Unsurprisingly, Rush Is Right.

NRO ^ | January 14, 2010 | Jim Geraghty

[nuconvert]

You knew it was just a matter of time before partisan angles emerged about the disaster in Haiti. The Huffington Post takes umbrage at Rush Limbaugh: "Limbaugh also seems to feel we've done enough already for Haiti: 'We've already donated to Haiti. It's called the U.S. income tax.'"

Obviously, when people are struggling to crawl out from rubble and with meager medical systems stretched to the breaking point, you've got to mobilize. But on the facts, Rush is right.

The tale of U.S. foreign aid to Haiti is maddening, as well-meaning Americans dump more and more money to alleviate suffering, only to see little or no actual improvement in the living conditions on the ground.

Since 1973, the United States has been the world’s largest foreign-aid donor to Haiti, which ranks among the world’s poorest countries.

From 1990 to 2005, the U.S. sent $1.46 billion to Haiti in aid from development assistance and children's health through the Economic Support Fund, the U.S. food program, the Peace Corps, and foreign military training (although that was only $4.6 million, with $3 million coming in 1995). More recently,

[Taxman]

Red Cross probably does good work, but only after large salaries and perks are paid for. Whatever is left gets out into the field.

I know that no one is getting rich at Salvation Army, and I know they are the true first responders.

[PeteB570]

Ever had to deal with large scale operations?

You said “If they’d dropped it in the 1st 24 hrs, they wouldn’t be starving & thirty.......”

Does your plan use Fixed wing or rotor wing Aircraft? Fixed wing is faster so you'd need to round up enough parachutes to cover all the drops. How many towns, big cities, villages hamlets and isolated homes will need supplies. Do they all need supplies? Only some? Which ones. Riggers to pack and rig the bundles, parachutes, pallets, containers, etc, etc, etc.

Aircraft flight times, where are they, how long to get them to the staging area? Crew rest? Round trip flight time? Crew rest - again? Will that strip operations in the middle east and other parts of the world?

Where are all the supplies? Will they have to be moved to the staging area where the bundles are being packed? How long will that take?

I could go on but I hope you get my point.

Large Scale Military operations do not happen with a snap of the fingers. 24 hours to blanket a country with food, water, medicine and supplies for millions of people? Ain't going to happen.