Only America Does the Heavy Lifting

BrianWise.com (Mailing List) ^ | December 31, 2004 | Brian S. Wise

[TGOMedia]

At three-thirty Wednesday morning, the tsunami body count was 63,000; at three o’clock Wednesday afternoon it was 77,000; at eight o’clock Thursday night, 117,000 and threatening to increase a few times once hunger and disease take their appalling tolls. Perhaps paying close attention to the number of dead is too morose, even more so to recollect that, at its current rate of human devastation, the tsunami that ravaged Southern Asia stands as only the 38th worst natural disaster since 1900, according to the Disaster Center. (The DC provides a chart, which I pause to mention only because it lists the Soviet famine of 1932 as the second worst, at 5,000,000 dead, without mentioning it was a forced famine, not natural.)

What we need in times like these is some good old fashioned America bashing: The United States just isn’t giving enough. You’ve heard Jan Egeland’s dopey comment (about stinginess) and days worth of backtracking denials that Egeland said what he said, despite widely circulated transcripts of the news conference in question. You’ve heard that the United States only gives 0.14 percent of its GDP to international aid while Norway (Egeland is from there) gives 0.9 percent of its GDP. You’ve heard criticism that President Bush waited much too long before making some sort of substantive public comment about the disaster. And so forth.

A few points. It would be foolish to expect the United States to blindly dedicate hundreds of millions of dollars to any good cause without first determining where and how that money will have the greatest positive impact. Like everything else attached to American government, humanitarian aid comes with a procedure, and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Andrew Natsios appeared on Special Report Wednesday to explain that process.

USAID response teams are dispatched to disaster sites (such as those in Southern Asia) and within a certain number of days report back to USAID what is needed most, and where. (This is supported by a report from the Washington Post: “The Bush administration sent a team of 21 emergency relief experts to the region to help coordinate efforts to distribute aid and to repair sanitation and health systems, said Ed Fox, assistant administrator at the U.S. Agency for International Development.”) Though no one can guess how much money USAID will request, Natsios made it clear that he has never approached President Bush, requested X number of dollars for humanitarian aid anywhere in the world and been refused. (Which sounds about right; it’s unlikely the man who has never vetoed a spending bill will thumb his nose at USAID.) If $35 million sounds like chump change in the short term, just wait.

More, Egeland’s point about percentage of GDP donated to international aid is specious. If the argument is that a nation giving 0.9 percent is in some way morally superior to a nation giving 0.14 percent, then I suppose that is a pill America must swallow. But a nice counterargument is that the nation giving 0.9 percent of a $164 billion GDP isn’t morally superior to the nation giving 0.14 of a nearly $11 trillion GDP (those are 2003 numbers). Egeland is missing the point: In percentages, we micromanage; in dollars, we improve and save lives.

Needless to say (or perhaps not), the United States leads the world in federal charitable donations. Note Jim Geraghty’s blog for National Review Online, the Kerry Spot: “In 2003, the U.S. contributed 57 percent to the budget of the World Food Program to help feed 104 million people in 81 countries …. In 2001, President George W. Bush … declared U.S. support for a global fund to fight the AIDS pandemic. At that time, President Bush made the first contribution towards the Fund, of $200 million. The United States remains the largest contributor to the Fund …. The United States remained the International Committee of the Red Cross’s largest donor [accounting] for 25.84% … of all contributions received and 28% … of the contributions received for field operations.” (Not forgetting individual donations, about which not enough has been said, but in which we continue to lead the world.)

No one will call us Empire for doing the heavy lifting necessary to save and rebuild Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand (et al.), which we will do with a pride and determination that is uniquely ours, without even the slightest hesitation. Not because we must but because we want to, and that is what separates us from … well … Jan Egeland.

[bronxboy]

I agree, while the world whines and complains, the US does the work. This is just like at church, 20% of the people do 80% of the work. well because of the magnitude of the disaster, the US will help, but after this I say UP YOURS. Go to the EU for your help.

[OldFriend]

SOME in America do the heavy lifting. The left does what it does best. Bash American, bash the president, whine and carp......all the while doing nothing more for those in need.

[sgtbono2002]

The UN representative called the USA stingy in their response to the Tsunami which has killed maybe 200,000 people . Yet they stood by with their thumbs up their butts while 800,000 or more are murdered in genocide attacks in Africa. The recent disaster is horrible but there was nothing anyone could do to stop it, The murders in Africa can be stopped, but the UN hasnt the intestinal fortitude or the leadership to do it.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

"The murders in Africa can be stopped, but the UN hasn't the intestinal fortitude or the leadership to do it."

If the un could figure out a way to put money in their own pockets, they would do a little more.

[lawdude]

Did I not read somewhere that the vast majority of philanthropic giving from people from this country comes from right of center citizens?

[CyberAnt]

Plus .. while the Bush-bashers were having their field day saying Bush was too busy "on vacation" to bother .. they never checked to see what the President WAS doing.

Then .. we find out that Kofi was "on a ski vacation" for FOUR DAYS and DID NOTHING - while his minions were whining about the percentage of money given by the USA.

Then .. we find out that a recent Gallup poll named President Bush as: "THE MOST ADMIRED MAN IN AMERICA".

No wonder the dems were whining.

[VOA]

Only America Does the Heavy Lifting

Along with help from our friends...

[TGOMedia]

Let's continue on with the metaphor. If by "help from our friends" you're talking about a spotter - i.e., someone who makes sure we get the bar fully off our chest - then yes, we do have help from our friends. But we still hold the world benchpress record all by our lonesome ...