Pride or what ?

David Morton · 12-31-04, 03:59 PM

Well done for the USA for coming in with $350m for the earthquake survivors. Everybody in every country is going for it though at the moment France is seemingly lagging with , I heard, about €100,000. ( $130,000) Typical.
Can I wish everybody , no matter where, a very prosperous and Happy New Year, and try to open up your hearts and pockets to the Tsunami disaster victims. Does it matter if
you put off the billet uprights or the latest ignition system for another few months. Of course not.......
David Morton

40 Bud · 12-31-04, 05:13 PM

I imagine that the French are saving their money to help us yanks out in Iraq.

segdub · 12-31-04, 05:34 PM

Hey Guys,

I was watching Market Watch today and they listed what American companies were donating and it was big big money from some of the giant companies. I am sure Americans are going to be sharing their wealth into the billions of dollars. Just wait and see what the average American does. I am not surprised. We are always the first to step up and help. Screw the critics that say we didn't act fast enough.
just one average American family helping out with what we can. The world is a beautiful place. There are a lot of good people always willing to help. Time for the French and everyone else to step up and be counted.
Steve

Gary Gibbs · 12-31-04, 10:39 PM

The US contributed 40% of all world aide last year and I am sure when it is all said and done we will provide in a great way. The $350M is only part of the picture. I am sure if you look at total US contributions including Gov't money and military support (with helecopters, search planes, cargo aircraft, etc.) private donations, and corporate the amounts will be quite high. I have heard some of the numbers of donations made and they are incredible. But it will take a huge amount of help for them to recover from this.

Howard Jones · 12-31-04, 10:57 PM

Hey. Maybe the french goverment could refund some of that bribe money sadam gave em. But then again it belongs to the people of Iraq. I guess it would be asking to much to ask if they could give it back to the people of Iraq.

David Morton · 12-31-04, 11:14 PM

Likewise, as of now 0400 utc , the UK has raised over £60m from private individuals and another £50m is from the government. The total raised (non government) is now going up at £1m per hour and in addition the UK has mobilised the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, and the Army in what is going to be the largest deployment of this kind on record.
It's a pity that the Iraqi people still need so much help with their problems. The French? In the UK most of us would rather just forget them.
Some Humour:
How many divisions of men in the French army does it take to defend Paris?
Nobody knows. It's never been done.

roaldin · 01-01-05, 01:04 AM

You know there was a time that I used to look forward to reading this forum.

The Quake and the following Tsunami are a massive disaster. I hope that any efforts that anybody makes have quick and helpful effect.

Tim.

Malcolm · 01-01-05, 05:27 AM

[ QUOTE ]
....though at the moment France is seemingly lagging with , I heard, about €100,000. ( $130,000) Typical. .....

Can I wish everybody , no matter where, a very prosperous and Happy New Year, and try to open up your hearts .....

The French? In the UK most of us would rather just forget them.

[/ QUOTE ]

Which is it to be? If we are to be doing this love to all thing, let's not be selective. Bit pathetic really.

Paul Thompson 'Hooligan' · 01-01-05, 06:46 AM

Well said Malc / Tim

If you have time (or funds) to spare - think of those missing or still suffering....

Amazing how quickly a few ignorant thoughts can become a few stupid keystrokes!! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

ChrisL · 01-01-05, 08:34 AM

The governments of the willing have generously given about $120 Billion toward “helping” the people of Iraq so far. And what a wonderful job they have done there too. I have no doubt that the same unselfish generosity found within these governments will see them give at least an equal amount to the Tsunami victims who are suffering just as much. Not to mention the 70,000 people of the Dufar region in the Sudan who have been reported killed since early 2003, plus the two million others that have been displaced.

Mark Worthington · 01-01-05, 10:39 PM

Good point, Chris. Instead of spending hundreds of billions of US tax dollars rebuilding schools, hospitals, roads, water distribution and sanitation systems in Iraq, we should've done the job Saddam Hussein style - invaded, looted the place, set fire to the oil fields, and split. Hell, instead of costing money that kind of warfare can turn a tidy profit! We can use the initial proceeds to fund invasions of our neighbors, those pesky Canadians and Mexicans. Hey, that's what evil empires are supposed to do, right? Manifest destiny, baby! One world, under God, with liberty and justice for all.

Ken Mason · 01-05-05, 06:25 AM

Michael Schumacker has reportedly donated 10m dollars to the tsunami disaster fund - but I haven't heard about any contributions from other highly paid sportsmen i.e football, basketball, tennis. Have they just kept quiet about it??? Does the average footballer know where Asia is??

Ron Earp · 01-05-05, 07:33 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Does the average footballer know where Asia is??

[/ QUOTE ]
I'm not even sure the average American can identify Sri Lanka on the map - most never leave the country and do not pay attention to what happens "over there". Fellow Americans, don't kill me over the comment - there is a lot of truth in it I think, unfortunately.

**F3L** · 01-05-05, 09:04 AM

[ QUOTE ]
We can use the initial proceeds to fund invasions of our neighbors, those pesky Canadians

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, but we just whooped your ass in hockey...

Rick [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

Ron Earp · 01-05-05, 10:31 AM

Hockey, what is that? ;-)

Gordy · 01-05-05, 10:48 AM

I thought about this last night and rather than blather on about who's better, who's not, I would like to propose that we take up a contribution from all of us on this board. Kind of a " put your money where your mouth is". I will start it with $100.
Ron, could we go the Paypal route thru you or other ideas? I will volunteer if no one else wants to.

Steve Toner · 01-05-05, 05:16 PM

Gordy, you seem to be turning it into a pissing contest, which seems to be what you said you did not want to do. I suggest that each of us does individually what he feels is proper and leave it at that.

The US will lose in any pissing contest between nations. The Financial Times has a table showing current pledged aid amounts for the "top 20" donors, listed by total dollar amount. The US is 4th on this list. But if you look at it on a per-capita basis, the US drops way down the list. And if you adjust that for per-capita GNP (basically adjusting for the wealth of the residents), the US drops to the bottom of the list.

Gordy · 01-05-05, 06:52 PM

Quite the opposite, Stave, it was turning into a pissing contest, and I was hoping we could get beyond that and do something positive. Sorry you read it the wrong way. I didn't start this thread, just was wishing we could do something collectivly from members of this board that would help others. Thats what the smiley face was for.

Steve Toner · 01-05-05, 07:33 PM

Sorry if I offended you, Gordy. But when you said 'Kind of a " put your money where your mouth is"' it sounded like you were starting some sort of competition, or at least trying to get people to make public disclosure about whether & how much they were giving. I think the decision (whether to contribute, how much to contribute, what organization to funnel your contribution through) is a personal one, and doesn't need to be open to public scrutiny.

Gary Gibbs · 01-05-05, 08:28 PM

[ QUOTE ]

The US will lose in any pissing contest between nations. The Financial Times has a table showing current pledged aid amounts for the "top 20" donors, listed by total dollar amount.

[/ QUOTE ]

Unfortunately Steve, that is the problem with this "list" is that it does not tell the whole story where I am confident that the US will contribute far more then the rest of the world. Not on the list is all of the military assets that have been deployed (~100 helicopters delivering supplies, a carrier group, a hospital ship from San Diego, etc.) What is the cost to run that operation? It also does not include the huge contributions from the US corporations and private citizens (like myself). Doctors without boarders came out and said they do not want any more money for this operation because they can not spend it and do not want to decieve donors. This $350M (from the FT list) is only a small fraction of the net US expenditures! This list is VERY misleading.