Thursday, January 14, 2010

Haiti rescue efforts displays the true nature of the American spirit

A few days ago a 7.0 magnitude earthquake demolished the isle of Haiti resulting in tremendous damage and leaving hundreds of thousand people dead. Within 24 hours of the earthquake and vast devastation, President Obama held a press conference to address the situation and lay out a plan to help those affected by Mother Nature's assault on Haiti. Part of that plan was the White House establishment of a link for people to donate money: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/01/13/help-haiti Along with UNICEF and the Red Cross other private organizations are getting involved. Some examples of non-government aid include $5M of cash donated by Digicel Group, Bank of America donating $1M, Home Depot giving $100K to the Red Cross, Lowe's giving $1M to the Red Cross, and Abbott Laboratories donating $1M as well.

I blog today about the situation facing the Haitian people not because of the timing of President Obama's speech or the potential use of taxpayer money to rebuild portions of Haiti while America mires in a recession; rather to take a moment to reflect on the generosity of the American spirit. While not every American will donate money or offer other assistance to those in Haiti, the American spirit to rally for a cause is on full display for the world. Despite being targeted by some in the Middle East for destruction or being viewed as an arrogant society no one can deny the compassion embedded within the fabric of the American spirit. Where else in the world will a society of private, free citizens donate time and money to assist people around the world in a time of need?

Take a moment to reflect on the American spirit and ask yourself, "Is there something I can do more to make the United States a better place to live?" The impact on the American society of Haiti will wane as rebuilding efforts continue but that should not stop our society from being engaged. Last year citizens all over the United States exercised their right to assembly as they attempted to shed light on the expansion of government and the out of control spending. The groups called for smaller government and lower taxes. Instead of being touted as an example of the America spirit it was painted as angry white men gathering to spew their racist hatred for President Obama.

As we will see in the coming days the donations raised for Haiti will come from private citizens and corporations. Granted the United States government will print, I believe the amount is $80M, money to help rebuild Haiti. The money used by the Federal Government is not taxpayer money, at least not yet, because our government is spending money it does not have. In the end taxpayers will have to make up the difference. With making up that difference a harsh reality will run contrary to the American spirit. Jobs, freedoms, and liberties will be compromised through higher taxes and the devaluation of the American dollar. I bring this up on the heal of the earthquake that devastated Haiti because we have an earthquake of our own brewing in Washington D.C.

Not a physical earthquake but an earthquake that will create greater damage to the country that is the land of the free and the home of the brave. As you donate, say a prayer, or watch the rescue efforts in Haiti keep in mind that our politicians in Washington D.C. are hoping you stay distracted as they continue to strip our freedoms away through increase government spending, taxation, and control over all aspects of our life.

11 comments:

  1. And yet it brings out the worst of American in Pat Robertsons outragous comments.

    And you did, indeed, blog today about the use of taxpayer dollars and to push an agenda beyond the relief effort and to tie in another event into the supposed degradation of freedoms.

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  2. Here is a current list of other countries where people are assisting: Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Cuba, France, Guyana, Israel Iceland, Japan, Morocco, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom also offered aid.

    Also, since the UN and World Bank have contributed, or promised to, substantial money, the list is indirectly far greater.

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  3. That is great that other countries are assisting. I not intend to lead readers to believe that the US will be the only country to assist. My point is that I am willing to wager that the amount contributed by private business and citizens of the United States will out do those of other countries combined.

    Now that the UN and World Bank have headquarters there that does lend to the potential of greater monies from other countries. I am betting that those countries will be primarly made up of public funds and not private funds. But I could be wrong and hope I am.

    Where the tie in takes place to Haiti is that as our government grows it will need more taxes to fund it. The taxes, as we seen, will consume and stiffle growth, charitable contributions, and ultimately assisting in relief efforts like this. Thus the American spirit will die unless people wake up and realize what is going on. So today is twofold in respect to reflecting upon the American spirit.

    First, lending support in any manner one deems appropriate to those in Haiti. Secondly, the core of the American spirit to ensure the spirit is able to shine bright when many of us a nothing but dust fragments.

    There will be some, like Pat Robertson, that will make comments contrary to the American spirit and that is fine. The reason I say that is we live in a land that allows one to speak in that manner without fear of harm. Like it or not but that is the truest test of freedom of speech.

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  4. How often do we really hear the words, "I don't agree with you but I truly believe in your right to say it?".
    Rarely.
    I enjoyed that you slipped in an obvious reference to the tea party activists. Interesting. I don't actually know anyone who said they didn't have a right to speak up. However, they were villified by the manor in which they did it and the misinformation in which they presented. Nobody was arrested for their speech, that is what the true essence of Freedom of Speech. Public opinion is a different story.
    To me, the American spirit is dissipating because of all the crooked fingerpointing. Now the name of the game is not bipartisanship and working together, it's blaming each other and refusing to cooperate. Perhaps it time to lose the "I'm right and your wrong" catergory or "our american values are being lost" area or even "those damn liberals are ruining the country."
    What I find interesting is how people who claim to love this country for what it is are not willing to actually do the leg work involved to debate the issues on their merits and will just tune into Fox to have their opinions read to them in firey rhetoric.
    The earthquake in Haiti is a terrible disaster. Just like the tsunami in 2004, hurricane Katrina, and others. The US responds to natural disaters here and abroad because it has to. We are a world community and we are happy to help.

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  5. What is wrong with the phrase, "I don't agree with you but I truly believe in your right to say it?" You are correct that part of the dissipation in the American spirit is the lack of bipartisanship and working together but that is not the entire picture. So, how do you propose that we regain the American spirit?

    One of my goals with this blog site was to debate the issues on the merits. As I was discussing with the friend that prompted my road into blogdom, I am looking for honest, open and respectful dialogue on the topics. I write my blog entries, for the most part, from the angle that prompts the greatest discussion. The dirty little secret is my personal view is not always representative of my responses but I do to move the conversation.

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  6. The previous post is not a knock on you or this blog...I find that this is a refreshing debate at most times. I do also, however, take issue when those who claim the "freedom of speech" clause in the first amendment also gives them an excuse to say whatever they want without reprise. It really doesn't as you might know.

    That phrase is what should happen in this country, but it seems to be disappearing. We are just too wrapped up in creating an enemy when the chips are down.

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  7. I agree that accountability disappeared from the landscape. We can make statements then apologize for them afterwards instead of using diligence in phrasing at the onset.

    What else can you and I - and others that participate here - can do to bring back the American spirit? How do we lead the charge?

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  8. To:
    Only elect moderate candidates from each party
    To force ALL corporations to become more responsible in the community regardless of profit
    To force all cable news networks to hire real journalism students instead of non-educated opinion talkers

    But in reality:
    Just be educated in how your government works and the history of how this country was founded. America is not perfect and never will be, but if we educate ourselves on the dangers of poverty AND the dangers of runaway government we could all come together and fix the issues.

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  9. Why should one vote for a moderate candidate if that candidate doesn't reflect ones beliefs? So only moderates have a right to be active in government? Those on the edges don't have a right to be represented? There opinion doesn't matter or count? I'd rather see people vote for the candidate they believe in instead of a party label.

    Who is going to force a corporation? The government shouldn't, it's not the role of government. Consumers can do so based on what they purchase and who they support. I think the vast majority of companies are responsible but it is their decision, alone. And to be honest, I think it has less to do with a true desire to give back and more to do with marketing and PR. Companies are in it to make a profit, large and small. As a shareholder, that's what I expect.

    As a viewer of cable news, it's up to me to determine who I want to go to for my news. Again, who is doing the forcing? Who is to say they don't hire "real" journalists? It might just be the message you disagree with, yet others do, so to them those opinion talkers are real journalists. And as much as I disagree with the Rush's and Becks's of the world, they know far more about what they speak of than I do. Cable news is in it to make a profit, too, so they will put out what sells. Don't like it, find someone else and maybe certain outlets will change who they hire to gain viewership.

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  10. Wow...my intention was to bring a touch of tounge-in-cheek to the conversation, perhaps you did too. Based on what I just read, however, you probaby need to relax a bit and comment of the second portion of my post.

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  11. Anon...I do not believe that we should blindly elect officials because their platform is progressive, conservative or moderate. Personally I have a core number of issues and when elections come around I look for the candidate that most closely reflects them and then I vote for that person. I give no attention to Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Socialist, or any other affiliation of party. This is why I do not get all crazy when politicians change their labels.

    As for news networks go. We need to divorce the news programs from the news commentary programs. While I acknowledge that it can be difficult but it is something that Americans need to do. Programs like Hannity, Maddow, Matthews, Olbermann, Beck, Schultz, O'Reilly, and Larry King are all commentary programs and not news programs.

    A friend of mine posted on Facebook that the Fox News Channel's three highest rated shows only covered the earthquake in Haiti for a total of 7 minutes. The three shows were O'Reilly, Hannity, and Beck. The same friend, and the article, tried to assert a racial bias was the undercurrent to the lack of attentiveness. The trouble with their logic is that these shows are not news programming; rather they are commentary programs.

    Real investigative journalism, in my opinion, is dead but that doesn't mean it cannot be resurrected.

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