Can someone tell me why the US guhvuhment had and is still having trouble helping the victims of Hurricane Katrina…
…but… (from Asianews.it and a whole bunch of other sites:)
Many people displaced by the conflict are also making their way back home. Khadijeh, a Shia woman, told AsiaNews that she had confidence in the Lebanese army but called on the government to hurry and bring aid. Hezbollah is already doing that on its own with families getting about US$ 12,000.
…a freaking non-state entity can get their shit together enough to hand out US$12,000 to families just DAYS after the bombings in Lebanon have stopped?
Help me understand.
Comments (8)
The same reason the(eir) guhvunment closes its eyes to doing everything to stop the spread of aids among my Sisters and Brothers, all the while using every “Kodak” moment it can gobble up to let the world know what it is doing for every other country’s needs.
There are a lot of Islamic charities giving money to Hezbollah. It’s not government money they are dispersing. Their people are taking care of each other.
My hallucination is, many American people think the government should be doing more, and at the same time, feel no personal responsibility to help.
Oprah, Brad Pitt, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and other celebrities are trying to get money into the gulf coast.
The Anthony Robbins Foundation has a matching funds deal with the US gov’t. For every $50,000.00 Anthony raises, he can build 3 houses. http://www.anthonyrobbinsfoundation.com earmark your donation to Katrina relief.
87 cents of every dollar goes directly to direct relief, with 13 cents on the infrastructure to disperse the aid. Not many charities, and damned few foundations have those kind of numbers.
I’ve donated 14 days of my time, a $9,000.00 motorhome (for which I’m still paying) directly to relief efforts and to house one family, and $5,110.83 in cash to the Anthony Robbins Foundation. Why? ‘Cause they are my people.
My wife set up a drive here in Canada for school supply donations and sent 3 UPS trucks full to Baton Rouge where a lot of the inner city kids have relocated. She’s never been to Louisiana or Mississippi, and isn’t even American.
Y’all?
Well, we’ve donated money, but the logistics of getting a motor home to NO would be daunting.:-) As for the Hizbollah’s money, I doubt if the majority of it is coming from orgs. The government of Iran is a major funder.
Hold up a second. I just thought about something. What exactly is wrong with expecting your government to help? Hell, that’s why we pay taxes and that’s why FEMA was established! The problems with the levee system were partially caused by the government’s lack of upkeep anyway.
If the welfare of our nation is left up to Hollywood stars and motivational speakers, then we’re in trouble.
The only reason you’re hearing about their involvement is because they are already famous. You’d have never heard of mine, or of a million other people like me, except for knowing me personally. Good on those celebrities for stepping up. Bad on any American who hasn’t contributed in some way.
BTW, Anthony Robbins is not a motivational speaker. He’s a guy that cares a lot and puts his energy and his money where it will do the most good for the most people. He’s made his money being a peak performance coach for 3 million people worldwide in live events, and another 130 million people through his audio products, in other words, he’s earned it by adding value to other humans.
It’s not positive thinking bullshit. He doesn’t give a damn what you think, or tell you what to believe. He only cares that you are introduced to the tools to find out for yourself: what is important to you, what you’ve chosen to use as excuses for not living up to your potential, and how to break through and go for the best that you are.
Money that was sent by the federal gov’t to Louisiana for the levees was diverted to other uses. FEMA money has gotten diverted for breast enhancements and stipper tabs. Huge contracts went to Haliburton, with no competitive bids, for road reconstruction, etc. People who lived in Houston tried to line up with Katrina people to scam the gov’t out of emergency relief cash.
When the gov’t is involved the waste factor is often larger than the help that finally gets to the people in need. I helped one family have a place to live. I worked 24/14 treating animals injured by the hurricanes. And then I made a small contribution to an organization that I knew would not divert the money away form those who need the help.
Thank you for contributing in any way that you have.
My opinion is that charity belongs in the realm of the church, and should not be a state sponsored affair. We should pay less taxes, and should tithe to charities that produce good results.
The government’s job is to provide infrastructure, not comfort the needy and provide for the poor. And especially not to siphon off resources meant for levees. They have done a piss poor job on infrastructure, and a piss poor job on disaster relief. Looking to them for solutions is a waste of time, let’s actually help people instead.
As Nagin has often said, I think the response would have been different had the hurricane happened in Orange County, CA.
January 2009 can’t come fast enough.
http://endofbush.xerratus.com/
P.S. Rashunda, I agree with you, the government should be helping the poor. Having a place to live and food to eat is hardly about “comfort.” It’s a basic human need. Everyone should at least have their basic needs to live met, and yes, that is why we pay taxes and all that stuff.
Angela - > Thanks.:-)
Kyla - > On the one hand, I do agree with you. Looking to the government for a solution is a waste of time. On the other hand I don’t think the government should be let off the hook because of its piss poor management style. That’s the problem, we don’t hold the government accountable.
Charity should not be placed solely on religious institutions. Look at it this way, if the government put the task of getting poor people off of their feet on the churches, it would be putting the future of its financial base in danger. An unemployed person getting three square meals from Calvary Episcopal’s kitchen probably won’t have the means to pay taxes. No taxes, no money for the government. “Charity” from Uncle Sam is not just a leg up, it’s an investment.
Religious institutions have enough trouble keeping the lights on (okay, not all…I’m sure you and I could tour Memphis and find a few churches who could fund a whole bunch of families). But, those types of mega churches are few and far between.
Yep, there was mismangement of the FEMA money…a SMALL portion of the FEMA money. But, that’s the stuff that makes headlines, just like the stars who contribute.