Chintzy? I Don't Think So. . .

Unfortunately I have had little time to write or even read the news, grabbing what I can from FOX or CNN, thus I’m way behind the curve. I have caught onto the flak caused by one of the myriad of idiots at the UN, saying then trying to unsay that the US has been ‘chintzy’ in aid to countries in need. The argument for pulling out of the UN can wait for another day, but I saw this in the Trib this morning:

As of Wednesday, countries around the world had offered more than $250 million in assistance to help areas ravaged by Sunday's tsunami.

Spain $68 million
United States $35 million
Japan $30 million
Britain $28.9 million
Australia $27.6 million
Germany $27 million
France $20.5 million
Source: Associated Press

I’ve noticed that France has upped its contribution from the slightly more than 100k noted yesterday. Without being overly self-righteous here, it should be noticed that the American people have given to charities more than the US government for many years. That is not criticizing our government; rather it is a commentary on how our culture differs from most, including other democracies. We do not have to be taxed to give to those in need, we do so willingly.

Amazon has already collected nearly 6M in pledges for Southern Asia, which is not a ‘traditional’ charity collector. I cannot find the figures for Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross, etc., all of which are involved in collecting and distributing money and goods.

For that UN official to dis the US people, NOT George Bush, but the people, is a travesty. My hope is that the people will prove him wrong and not figure, “If you have the name, why not play the game?”