Are We Stingy? No. Winter 2004

On December 30th, the New York Times ran an article entitled “Are We Stingy? Yes.” From their Editorial Desk:

President Bush [has] hurried to put as much distance as possible between himself and America’s initial measly aid offer of $15 million, and he took issue with an earlier statement by the United Nations’ emergency relief coordinator, Jan Egeland, who had called the overall aid efforts by rich Western nations ‘stingy.’ …

We beg to differ. … We hope Secretary of State Colin Powell was privately embarrassed when, two days into a catastrophic disaster that hit 12 of the world’s poorer countries and will cost billions of dollars to meliorate, he held a press conference to say that America, the world’s richest nation, would contribute $15 million. That’s less than half of what Republicans plan to spend on the Bush inaugural festivities.

The American aid figure for the current disaster is now $35 million, and we applaud Mr. Bush’s turnaround. But $35 million remains a miserly drop in the bucket.

This stinging indictment was refuted when the U.S. public contribution was multiplied by a factor of 10 to $350 million just days later. Americans have also been generous in private donations.

Need proof? YFP reporters compiled the following data from the United Press International, BBC News, and the Washington Post, current as of January 11th. Asterisks (*) indicate nations in which data on private donations were unavailable.

Though these figures more accurately reflect our country’s true response, they remain woefully incomplete. The U.S. fulfills a role in foreign aid unique to its economic and military status as the global superpower. Consider the following data on logistical and lift support as part of the total contributions:

• Germany: 1 military ship; 2 helicopters with water treatment supplies and operating theater
• Australia: 800 military staff; 4 cargo planes; 1 military health support team; 1 troop transport ship; 4 helicopters
• Japan: 120 civilian emergency workers (pledged 1,000 total)
• Canada: 200-member Disaster Assistant Response Team
• United Kingdom: 2 military ships; 2 Royal Air Force planes; 2 helicopters
• France: 3 military ships; 5 helicopters
• Denmark: 1 military ship, transport vehicles
• United States: 15,650 military staff; 26 military ships, including carriers, transports, and hospital craft; 43 cargo planes; 51 helicopters (Sources: BBC News; European Defence)

The Bush administration may have erred in waiting a week to pledge aid to the disaster victims, and the New York Times and United Nations certainly wasted no time in taking the opportunity to criticize the White House. Contrary to their beliefs, however, Americans hardly need scolding to be generous.

The Yale Free Press: We killed the radio star.
For information on how to donate wisely, visit www.usaid.gov.