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Are We Stingy? Yes
NYT ^ | 30 December 2004 | Who Really Cares?

Posted on 12/30/2004 5:07:39 AM PST by .cnI redruM

President Bush finally roused himself yesterday from his vacation in Crawford, Tex., to telephone his sympathy to the leaders of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia, and to speak publicly about the devastation of Sunday's tsunamis in Asia. He also hurried to put as much distance as possible between himself and America's initial measly aid offer of $15 million, and he took issue with an earlier statement by the United Nations' emergency relief coordinator, Jan Egeland, who had called the overall aid efforts by rich Western nations "stingy." "The person who made that statement was very misguided and ill informed," the president said.

We beg to differ. Mr. Egeland was right on target. We hope Secretary of State Colin Powell was privately embarrassed when, two days into a catastrophic disaster that hit 12 of the world's poorer countries and will cost billions of dollars to meliorate, he held a press conference to say that America, the world's richest nation, would contribute $15 million. That's less than half of what Republicans plan to spend on the Bush inaugural festivities.

The American aid figure for the current disaster is now $35 million, and we applaud Mr. Bush's turnaround. But $35 million remains a miserly drop in the bucket, and is in keeping with the pitiful amount of the United States budget that we allocate for nonmilitary foreign aid. According to a poll, most Americans believe the United States spends 24 percent of its budget on aid to poor countries; it actually spends well under a quarter of 1 percent.

______________________Snip______________________________

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: blameamericafirst; humanitarianrelief; janegeland; leftistnimrods; stingy; sumatraquake; un; whous
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To: Congressman Billybob

WHERE'S the HOLLYWOOD CROWD?

Does the fact that they're "out of power" exempt
them from contributing to disaster relief?

If the 'Toon were still in office, we'd be seeing
endless press conferences about all the fundraisers
being held by the glitterati...with the 'Toon as
keynote speaker, of course.


61 posted on 12/30/2004 5:54:39 AM PST by Timeout
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To: .cnI redruM
Quote:
the Times's new publisher, Arthur "Pinch" Sulzberger Jr ... was a sixties anti-war activist who famously declared that in a confrontation between an American and a North Vietnamese soldier he'd want to see the American get shot."
Unquote.
Stanley Kurtz (NRO on line, June 5, 2001)

Never forget.

62 posted on 12/30/2004 5:55:32 AM PST by aculeus
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To: 69ConvertibleFirebird

Yes, a good liberal is always generous with the other guy's money!


63 posted on 12/30/2004 5:56:57 AM PST by .cnI redruM (This country's heart will be giving in any disaster regardless of the recipient's response.)
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To: aculeus

Noted....


64 posted on 12/30/2004 5:57:17 AM PST by .cnI redruM (This country's heart will be giving in any disaster regardless of the recipient's response.)
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To: weegie
Absolutely - human nature is giving. I certainly don't believe that other countries' aren't giving. I just take umbrage with the attacks on this country period. We spend more in aid than almost all countries combined. I take umbrage with the UN, because we fund 40% of their lunacy.
65 posted on 12/30/2004 5:57:53 AM PST by commonguymd (the commonguy's corner bar blogspot - http://commonguyva.blogspot.com)
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To: .cnI redruM

The Democrats created a welfare state in America and now they want to create one with the rest of the world. What has the New York Times ever contributed other than blarney and to the Democrat Party?


66 posted on 12/30/2004 5:59:37 AM PST by gunnedah
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To: Lazamataz
India handles it's own business, the average liberal cannot. That could be why the economy and population of India are both growing as opposed to the EU and The state of Massachusetts.
67 posted on 12/30/2004 6:00:48 AM PST by .cnI redruM (This country's heart will be giving in any disaster regardless of the recipient's response.)
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To: gunnedah
This incessant need for globalism and internationalism is one thing I don't quite understand the under-workings of.
68 posted on 12/30/2004 6:01:17 AM PST by commonguymd (the commonguy's corner bar blogspot - http://commonguyva.blogspot.com)
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To: .cnI redruM
Don't you just love "President Bush finally roused himself...." Only in the NYT! The beef here is that we didn't send the $$$$$ through the UN channels so they could get their cut of the relief funds! Using the inaugural festivities as measuring stick, is so irrelevant even for the elitist NYT...what an arrogant rag!
69 posted on 12/30/2004 6:02:05 AM PST by yoe
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To: .cnI redruM

40% of all donations in 2004 were from the USA!

As usual, the UN takes time out of it's busy schedule to disrespect the USA. They are more than irrelevant!

70 posted on 12/30/2004 6:02:12 AM PST by airborne (Dear Lord, please be with my family in Iraq. Keep them close and safe.)
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To: mewzilla

Well, few watch CNN anymore. I watch to see what the enemy is doing.

Everytime Egeland opens his stupid mouth, he makes a bigger fool of himself.

So, life is good. Be happy. Don't drink the leftist Koolade. LOL


71 posted on 12/30/2004 6:04:41 AM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: yoe

There was a democratic talking point that went out on just this subject. In the face of tragedy, how best to hit Bush.

I believe the inaugural will cost 2 million less than Clinton's second term inaugural which cost 31 million. Taxpayers fund 12 million of this current inaugural.

The NYT always goes out of their way to get out the democratic talking points.


72 posted on 12/30/2004 6:05:49 AM PST by commonguymd (the commonguy's corner bar blogspot - http://commonguyva.blogspot.com)
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To: commonguymd

Who is loonie? The one who does lunacy or the one who funds it?


73 posted on 12/30/2004 6:06:34 AM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: yoe

I was trying really hard not to notice that first sentence. The boss prefers us not to urinate on the computer monitors.


74 posted on 12/30/2004 6:06:52 AM PST by .cnI redruM (This country's heart will be giving in any disaster regardless of the recipient's response.)
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To: GraniteStateConservative

If we were stupid enough to give cash directly to muslim countries, it would be translated into the deaths of our soldiers and our loved ones here in America.


75 posted on 12/30/2004 6:07:39 AM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: weegie
The most generous country is Japan.Overseas aid from the richest countries as follows:

Japan 7bn
US 6.9bn
UK 5.6bn
France 5.4bn
Germany 4.5bn

Source: CIA worldfactbook

Only until the low dollar rises again, the US will again take the top spot. :)

Just like when California and France always flip flop GDP positions because of fluctuating foreign exchange rates.

76 posted on 12/30/2004 6:07:47 AM PST by demlosers
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To: .cnI redruM

This is a disgraceful article.


77 posted on 12/30/2004 6:08:12 AM PST by freeperfromnj
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To: .cnI redruM
They are full of crap. It says:

30 December 2004
President Bush finally roused himself yesterday from his vacation in Crawford, Tex., to telephone his sympathy...

They are saying that he made his calls on the 29th, "finally." We were traveling home from Texas on the 27th, listening to the news. Fox news reported then that he had already called 7 nations.

78 posted on 12/30/2004 6:08:41 AM PST by FrogMom
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To: weegie

That doesn't count private donations, which we give at probably triple what our government gives. Other nations have little organized private giving.


79 posted on 12/30/2004 6:10:07 AM PST by shubi (Peace through superior firepower.)
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To: .cnI redruM
I was trying really hard not to notice that first sentence. The boss prefers us not to urinate on the computer monitors.

You just gave me an idea. ;0)

80 posted on 12/30/2004 6:11:21 AM PST by demlosers
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