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Absolutely. Limbaugh's 'argument' (and I use that word loosely) is a cruel and selfish attempt to justify ignoring the plight of other human beings while cravenly using a tragedy to continue to take cheap pot-shots at someone he doesn't like.
100 Million dollars is less that .50 cents per American citizen. I think I can spare a bit more than .50cents to assist those who have been affected by this earthquake.
Obama said 100 million was just to start and it would be more within the year
i admire the generosity of my fellow americans, even though they have no idea where the money is going to wind up or how it will be spent:
According to Richard M. Walden (president and CEO of Operation USA), it is estimated that 70% of the $1.2 Billion donated to Katrina-related donations went to the Red Cross, yet the Red Cross is fully reimbursed by the government for any shelters or emergency services they provide. Repeatedly, the Red Cross has run into trouble for spending much less on disaster recovery than they collect, shuffling the extra funds into their “national disaster account,” where it can be used for purposes other than that it was collected for. That’s the sort of trouble they saw in the aftermath of the 1989 San Francisco Bay Area earthquake, and after 9/11.
Despite landing in trouble for soliciting more donations than they need and squirreling the rest away, the Red Cross continues to operate this way. The organization makes a total of about $3 billion annually, about half of which is from selling donated blood. Some of this surplus money ends up in disaster relief, but it seems that much does not. Last year alone, the Red Cross spent $111 million in fund raising, and their CEO Marsha Evans made just under $652,000.
It seems the the main value they offer is the free help of their volunteer force. (and THOSE unrewarded workers are the people who deserve the thanks!)
From the LA Times article:
The Red Cross expects to raise more than $2 billion before Hurricane Katrina-related giving subsides. If it takes care of 300,000 people, that’s $7,000 per victim. I doubt each victim under Red Cross care will see more than a doughnut, an interview with a social worker and a short-term voucher for a cheap motel, with a few miscellaneous items such as clothes and cooking pots thrown in.
as a floridian who has seen the red cross in action, i agree 100% with that assessment, although others may feel differently.
<snip>But let's see companies and Hollywood bigwigs and politicians start ponying up checks of $ 100,000 to $1,000,000 and then actually pay it. We can't just have the working class pay the bills while the elitist privileged folks have fancy dinners and gala events for charity and then pay next to nothing themselves.
I donated to Doctors Without Borders and UNICEF. I donate to both of them regularly anyway. Our family regularly exchanges virtual measles vaccines and mosquito nets for Birthdays.
I can't imagine how much worse of Haiti would be without it's favorite son helping them out, Wyclef Jean.
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