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| Enough is enough: A Statement of Accountability on Haiti |
| 2010-01-20 |
| I don't know about the rest of Rantburgers, but there is an incessant drumbeat of "give, give, give" around here, to the point of badgering and denigration. Sorry...as un-PC as it is, the obvious NEEDS to be stated, despite the fact that they are still in rescue mode. Below is my statement of accountability on Haiti. Good day. Enough is enough: A Statement of Accountability on Haiti Haiti has been the recipient of HUNDREDS of Millions of dollars of aid (if not Billions) in the past 20 years, plus numerous efforts at sending the nation on a course of self-reliance...all for naught. Measured against the Dominican Republic 'next door', the nation of Haiti is an abject failure and the people of Haiti have no one but themselves to blame. Is this (the earthquake aftermath) a humanitarian crisis? Yes. We (the US) will help...we always do. The US government (remember: OUR money) will end up rebuilding the country, the UN and USAID will see to it that food, water & medical gets to the people and the NGOs & civilian search & rescue will wrap up their 'rescue' efforts in the next couple of days (despite problems with the initial response and apparent ongoing organizational problems and what appears to be a turf battle between the UN & US). If you really want to make a difference, donate as your wallet & conscience allow to a US national organization DIRECTLY (NOT text, twitter or the like) via their websites and tell your congressman how much you believe the US should do for Haiti before turning it back to the Haitians. If you are able-bodied, suitably well-off, retired or the-like and in the business, go there and help rebuild. However, with US obligations already weighing down MY children and grandchildren, and the economic crisis FAR from over, I REFUSE this to be a drumbeating, open-ended, no-limits exercise of aid. I also refuse to be criticized for EXPECTING people to show appreciation for our help by helping themselves after the humanitarian crisis has subsided. By the way, reports are already coming in of the Dominican Republic trying to seal off its border to prevent a corollary humanitarian crisis in THEIR country from migrating illegal Haitians. Haiti is likewise not the Dominican Republic's fault, but they will assist as they are able, but not at the expense of their own population. Do not BADGER me to give; do not expect me to give 'unendingly' (that includes of my government). I have a limit with welfare/aid of ANY kind when it comes to people that REFUSE to help themselves. If some object to my 'early' critiquing of the Haitians while they are still in shock, that's just tough. Get over it. Get real. This isn't conservative; rather, this is PRAGMATIC. Support the military, support your local first-responders, support your favorite domestic and Int'l charities but, most of all, support those that help themselves. Money won't solve Haiti's problems and never will. Oh...and for those angrily reaching for the phone or hitting the comment button, if I had a need, I would accept help 'to a limit' and would REFUSE more than I needed. I believe that is a HUMAN trait, as is, unfortunately, its antithesis. |
| Posted by:logi_cal |
| #9 Iff the MMGW + "Peak Oil-Resources" Perts are to believed, the MSM-Net-verified Economically trubled-and-likely-to-stay-that-way-for-Decades USA will only see MORE + WORSE NATURAL CRISES IN HAITI, ETC. IN FUTURE. AND, the above is exclusive of Radical Islam exploiting Haiti's chaos to set itself up in the Caribbean. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-01-20 22:18 |
| #8 #1, you can add safely WISCONSIN to yur list, courtesy of FREEREPUBLIC this AM. * OTOH, DAILY TIMES.PK > [200]US TROOPS LAND AT HAITI PRESIDENTIAL PALACE. Haitian Quake Survivor FEDE FELISSAINT [hairdresser] > "US CAN LONGER THAN IN 1915 IFF IT WANTS". SAME > Haitian Police Officer -"THATS HOW IT IS. THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO [stopping hoarders, thefts, other post-Quake local violence]". ARTIC > infers that MANY HAITIANS HAVE NEVER LEARNED TO TRUST, DEPEND, OR RELY ETC. ON THEIR OWN LOCAL/MAIN GOVT FOR ANYTHING [since forever, past + Prees + future]??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2010-01-20 22:12 |
| #7 Watching the videos coming out of Haiti of the many able bodied Haitians standing around not attempting to help dig out those buried or seem to help out in any way angered me. While help is obviously needed, I would like to see them at least try to help themselves and not expect to have everything done for them. Obviously they need help, and am glad that we're able to get help to them, but I agree that the amount should be scrutinized. |
| Posted by: Jan 2010-01-20 21:52 |
| #6 I realize this is off-topic but since Head Start was mentioned I will opine. My Mother was the first Head Start director in Henry County, Alabama. I visited her classes as often as I could to do music related things. Those were children who had never been exposed to any type of constructive learning. They were, for the most part, sponges. Head Start employees are not members of any Union. The program may have been a failure on the National level but on the local level there was some success. Once those children got to First Grade they were wards of the Teachers' Union and Political Correctness. It is the School system that has failed. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2010-01-20 20:28 |
| #5 My personal "Head Start" program consisted of My mother reading aloud children's big print books then buying a shelf full of the Classics ( I was reading well long before first grade) and read King Arthur and the Knights of the round table, Robin Hood, 20,000 leagues under the Sea, and so many others considered High School Books today as I(We actually, 2 brothers and I)went through grade School. I tested Super Genius (140 IQ) in grade school (I suspect the test is flawed) and got a lifetime devotion to Science Fiction, when others were learning "This is an Atom" I was reading about atomic reactors (They got most things right), Terrorists willing to murder Millions by bombing a reactor was not considered, Nor was the need to armor and protect Nuclear Reactors, they were considered as Dams and other power plants, guarded in wartime, but not otherwise. To this day I despise Terror and other, Slasher film/books deliberately mis-labeled Science fiction. ALIEN was one such. Star Wars Is pure SF (And much loved for it) My dad taught me to handle tools safely, and we built a few things together as well (More Teaching) a Dog house, a very large workbench A HUGE Lionel train set with it's own specialised Over and under loops, (Dad loved trains too) How to ride and more importantly how to fix Bicycles, dad said "Bicycles were the most efficient form of transportation on earth" My fingers are beginning to hurt, I have so many "Head Start" stories they overlap But the thrust is simply this. "By the time you get to school, it's too late" |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2010-01-20 15:22 |
| #4 Are Head Start employees members of the NEA? |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2010-01-20 13:43 |
| #3 I saw it. For those of you who didn't, the report notes that while Head Start programs provide a measurable improvement to children in kindergarten, the measured benefits disappear by the end of the first grade. Two ways to read that: 1) Head Start isn't worth doing since the improvement isn't long-lasting 2) Head Start is useful but first grade is dropping the ball. I'm inclined to #2. That doesn't mean I want a 12 year Head Start program, but only that I'd like to see public education do the job it's paid to do. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2010-01-20 13:31 |
| #2 While we're at it, please someone "prepare statements of accountability" on California, Detroit, Atlanta, and New Orleans. Exactly what I was thinking. Here, here! Did anyone catch the HeadStart report from Health & Human Services? (you have to really dig on the HHS website to find it...not sure if anyone posted in regards to it yet) Damning footnote on yet another liberal social experiment... |
| Posted by: logi_cal 2010-01-20 13:00 |
| #1 While we're at it, please someone "prepare statements of accountability" on California, Detroit, Atlanta, and New Orleans. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-01-20 11:26 |