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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jlallen who wrote (70197)	12/31/2004 11:13:14 AM
From: SOROS	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 89467

It appears he is very easily manipulated by Rumsfield, Cheney, and co. Following the money trail usually leads one to the puppeteers in both politics and the stockmarket. I remain, SOROS

To: jlallen who wrote (70197)	12/31/2004 7:46:14 PM
From: sylvester80	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 89467

MUST READ: THIRTY FIVE MILLION DOLLARS??? (David Shuster) [ed: The hypocrite Bush's PR team finally figured out their dumb@ss move and has moved the contribution to $350M which is still pathetic by U.S. standards for this biblical proportions disaster. Read more below. The damage has been done and Bush has once again proved that he is a complete hypocritical retard to even be a leader of his own high school janitorial service let alone leader of the U.S. And that's a fact.] December 29, 2004\| 2:38 p.m. ET msnbc.msn.com I appreciate that the 35 million our government is sending to Southeast Asia is just the beginning. And I'm confident the public and private contributions from the U.S. over the next few months will end up being a hundred times that. But, the initial American government response to this disaster feels awfully empty. For all of you sports fans, imagine if you were watching a slugger like Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, or Babe Ruth at the beginning of a World Series. That first at bat is dramatic and highly anticipated, because after all, this is the league's "Home run king." And what do you see? The slugger lays down a bunt. Sure it's a contribution, maybe even a sacrifice. But it would be disappointing and strange just the same. The United States government is the wealthiest on the planet. At this time of worldwide horror and grief for the more than [117,000] people killed by the tsunami, and the millions of others who are now homeless, why not start with a billion dollar pledge? Compared to 35 million dollars, a billion would generate worldwide headlines and amazement... and it would immediately give people across this earth a reason to be thankful for the United States. And given recent polls showing that hatred for the U.S. is at an all-time high, we could certainly use a better image. Besides, to put the 35 million dollars in context, consider this: To "help" the citizens of Iraq, our government is spending 5.8 BILLION dollars each MONTH. That translates to more than 8 million dollars an hour. Or put another way, the $35 million we have pledged in disaster aid for Southeast Asia is less than the amount the U.S. military spent during the six hours it took on Sunday for the tsunami to cross the Indian Ocean. I can hear some of you complaining about American "priorities." Hmmmm. Let's look at our "priorities." Last year, Congress appropriated the following: $3 million for "shrimp aquaculture research." (Since 1985, this program has received 61 million dollars.) $3 million for the Utah Public Lands "Artifcact Preservation" program. $50 million for an "indoor rainforest project" in Iowa. Yes Iowa. I could go on and on about our government's "priorities," and in 2005, I promise that I will. But in the meantime, it's embarassing that at the moment, a disaster affecting more than a million people is only ten times more important than preserving artifacts in Utah or studying the behavior of shrimp, and is valued less than building an Iowa rainforest (or occupying Iraq for 6 hours.) I'm sure our government will eventually readjust this... and I know the generosity of the United States will exceed that of any other nation. I just don't understand why we aren't making that statement right from the start, when the message of hope is needed most. The United States I know is the one that leads and sets an example for the rest of the planet — not one that sits quietly and waits. Questions/Comments: DShuster@msnbc.com