DC Tom Posted December 29, 2004 Posted December 29, 2004 Does anyone else see the irony in these two statements made in a span of three sentances? And by the way....are you folks really bitching about how much money each country has given so far? An election, my kingdom for an election. 183265[/snapback] Just Pete. The rest of us are bitching about his bitching.
ExiledInIllinois Posted December 29, 2004 Posted December 29, 2004 Just Pete. The rest of us are bitching about his bitching. 183275[/snapback]
Chef Jim Posted December 29, 2004 Posted December 29, 2004 Just Pete. The rest of us are bitching about his bitching. 183275[/snapback] Well now ain't that a B word.
SilverNRed Posted December 29, 2004 Posted December 29, 2004 The Scandinavian countrys have a higher standard of living then the USA. Why do they dislike the US so much? 182749[/snapback] Comparing the United States of America to "Scandinavian countries" is apples to oranges. We're a bit different as a country. I was thinking about donating some money to the UN's relief agency so that I can sleep soundly knowing that I paid for some diplomat's expensive lunch somewhere in NYC.
SilverNRed Posted December 29, 2004 Posted December 29, 2004 Now someone explain what Sammy Sosa has to do with all this again...? 183218[/snapback] Because that's why THE WORLD HATES US!!!!! Seriously, as soon as someone tied MLB salaries to the tsunami, my nose started to bleed and I had to step away from the computer. "SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES!!! SWEDEN!!!! SAMMY SOSA!!!!!" WTF????
DC Tom Posted December 29, 2004 Posted December 29, 2004 Because that's why THE WORLD HATES US!!!!! Seriously, as soon as someone tied MLB salaries to the tsunami, my nose started to bleed and I had to step away from the computer. "SCANDINAVIAN COUNTRIES!!! SWEDEN!!!! SAMMY SOSA!!!!!" WTF???? 183288[/snapback] Well, when's the last time Sri Lanka hit sixty home runs in a season? You know...when I total the body counts from the countries involved, I get a number rather higher than the totals being reported...closer to 80k, rather than 68k. And there's still the town of Meubolah on Sumatra...a coastal city of about 30k people, in a low-lying marshy region. It -an entire city - hasn't been heard from since the quake, apparently. Oh, and Powell said earlier today that total US aid should approach a billion dollars before long. I think that's more than Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds combined make. Pete's inevitable question will, of course, be "Then why haven't they given it yet?" Pete, of course, is incapable of realizing that if we gave a billion to the region now, $985 million would just sit around doing nothing...or worse, going into the pockets of UN officials.
ExiledInIllinois Posted December 29, 2004 Posted December 29, 2004 Well, when's the last time Sri Lanka hit sixty home runs in a season? You know...when I total the body counts from the countries involved, I get a number rather higher than the totals being reported...closer to 80k, rather than 68k. And there's still the town of Meubolah on Sumatra...a coastal city of about 30k people, in a low-lying marshy region. It -an entire city - hasn't been heard from since the quake, apparently. Oh, and Powell said earlier today that total US aid should approach a billion dollars before long. I think that's more than Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds combined make. Pete's inevitable question will, of course, be "Then why haven't they given it yet?" Pete, of course, is incapable of realizing that if we gave a billion to the region now, $985 million would just sit around doing nothing...or worse, going into the pockets of UN officials. 183297[/snapback] Kids got swept away while playing cricket... That's close to baseball?
Pete Posted December 29, 2004 Author Posted December 29, 2004 $15 million in aid for a half dozen countrys that have lost well over 50,000 and have had their number one source of industry(tourism) depleted for the next decade. Let put that in perspective.....Sammy Sosa will earn $17 million this year. $17 million for Sammy and $15 million for releif Whats so hard to understand? There are a few here who are like a pack of piranha. As soon as one attacks the rest get courage and follow. I wonder how some here function away from the computer without their cronies having their backs. That is assuming they have a life outside putting down others on the internet
RkFast Posted December 29, 2004 Posted December 29, 2004 Yes...GREAT article. With the last sentence: "The reason is that our gross national product is so enormous. And our growth rates are so much higher than the other wealthy nations." KILLING your ridiculous assertion deader than Hoffa, Pete.
sweet baboo Posted December 29, 2004 Posted December 29, 2004 As for China...if they could muster and project those kind of resources that far, they'd have invaded Taiwan already. 183274[/snapback] i think they're still saving up for that invasion...god forbid something like a huge natural disaster and people in need prevent them from their god given quest to take over a small island
_BiB_ Posted December 29, 2004 Posted December 29, 2004 If she doesn't work and the lamp is ugly, he should. Actually it's more like a husband giving a grand to his favorite charities, but the wife saying she wanted the money instead and bitching about it. 183245[/snapback] It's a major award!
Gavin in Va Beach Posted December 29, 2004 Posted December 29, 2004 It's a major award! 183389[/snapback] Fra -gil - e Must be Italian...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted December 29, 2004 Posted December 29, 2004 great post BIB- thanks for the info! BTW Powell just added $20 million, bringing the US relief total to $35 million- http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041228/D878TEPG1.html 183006[/snapback] Again I'm proven correct. And I'll guaran-f*cking-tee that that number will be MUCH MUCH larger by the time this is through, all at the expense of the American taxpayer. Here's the probelm with your opinion, Pete. As a country we give FAR more in dollars per year to other countries than ANYBODY else. You cannot dispute that, it's a fact.
rockpile Posted December 29, 2004 Posted December 29, 2004 Yes, we are stingy as hell! "Jan Egeland, the UN's coordinator of humanitarian affairs, yesterday retracted his Dec. 27 comment that Western countries were ``stingy'' with aid, calling U.S. contributions ``generous.'' Bush defended the level of U.S. funds for the affected countries. ``The person who made that statement was very misguided and ill-informed,'' said Bush. In 2004, the U.S. supplied $2.4 billion in food, cash and humanitarian relief, or 40 percent of all relief aid provided in the world, he said. ``We're a very generous, kind-hearted nation,'' said Bush. " U.S. Aid
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted December 30, 2004 Posted December 30, 2004 I'm out of money......can't give anything......I'm sure Mrs. Janet Egeland of the hoity-toity UN can see to it that she hand out 5 dollars in my stead.
blzrul Posted December 30, 2004 Posted December 30, 2004 Given that the original pledge was $15m I thought it sounded stingy too. Given that after the comment we immediately raised it to $35m I guess our government agreed. Given that we spend over $200m for presidential elections, $40m for inauguaral celebrations, and piss away billions on other stuff we don't need (like international airports in Mississippi for example) $35m still doesn't seem like much considering that over 80,000 people are dead and hundreds of thousands will die of disease and other causes if the rescue efforts don't move swiftly enough. The Saudis gave $10m and I thought they were stingy too.
_BiB_ Posted December 30, 2004 Posted December 30, 2004 The dollar value of support to this will grow, exponentially as time passes. The government doesn't just open their wallet and hand out the rent money. The American people who actually keep up would have a cow if we just pledged a bunch of cash with no accountability over where it comes from. It is a Chinese fire drill to rearrange obligated funds. Without going through the Google and Email drill, I'm guessing that initial support comes from contingency funds set aside, possibly through State foreign development resources, and the bean counters will work out the details of rest. Somewhere, out there, are one or more DoD execution orders that have fund realignment-reimbursement wording worked into them. They are most likely being directed to draw on operational funding as far as managing accounts for right now, while maintaining a separate accounting for what is actually spent in this effort. Somewhere along the way, funds will get transferred from account "A" to account "B".
DC Tom Posted December 30, 2004 Posted December 30, 2004 Given that the original pledge was $15m I thought it sounded stingy too. Given that after the comment we immediately raised it to $35m I guess our government agreed. Given that we spend over $200m for presidential elections, $40m for inauguaral celebrations, and piss away billions on other stuff we don't need (like international airports in Mississippi for example) $35m still doesn't seem like much considering that over 80,000 people are dead and hundreds of thousands will die of disease and other causes if the rescue efforts don't move swiftly enough. The Saudis gave $10m and I thought they were stingy too. 185203[/snapback] How much money do you think should be given right now? Better yet, how much do you think can be used? I haven't yet heard anyone complaining about relief efforts being hamstrung for a lack of cash.
_BiB_ Posted December 30, 2004 Posted December 30, 2004 How much money do you think should be given right now? Better yet, how much do you think can be used? I haven't yet heard anyone complaining about relief efforts being hamstrung for a lack of cash. 185447[/snapback] That never enter into the minds of people who don't have to do anything about it. Yes, sending a check (a children's toy? that's another stupid story entirely, but I've heard it). As with anything, principles, ideas and beliefs are noteworthy and always to be commended. It gets a little tougher in the trenches when you have to make them work out. Where's that magic wand? You holding it today?
DC Tom Posted December 30, 2004 Posted December 30, 2004 Where's that magic wand? You holding it today? 185487[/snapback] Don't even start with that...I'm so !@#$ing sick of it, after two days of listening to self-appointed "experts" B word about the lack of support for relief efforts...when these self-same "experts" couldn't spot the Indian Ocean on a map, and will have doubtlessly forgotten all about this by mid-January. People still don't understand that this is easily the biggest rescue effort ever mounted, and you don't just throw money at it for a week, then move on to the next fashionable cause. Did you hear about the two Stone-age tribes in the Andaman chain? From all evidence (not much, since they still can't get anything out there outside of air recon), they don't need any help. No relief, no food, no water...because they're gone. Two tribes, maybe 20k years of culture, a valuable anthropological resource...erased in a morning. When's the last time the planet suffered a natural disaster that wiped out entire cultures???? But sure...we haven't done enough in the past two days. Right...because this is going to be solved in five or seven days. sh--, we still don't even know what needs to be done yet...but we should immediately throw gobs of cash at the situation anyway. Stupid !@#$ing American attitudes...
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