Quote Originally Posted by aoshi
I can't believe there are selfish people in America who are refusing to give money to these poor people who not only are going through a tragedy NOW, but have had it hard for a long time. I gave a reasonable amount of money to the cause. This is just terribly sad.
The problem is not 'American beings selfish' The problem is that the Haitians in 206 years of state-hood could not get their act together. Sure the death toll is horrible, but my Istanbul experience taught me a profound lesson; Earthquakes are an act of God, living on top of a vaultline and being totally unprepared is a an act of Man

Let's also not forget that the other part of that island there is a state that, even though not exactly rich , manages to function with a modicum of effectiveness.