Tsunami Relief

[szamot]

I don’t know how many of you have stopped for a moment and thought about the current human catastrophe unfolding in Asia right now but, considering that substantial amount of our “TOYS” are produced in that region perhaps it is our turn to give something back.
If you need a reason – try compassion, relief and brotherly love for starters – I think we have an obligation to do something as a community. We, as a family, have donated to the Red Cross, how about you guys, anyone, anyone, anyone? Every bit counts.

[PDANEWBIE]

Sorry but I am from down here in Florida where I didn't even get disaster relief from my own neighbors much less FEMA due to the hurricanes. I am just glad I have family out of state who is well off enough to help me out. So I had to vote for sitting back and drinking my latte just because you didn't offer an "I'm too broke because my own disasters to help others" option. Call it selfish or call it jadded take your pick but I can't justify sending out money to others when I had to shell out hundreds of dollars worth of equipment and tens to hundreds of hours worth of blood sweat and trouble just to keep myself afloat. :boohoo:

Am I sorry so many people lost their lives? Yes. Am I sorry more will lose their lives due to the remenants of this tsunami? Yes. Am I going to futher place a hardship upon my family to help out others when the only people I was able to lean on just a few precious months ago was my own family? No.

BTW The area I live in was actually hit by 3 of the 4 major hurricanes to hit the USA this year.

Aren't natural disasters a bitch? I am just glad one of the things I packed up were my PC's and my PDA. (Glad we have hurricane warnings).

Just remember those of you who are in the US there are people here in our own country who are very bad off who may not be front page news but in as much need as the next person for even the bare essentials.

[emuelle1]

I heard on the news last night that they're already accusing the US of not doing enough.

[Jason Dunn]

There's a front page post going up about this in a few minutes, and please, have the respect for those who lost their lives to not turn it into a political issue.

[daS]

There is a relief organization in California that focuses on medical aid - both the needs immediately after such a tragic event and the longer-term medical issues after the headlines turn their focus on other issues.

I selected them to make my donation based on their very low overhead rate (total admin costs including salaries of less than 500K - which I think is about the salary of 4 local Red Cross execs. :roll: )

Also, they make it easy for you to send in a donation via their web site (https://www.directrelief.org/sections/support_us/d_donate_now.html).

[mboliver]

I also watched the news and heard where other countries are blaming the US for not "pitching in" enough money.

OK, well I only data on 3 countries that made donations. If you have more, post them and I'll calculate. *sidenote* This really shouldn't be a tinkling (afraid to offend) contest, and my comments aren't to point out inadequacies of governments.

OK-first is Australia. They have allocated 7.6M to the relief. This equates to .38165 per person.

Next- USA. I last read where we are contributing 35M to the relief. If this is wrong....let me know and I will edit. This equates to .11944 per person.

Last is France. I last read where the were giving 130,000. This equates to .00215 per person.

We aren't doing the best obviously, but it looks as if we are doing a bit better than some. Now it's up to you if you are a "glass is half empty" or "glass is half full" type of person.

Personally, I have already made donations and would encourage others to do so as well. But, I also believe in freedom...to include the freedom of not giving. I really don't think it's prudent to donate money that YOU need to survive. That doesn't make much sense. I also live in Florida and have seen the devastation, so I can sympathize with those who are struggling.

Just think if everyone gave just 50 cents. That's even better than the boys from down under. :mrgreen:

Anyway, it's not a contest of who gives more. It should be about caring for your fellow man. BUT if anyone starts this crap about the US not putting in its "fair share", you can tell them to get bent. :twisted:

[szamot]

Canada pitched in about $4M which is about $.1333/person almost as much as Edmonton's budget for snow removal this year. Wee Hee. Still better than nothing, I suppose.

[frankenbike]

The US aid commitment thus far only amounts to the petty cash in the cash drawer that can be allocated without involving more of the government. Sort of a "cash out the door" thing to get the ball rolling. When all is said and done, the contribution will be much greater as the specific needs are assessed.

Even when the disaster is on our own doorstep, it's hard to get the ball rolling, and there's much more of an established procedure to accomplishing that (declaring a "federal disaster area" for example) and specific agencies that handle it (FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Administration), for example).

When stuff happens outside your country, and there's no established procedure for dealing with one of the largest scale natural disasters in modern history, discretionary spending can only be found in small pockets of the government. Larger expenditures require establishing a chain of command and accountability, as well as international agreements on who gets the checks and where the money is going to be spent.

Even the governments of the affected areas lack the administrative organization to handle an emergency of this magnitude, and the best that can be offered is experienced search and rescue (the US has dispatched an aircraft carrier with helicopters and communications aircraft), and orchestration of requests for food, medicine and transportation of the two.

Whatever one nation offers others in assistance, that assistance comes as a cost to its citizens. What the French can offer is considerable medical assistance. They've got one of the best health care systems in the world. Will their citizens be willing to wait in longer lines for national health care while their doctors save the lives of people across the world? (Doctors in the US aren't employed by the government, and would be much harder to organize, and there are fewer of them per capita than in most European countries).

[Pat Logsdon]

Ok, guys - this is dangerously close to a political discussion. Let's not talk about who gave more, as it's not particularly productive. If anyone here feels slighted by what others have to say about your particular country (whatever it is), go ahead and make your own donation via one of the organizations listed by Google, (http://www.google.com/tsunami_relief.html) make a donation via Amazon, (http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/my-pay-page/PX3BEL97U9A4I/102-7556154-4351314) sign up to volunteer time, whatever. This isn't a contest.

[Darius Wey]

I think it's best that discussion continues on in this (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=314892) front page news post.

I agree with Pat in saying that this thread is nearing the point of a political outburst. There's no point. Rather than engage ourselves in a never-ending debate of who gave more and who gave less, let's just unify and work toward one global cause of helping with the recovery process.

Also, over the last few hours, many countries have increased their donations and what not, so I suppose calculating dollars per person is pointless. ;)

[famousdavis]

Sorry but I am from down here in Florida where I didn't even get disaster relief from my own neighbors much less FEMA due to the hurricanes. I am just glad I have family out of state who is well off enough to help me out. So I had to vote for sitting back and drinking my latte just because you didn't offer an "I'm too broke because my own disasters to help others" option. Call it selfish or call it jadded take your pick but I can't justify sending out money to others when I had to shell out hundreds of dollars worth of equipment and tens to hundreds of hours worth of blood sweat and trouble just to keep myself afloat. :boohoo:

Am I sorry so many people lost their lives? Yes. Am I sorry more will lose their lives due to the remenants of this tsunami? Yes. Am I going to futher place a hardship upon my family to help out others when the only people I was able to lean on just a few precious months ago was my own family? No.

BTW The area I live in was actually hit by 3 of the 4 major hurricanes to hit the USA this year.

Aren't natural disasters a b*tch? I am just glad one of the things I packed up were my PC's and my PDA. (Glad we have hurricane warnings).

Just remember those of you who are in the US there are people here in our own country who are very bad off who may not be front page news but in as much need as the next person for even the bare essentials.

As a fellow Floridian, who was without power for 9 days after Frances, and a few more days after Jeanne, I urge you to reconsider your position. If you own a PC and a PPC, have Internet access, a car, and a house that gives you safe shelter, you're among the very wealthiest people on the face of the earth. In Florida, you and I had many days warning of the impending hurricane threats and had ample opportunity to make suitable plans the best we were able. Today, you and I are conversing over the Internet sharing our own perspectives on natural disasters, while hundreds of thousands of families are searching hopelessly for lost friends and relatives, while mass graves are covering over the bodies of mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, infants.

I would never want to trade places with anyone in the southeast Asia coastline. I know you wouldn't either. By God's grace, we're alive and well today, and so are our friends and family after four Florida hurricanes. My big problem is repairing a blown out privacy fence in my backyard and dealing with the dilapidated condition of a neighbor's house. In perspective, that isn't so bad, is it? So, I'm happy to share a portion of that blessing with those who desparately need it.

You and I both have a hope for a better tomorrow. What can be said of those affected by the tsunami disasters?

[PDANEWBIE]

I agree I have more than alot of people but I also agree this is all on credit. I have had great credit for years and now I am over 30k in debt due to a storm in which I could not even get neighbors to help me clear anything when they had no damage. If it wasn't for credit I would hate to think of where I would be.

Also note that this is not the only natural disaster I have lived through. I used to live in CA when they had the big Earthquake in 1989. The funny thing is I have always heard how people are out to "help humanitarian efforts" and that there is "humanitarian aid". But each time something happens to me I have to buck up and pull myself out or pan handle to family members to make a contribution and help me out (always paid back to them in the end).

Like I stated I am not writing this to have anyone "feel pity" but I just want to let people know there are enough things that occur locally in which hard working people don't get the aid they deserve or require. Then something like this comes along and the bucket gets passed around and you are the bad guy for not contributing.

I also didn't mention that I do food drives locally, I donate to my church when I can afford to, and anything that I have that is used I send to donation centers and I don't throw it away. The people I feel badly for are the ones who may not even see a penny from these efforts and may not have any family in which to depend on.

I am just waiting for the Tsunami commemorative coins where each purchased 1.00$ coin goes for 20.00$ but the victims relief only sees .01 cent of it.

Again you make valid points but I think I make many of my own vaild points that make it very hard for me to donate anything. In the end I may send a bit over there but I still feel in my heart of hearts its one of those not gonna feel good about my decision no matter the choice I make.

[Janak Parekh]

Again you make valid points but I think I make many of my own vaild points that make it very hard for me to donate anything. In the end I may send a bit over there but I still feel in my heart of hearts its one of those not gonna feel good about my decision no matter the choice I make.
I think you certainly have a legitimate argument either way. Let's not beat up on PDANEWBIE or drag this discussion out any further -- I'm sure he understands what people are going through in South Asia right now better than most of us anyway. famousdavis, I presume people in Florida suffered different levels of damage, and priorities have to be set appropriately.

--janak