Now I'm not saying the U.S. shouldn't help at all, but I am saying that our country should be priority number one.

 

I'm also not comparing the death toll between Haiti and the Gulf, I'm just comparing the help from our own government. And we have thousands of children and babies die here everyday that could be prevented with money and help so I don't see your point on that one. I am saying we need to prioritize the money to 1) United States 2) other places, not vice versa like it is right now.

 

Where in the US do we have children dying that lack medical care, clean drinking water or food? We do take care of our own first.

 

Again, you are free to donate as much money and time as you want for the gulf disaster, as are any of us.

Maybe this thought is for a different thread, but I think our media and then our government have dropped the ball on this disaster. The impact of this disaster on human lives and the natural environment will be felt for many years to come. I believe this will go down as the second worst man-made disaster in the history of man (Bhopal being the first - Chernobel maybe 3rd). I believe the current administration is getting a lot more of a free pass on this than they deserve. Also, I believe there are people from BP that should end up in jail.

Maybe this thought is for a different thread, but I think our media and then our government have dropped the ball on this disaster. The impact of this disaster on human lives and the natural environment will be felt for many years to come. I believe this will go down as the second worst man-made disaster in the history of man (Bhopal being the first - Chernobel maybe 3rd). I believe the current administration is getting a lot more of a free pass on this than they deserve. Also, I believe there are people from BP that should end up in jail.

 

How has the media dropped the ball? Every time I turn on CNN (like just now) there is continuing coverage of the leak, including cleanup efforts, oil spread numbers and how it is/might affect people.

 

I agree that we are just beginning to see the effects of this disaster.

Again, there was quite a difference in the death toll between the Nashville flood and the Haitian earthquake. Also, if you didn't see anyone doing anything, you weren't looking closely enough. There were several celebrities that donated money to help in the aid.

 

Truly, people, we have to see the difference in disasters here. Haiti is an extremely poor country that had a major disaster that resulted in hundreds of thousands of dead and injured people. They did not have the infrastructure to take care of something so extreme. If the world (mostly the US) had not responded, hundreds of thousands more could have died due to widespread disease and lack of medical care.

 

The flood in Nashville was a localized event with a small death toll, though a large impact on the area. Luckily, those injured and in danger could be quickly cared for and removed from harm.

 

The continuing gulf disaster is much different than the Haitian one. Again, there was a small (human) death toll, but the environmental effects are just starting to be seen. My guess is that as the situation progresses, we are going to see more needs being apparent. Probably, instead of needing people to donate money, there will be a greater call to donate their time. I have a friend that is currently somewhere along the coast doing whatever she can to help.

 

Let's not act as though saving lives in Haiti is somehow less important than repairing/cleaning our coastlines. I cringe when I think of the death of wildlife and the destruction of our ecosystem, but I have to say that it does come second (for me) to saving the lives of children and babies. Add in the fact that there is an entity responsible for the gulf disaster that can be held accountable financially. The same is not true of the Haitian earthquake.

 

TrueBlueWildcat, there is nothing stopping you from donating whatever you choose to for any disaster, including this one. I'm sure cash donations or donating your time would be very much appreciated.

 

:thumb:

Where in the US do we have children dying that lack medical care, clean drinking water or food? We do take care of our own first.

 

Again, you are free to donate as much money and time as you want for the gulf disaster, as are any of us.

 

Is that a serious question. Being from Eastern KY I can name a couple of towns to begin with. Do some quick research and you'll have the answer to your question.

No need to trot out the charity chorus to help pay for something BP should write the check for.

Is that a serious question. Being from Eastern KY I can name a couple of towns to begin with. Do some quick research and you'll have the answer to your question.

 

Yes, it is a serious question. I took you up on your "quick research" and have been unable to find any incidents of US children dying from lack of food/water that isn't related to parent neglect/abuse. (However, I did find many instances of such happening in poorer countries, such as Haiti.) With KCHIP and other welfare assistance being prevalent and the recent healthcare reform forthcoming, medical care is available to poor children. You say that you have the name of towns where children are dying from lack of medical care, food or water. Please, please, please, by all means, let us know what towns those are. If research turns up confirmation of your charges, I'm sure that the BGP community can drum up support and resources to turn that tide.

 

Feel free to let us know what you are doing in your outrage that no one is helping with the disaster in the gulf. Perhaps some of us will join in.

Yes, it is a serious question. I took you up on your "quick research" and have been unable to find any incidents of US children dying from lack of food/water that isn't related to parent neglect/abuse. (However, I did find many instances of such happening in poorer countries, such as Haiti.) With KCHIP and other welfare assistance being prevalent and the recent healthcare reform forthcoming, medical care is available to poor children. You say that you have the name of towns where children are dying from lack of medical care, food or water. Please, please, please, by all means, let us know what towns those are. If research turns up confirmation of your charges, I'm sure that the BGP community can drum up support and resources to turn that tide.

 

Feel free to let us know what you are doing in your outrage that no one is helping with the disaster in the gulf. Perhaps some of us will join in.

That is the difference between the US and countries like Haiti. In this country there are options. If you are hungry there are soup kitchens. If you are sick there are clinics. There is no children in this country that is truly dieing of starvation unless their parents are allowing it to happen.

The world relies on the United States for everything. Then talks about how bad we are. This disaster is just another reason that the US should quit being so generous to the world. I am a believer that if I help you, then you help me.

When it hits the fan here, will everybody rush over here throwing money at us?

There has been very little or NO pressure on our administration to make sure this is happening as quickly as possible. If this happened under a different administration, there would have been no end to how inept the government has been. Of course, the current administration's position is, " BP is much better equipped to deal with this than the US Govt."....that didn't stop the current US Govt. from taking over auto companies, banks and health insurance. Facts are...we are weeks down the road, and is there any progress? Can we rely on BP to stop this, when as many say, their primary motivation is profit?

Agree with you Woodsrider. If children are dying in the US from hunger or lack of medical care, it is from parental ignorance, abuse or neglect....of course it exists.

The world relies on the United States for everything. Then talks about how bad we are. This disaster is just another reason that the US should quit being so generous to the world. I am a believer that if I help you, then you help me.

 

When you're Number One, life's tough. We won the Cold War, now we take the good with the bad. What the United States has that not even the best-equipped other Western nations have the ability to quickly get out aid, relief and supplies thanks to the quick-deployment tactics of the U.S. Military. If our military has the capability to quickly deploy aid anywhere else in the world and we have the aid available, who are we do deprive them of that? I firmly believe in this country's policy regarding foreign aid in emergency situations and think we do a better job of it than anyone else on the planet.

Facts are...we are weeks down the road, and is there any progress? Can we rely on BP to stop this, when as many say, their primary motivation is profit?

 

No, we can't. BP is a publicly-traded corporation; if its primary motivation was something besides making a profit, then its stockholders should have sent the board packing a long time ago. One of the things I've never understood people getting all bent out of shape about things corporations do and then saying something like "...because corporations are only interested in making a profit." Well of course they are. When the shareholders elect someone to the board of directors, they do it because they believe that person will make their shares worth MORE MONEY. Why does anyone ever expect a corporation to behave any differently?

No, we can't. BP is a publicly-traded corporation; if its primary motivation was something besides making a profit, then its stockholders should have sent the board packing a long time ago. One of the things I've never understood people getting all bent out of shape about things corporations do and then saying something like "...because corporations are only interested in making a profit." Well of course they are. When the shareholders elect someone to the board of directors, they do it because they believe that person will make their shares worth MORE MONEY. Why does anyone ever expect a corporation to behave any differently?

 

And that is my point...our administration seems content to leave it to BP...where is the logic in that? And IMO our media is giving the administration a free-ride on this so far.