing $100 million of (borrowed) money to help. Maybe they should put more money on their credit cards.
We should at least pray (seriously) for the dead and suffering, and for the efficient administration of 100m. As in, "please minimize corruption associated with aid". If you want to moralize or rail against others for not taking human misery seriously, don't stop at the border of your own mind. [/quote] Focus your prayers on the living. Let the dead take care of themselves. [/quote] We also pray for the souls of the newly departed. 40 days. The Protestants rejected this practice. Doesn't make it a fact. Kind of gives new (old) meaning to life - and death. Jesus isn't rolling in his grave, though. I wonder is the New York Times will do a series on Voodoo, and Shamanism, and if there will be a resurgence on interest in these topics. Ironically, the earthquake could help revitalize tourism in New Orleans. Kind of like - blogging on RR is more fun than doing (spiritual) work. Guilty. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_for_the_deadI don’t want to get into a philosophical debate with you, so if you want to pray for those newly departed souls for the next 40 days, more power to you.
How about this - the Catholics, Orthodoxes (what's the pluran of orthodox?), and the Jewish folks can pray for the dead. The Protestants can pray for the living. That way there's enough praying going on to make everyone happy. Moraen - Rotary Foundation has established a Haiti Earthquake fund. Thought you might like to know.I think we should pray for all the young Hatian girls who are being made to give blowies to Slick Willie!
[quote=Spaceman Spiff]I don’t want to get into a philosophical debate with you, so if you want to pray for those newly departed souls for the next 40 days, more power to you.
How about this - the Catholics, Orthodoxes (what's the pluran of orthodox?), and the Jewish folks can pray for the dead. The Protestants can pray for the living. That way there's enough praying going on to make everyone happy. Moraen - Rotary Foundation has established a Haiti Earthquake fund. Thought you might like to know. [/quote] I used to be Protestant, I married into the Orthodox and converted. When overwhelmed, or underwhelmed, by the long liturgies and incense and eating and drinking afterward, I fall back on my Protesant root, which I profess to be golf during liturgy. I think it's funny that people who believe in nothing believe in attacking the outrageous beliefs of people who believe in something. Even insurance polices call earthquakes, "Acts of God". How quickly some forget.That is a sick thought. What is Slick Willie has preferences that run like the one fellow in Sopranos who kept his head down. We would probably eventually hear about it.I think we should pray for all the young Hatian girls who are being made to give blowies to Slick Willie!
[quote=Ron 14]Tsunami - US Private Donations 200 million: 230,000 deaths
9/11 - US Private Donations 1.88 billion: 2752 deaths Katrina - US Private Donations 3.27 Billion: 1815 deaths / 702 missing [/quote]Yes, the Tsunami donations were kind of small.
As for Katrina - it's even worse than that when you count all of the money that was flushed to DHS, but never spent, because the losers in NO didn't want to work to help rebuild their own city.
To be perfectly honest, I never give proportionally either. It's a flat rate.
The $3.27B given to Katrina was not an accumulation of 3,270,000,000 $10 donations. There were several gigantic donations given by people who had much to gain politically. Giving huge sums to the tsunami is not going to get people political gain, but giving huge sums to the right people in the wake of 9/11 or Katrina will get someone HUGE political gain. Same goes with Haiti. There won't be much to gain there. I'm sure the $5 and $10 donations from the Bill Niceguy's of the world will be similar, but the $10,000,000 donations and the $5,000,000 won't be as prevalent. Its a reality of the world. Suck it up, thats the way our nation works. I've got no problems.
On a related note, here's a $3,000,000 donation by Tiger Woods. You think his sorry ass is giving this money because he feels for the desolate grade school teacher who just lost everything, or because he's trying to weasel his way back into America's good conscience? http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail?blogid=95&entry_id=55338[quote=3rdyrp2]
The $3.27B given to Katrina was not an accumulation of 3,270,000,000 $10 donations. There were several gigantic donations given by people who had much to gain politically. Giving huge sums to the tsunami is not going to get people political gain, but giving huge sums to the right people in the wake of 9/11 or Katrina will get someone HUGE political gain. Same goes with Haiti. There won’t be much to gain there. I’m sure the $5 and $10 donations from the Bill Niceguy’s of the world will be similar, but the $10,000,000 donations and the $5,000,000 won’t be as prevalent. Its a reality of the world. Suck it up, thats the way our nation works. I’ve got no problems.
On a related note, here's a $3,000,000 donation by Tiger Woods. You think his sorry ass is giving this money because he feels for the desolate grade school teacher who just lost everything, or because he's trying to weasel his way back into America's good conscience? http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail?blogid=95&entry_id=55338[/quote]Or because he's trying to get someone there to voodoo his wife back home and voodoo his sponsors who dropped him.
[quote=3rdyrp2]
The $3.27B given to Katrina was not an accumulation of 3,270,000,000 $10 donations. There were several gigantic donations given by people who had much to gain politically. Giving huge sums to the tsunami is not going to get people political gain, but giving huge sums to the right people in the wake of 9/11 or Katrina will get someone HUGE political gain. Same goes with Haiti. There won't be much to gain there. I'm sure the $5 and $10 donations from the Bill Niceguy's of the world will be similar, but the $10,000,000 donations and the $5,000,000 won't be as prevalent. Its a reality of the world. Suck it up, thats the way our nation works. I've got no problems.
On a related note, here's a $3,000,000 donation by Tiger Woods. You think his sorry ass is giving this money because he feels for the desolate grade school teacher who just lost everything, or because he's trying to weasel his way back into America's good conscience? http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail?blogid=95&entry_id=55338[/quote] Really ? So when you see something that you believe to be wrong or unfair you just keep your mouth shut and suck it up because that is how our nation works ? No thanks. You have no problems with people who make charitable donations to erase previous wrongs or to gain politically ? That is pitiful. I can't believe that I am the only one who sees the inequity in the donations related to each event.[quote=Ron 14][quote=3rdyrp2]
The $3.27B given to Katrina was not an accumulation of 3,270,000,000 $10 donations. There were several gigantic donations given by people who had much to gain politically. Giving huge sums to the tsunami is not going to get people political gain, but giving huge sums to the right people in the wake of 9/11 or Katrina will get someone HUGE political gain. Same goes with Haiti. There won't be much to gain there. I'm sure the $5 and $10 donations from the Bill Niceguy's of the world will be similar, but the $10,000,000 donations and the $5,000,000 won't be as prevalent. Its a reality of the world. Suck it up, thats the way our nation works. I've got no problems.
On a related note, here's a $3,000,000 donation by Tiger Woods. You think his sorry ass is giving this money because he feels for the desolate grade school teacher who just lost everything, or because he's trying to weasel his way back into America's good conscience? http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail?blogid=95&entry_id=55338[/quote] Really ? So when you see something that you believe to be wrong or unfair you just keep your mouth shut and suck it up because that is how our nation works ? No thanks. You have no problems with people who make charitable donations to erase previous wrongs or to gain politically ? That is pitiful. I can't believe that I am the only one who sees the inequity in the donations related to each event. [/quote]I see it Ron. But what will you do? We give aid to Haiti every year. Not just in times of crisis. What have they done with it. 50% unemployment?
My issue is this. I am tired of the world talking about our country as if we are the worst thing in the world. We are evil, we are what's wrong with the world. But then beg for our help when they can't take care of themselves.
It is like a kid who tells his parents that they are stupid, and that he is all grown up and their ways are backward and they need to change, but when that kid can't afford to live in his house and loses his granola-chewing job, he goes and lives with his parents at 40 and doesn't want to help around the house.
I'm sick of it. I will give my money to this cause. But I feel as though I'm throwing money down a hole. So why do I give? Because it's right to try and help people.
It's an institutional problem and there's nothing you or me can do about it. You can call the moral police and scold the billionaires if you'd like but the odds that they give a damn is very small. The general public can do our part all we want and we are, but anything we decide to give will pale in comparison to what the Buffett's of the world can do, and they aren't going to change. If they can give to one cause and gain nothing, or give to another cause and gain a lot personally, they will ALWAYS choose the one where they gain as well. Whether its wrong or not, there's no use in me losing sleep over it because its never going to change. If you just signed on a client that can roll over $500,000 to you, and you have a friend over at Wachovia who just signed on a $500,000 and asks for your help on how to sell the client on rolling the money over, which one would you spend more time on? Making sure your client rolls over their money, or making sure your friend succeeds in getting their rollover? Each client deserves quality service and the best investments, so really you should be giving it equal weight. But you have a job to do and you want to keep your job so you will spend more time on your own client. I doubt that philosophy would ever change.
The rollover analogy is a bit of a stretch, but I see what you guys are saying. I am also tired of how the rest of the world views us as evil. I am also tired of the fact that people who receive help usually f*ck it up anyway. I also see that there is not a damn thing I can do about it. The thing I am most tired of is the meatheads of society who if you pulled them to the side and asked them a simple question like, “Which tragedy killed more people Hurricane Katrina or the Tsunami ?” You would find a LARGE number who would say Katrina. People are idiots and whatever is talked more about in the media they will flock to. That is why we have President Barry, but that is an entirely different story. The meatheads won’t donate because in a few weeks Haiti will be forgotten and if the media isn’t talking about it the meatheads don’t see the relevance. This creates the inequity, MEATHEADS.
[quote=Moraen]
[quote=Ron 14][quote=3rdyrp2]
The $3.27B given to Katrina was not an accumulation of 3,270,000,000 $10 donations. There were several gigantic donations given by people who had much to gain politically. Giving huge sums to the tsunami is not going to get people political gain, but giving huge sums to the right people in the wake of 9/11 or Katrina will get someone HUGE political gain. Same goes with Haiti. There won't be much to gain there. I'm sure the $5 and $10 donations from the Bill Niceguy's of the world will be similar, but the $10,000,000 donations and the $5,000,000 won't be as prevalent. Its a reality of the world. Suck it up, thats the way our nation works. I've got no problems.
On a related note, here's a $3,000,000 donation by Tiger Woods. You think his sorry ass is giving this money because he feels for the desolate grade school teacher who just lost everything, or because he's trying to weasel his way back into America's good conscience? http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/abraham/detail?blogid=95&entry_id=55338[/quote] Really ? So when you see something that you believe to be wrong or unfair you just keep your mouth shut and suck it up because that is how our nation works ? No thanks. You have no problems with people who make charitable donations to erase previous wrongs or to gain politically ? That is pitiful. I can't believe that I am the only one who sees the inequity in the donations related to each event. [/quote]I see it Ron. But what will you do? We give aid to Haiti every year. Not just in times of crisis. What have they done with it. 50% unemployment?
My issue is this. I am tired of the world talking about our country as if we are the worst thing in the world. We are evil, we are what's wrong with the world. But then beg for our help when they can't take care of themselves.
It is like a kid who tells his parents that they are stupid, and that he is all grown up and their ways are backward and they need to change, but when that kid can't afford to live in his house and loses his granola-chewing job, he goes and lives with his parents at 40 and doesn't want to help around the house.
I'm sick of it. I will give my money to this cause. But I feel as though I'm throwing money down a hole. So why do I give? Because it's right to try and help people.
[/quote]
Along this train of thought, I guess the looting has begun. Personally I thought it would have at least taken a few more days, but I guess not.
That stuff was happening the first day. People were running through parks where people were sleeping yelling "flood." Everyone would jump up and start running, leaving items behind and the thieves would come and scoop things up.
If your wife or son or daughter had a broken leg and/or your family didn't have food you guys would be doing whatever it took to help them. I know I would.[quote=Ron 14]
That stuff was happening the first day. People were running through parks where people were sleeping yelling “flood.” Everyone would jump up and start running, leaving items behind and the thieves would come and scoop things up.
If your wife or son or daughter had a broken leg and/or your family didn't have food you guys would be doing whatever it took to help them. I know I would. [/quote]I could be wrong, but I don't think all the looting was for food/etc. Even if it was, stealing food/aid from someone else doesn't make you noble, it makes you an animal.
No, those were two separate comments. The looting early on was just flat out stealing, but I am sure both are happening now. You can call it being an animal or whatever, but if stores are collapsed, I can't get into my own home, I can't get help in anyway I am not going to stand by and watch my family in pain. If a store has collapsed and things are laying there with no ability to purchase them and your family is in need I don't think theft would describe that action.
My two cents:
I will always give priority to disasters on US soil over any other countries. So, 9/11, Katrina have hit me harder than Haiti. However, given that there are many americans dead or missing in this recent disaster, I do want to help them (the americans) as well. Now, this doesn't mean I don't care about others, but I will always put my fellow americans first! Any yes, I have traveled to many countries and I have donated to Haiti and the Tsunami (when that happened).