Relief? Anyone?

[Deacon]

Yes, I'm amazed, though not terribly surprised, at how poorly Louisiana has prepared for and responded to this crisis. The ignorant and wayward citizens, yes, make it a pretty morbid situation, but the failures of the Mayor of NOLA and the governor of LA are just astounding, a resounding tribute to their utter incompetence.

[quote="Springy";p="539626"]First of all, just because the majority of people here are from the States doesnt mean that Since I'm from Canada I should never give my opinion.[/quote]
Oh no, by all means, feel free to give your opinion. Just understand there's a difference between an opinion and being factually wrong. Also understand that while you're free to make whatever statements enter your head to make, you're also free to be criticized for and judged by such statements. It's a two-way road. You can feel free to dish it out, but you must also be prepared to take it, especially in a case where you're throwing out factually inaccurate slurs at an entire nation.

[NickGXZ]

Um, Deacon...

I'm thinking this is way above state level too.

Can you say "Communication Gaps?"

[#03]

I think the reason Roma is so pissed is because he's comparing it to the Tsunami disaster and thinking "They got much more aid than us and quicker, why aren't we getting the same trearment?" And the reason for this is if the aid and money wasn't sent in such number and speed to the islands effected by the Tsunami then the country wouldn't have been able to do anything about it and a lot more people would have died and the situation would still be pretty bad. However America has the means to be able to deal with the situation itself without aid.

Not that I'm saying it shouldn't get aid but it doesn't need it as desperately as the Tsunami hit islands did (I think its Sri lanker but can't remeber >_<). So in answer to your complaint the U.S isn't expected to just mop up their own problems as the amount of aid offered has shown its just the world is aware of the U.S's situation over all and know that you don't need help as badly or as quickly as (Sri lanker?) did. But it is and will get it as the time is right, though I doubt I'll be donating in warehouse (night club). So lets just calm down and just try to help as much as we all can and I'm sure the U.S will be on its way to recovery in no time .

[chapium]

[quote="Roma";p="539144"]After the Tsunami, the United States was very generous in relief efforts for the victoms. After Katrina, WHERE THE FU@# ARE OTHER COUNTRIES OFFERING RELIEF? The United States "MUST" help everyone in trouble, however, no one seems to give a SH@# about disasters in the United States. Jesus Christ this pisses me off.[/quote]


I think as concerned Americans, we should be asking, WHERE THE FU@# was are own country the first few days? I mean holy crap, we are just now getting food, water, and extensive military support to these people?


In hindsite, the results of this should have been easy to see. If we could not get enough humanitarian to Baghdad, a city we knew we were going to destroy, how can we get aid to these people in an event that we only had a week or two of notice for?

What really pisses me off is we saw this hurricane coming and knew the doomsday scenarios for New Orleans, why the hell were we so slow to respond to the point that the city went into pandemonium when people got desperate for food and water? If there is anyone I can't be more angry at , its that person who has been on vacation for the past 2 months...

[Martin Blank]

[quote="chapium";p="539803"]If there is anyone I can't be more angry at , its that person who has been on vacation for the past 2 months...[/quote]
Since you're new, I'll repeat what I've told others for years.

The President does not get vacation.

EVER.

No president at least from Eisenhower has ever gotten a vacation the way that you and I do. When we go on vacation, we can end up out of contact entirely by leaving our phones behind, not providing information on where we're going, or simply ignoring the outside world.

Every single day of the week, no matter where they are, what holiday it is, or how tired they are, they get a briefing of the state of the nation and the world.

Every single day of the week, no matter where they are, what holiday it is, or how tired they are, they are in contact with their advisors to keep the nation running.

Every single day of the week, no matter where they are, what holiday it is, or how tired they are, they have to make decisions that affect, directly or indirectly, the lives of the people in this country.

Every single day of the week, no matter where they are, what holiday it is, or how tired they are, they are within a few minutes of being able to contact virtually every single federal official, member of Congress, and senior judiciary.

Whether in Kennebunkport, Martha's Vineyard, California, Camp David, Crawford, or whatever other place a president chooses to spend some time away from the office, he is always, at every moment, the president, responsible to the American people, and in contact with the rest of the government. This president, Clinton, Bush Senior, Reagan, Carter, Ford, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy, and Eisenhower at least were all subject to this. Truman may have been the last president with any capacity to "get away from it all" for a short time, if even he was able to do so.

Posted 02 Sep 2005 18:05:

[quote="workmad3";p="539600"]Nah, britains healthcare is fine imo. We don't need to apy for it if we don't want to, and despite all these claims that it is failing etc etc etc, it still seems a lot better than any alternatives such as health insurance. Especially seeing as I would have trouble in most countries getting health insurance due to family history of diabetes and cancer.[/quote]
There are approximately 40,185,134 people in the UK between the ages of 15 and 64. That's £1,851 per person in that spectrum, the one whose population is most likely to be paying taxes. That number is going to £2,036 next year, and £2,244 the year after. Those numbers are based on spending of £74.394B, £81.838B, and £90.2B over those years, and the numbers don't look to slow their growth much after that.

For all that, every tale I've ever heard from Brits -- RFairney, gowerlypuff, and others -- has had a horror story associated with it, ranging from lining up at the doctor's office at 6am (opening time 8am) hoping to be seen by the end of the day, to paying out of pocket in order to not have to wait weeks for a dentist to deal with a cavity. Even some of Canada's wait times are better.

[Rorschach]

[quote="Martin Blank";p="539809"]
For all that, every tale I've ever heard from Brits -- RFairney, gowerlypuff, and others -- has had a horror story associated with it, ranging from lining up at the doctor's office at 6am (opening time 8am) hoping to be seen by the end of the day, to paying out of pocket in order to not have to wait weeks for a dentist to deal with a cavity. Even some of Canada's wait times are better.[/quote]
Although anecdotal evidence is usually a contradiction in terms, I'd have to interject here
As someone who uses hospitals and doctors on a more-than-average basis, I have nothing to report but good experiences and efficient and caring service. And I don't know anyone, personally, who'd say different
Maybe I've been lucky - I too have heard horror stories on the news about dentists refusing to take any more NHS patients because they're not as lucrative as private ones and yet I've never had any problems nor, again, know anyone who has
Maybe luck. Maybe not. I don't know. I'm not pretending that our health service is perfect - I read newspapers - but I'd have to hoist my flag up the 'satisfied' mast

Anyway, just my tuppence. As you were, with the intelligent debate and actual facts and such

[StruckingFuggle]

I think as concerned Americans, we should be asking, WHERE THE FU@# was are own country the first few days? I mean holy crap, we are just now getting food, water, and extensive military support to these people?

Good point!

[SunTzu]

Easy answer to that, in Iraq

[peter-griffin]

[quote="SunTzu";p="539840"]Easy answer to that, in Iraq [/quote]

you are a dumbass

So I guess when hundreds of people in my country died of SARS and you didn't employ a D.A.R.T team to help aid us in our little disaster was just because we burned down your Whitehouse in the War of 1812? Razz kidding

using british guns, british officers, british ships, british artillery, british tactics and british supplies? the only thing canadian about that regiment was that some of it's soldiers were from canada, and they were based in canada.

also i think 80% of a city being under filthy, contaminated water is a bit more extreme than a SARS epidemic.

[SunTzu]

Eloquent as always, ey peter? I wonder how the rules never seem to apply to you....

Anyways, sweden are flying in a couple of loads of water purification equipment and the like. We still havent recieved a formal request though, but apparantly our politicans are getting antsy.

[Bigity]

Ok, the US gave away 18,999 million dollars in foreign aid in 2004. That is just what the federal government gave out, not private business or citizens. That amount is is more then twice the runner up.

There isn't any doubt about the US leading in dollar figures. I have never found a report on donations that includes private donations from businesses and churches and citizens, for any country.

[SunTzu]

You're also AFAIK the country that earns the most in the world.

Il try to dig up the numbers that our media published post-tsunami. Both of our major newspapers (on both sides of the political spectrum), had the same conclusion.

this is from a quick googling:

* USA’s aid, in terms of percentage of their GNP has almost always been lower than any other industrialized nation in the world, though paradoxically in the last four years, their dollar amount has been the highest. (Only in 2004 did they move up from last place by one.)
* Since 1992, Japan had been the largest donor of aid, in terms of raw dollars. That was until 2001 when the United States reclaimed that position, a year that also saw Japan’s amount of aid drop by nearly 4 billion dollars (as tables and charts below will also show).

This is from http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelate ... GNIpercent

[Bigity]

[quote="SunTzu";p="539975"]You're also AFAIK the country that earns the most in the world.

Il try to dig up the numbers that our media published post-tsunami. Both of our major newspapers (on both sides of the political spectrum), had the same conclusion.

this is from a quick googling:

* USA’s aid, in terms of percentage of their GNP has almost always been lower than any other industrialized nation in the world, though paradoxically in the last four years, their dollar amount has been the highest. (Only in 2004 did they move up from last place by one.)
* Since 1992, Japan had been the largest donor of aid, in terms of raw dollars. That was until 2001 when the United States reclaimed that position, a year that also saw Japan’s amount of aid drop by nearly 4 billion dollars (as tables and charts below will also show).

This is from http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelate ... GNIpercent[/quote]


From the exact same site:

* International giving by US foundations: $1.5 billion per year
* Charitable giving by US businesses: $2.8 billion annually
* American NGOs: $6.6 billion in grants, goods and volunteers.
* Religious overseas ministries: $3.4 billion, including health care, literacy training, relief and development.
* US colleges scholarships to foreign students: $1.3 billion
* Personal remittances from the US to developing countries: $18 billion in 2000
* Source: Dr. Carol Adelman, Aid and Comfort, Tech Central Station, 21 August 2002.

While Adelman admits that “there are no complete figures for international private giving” she still says that Americans are “clearly the most generous on earth in public — but especially in private — giving”. Hence these numbers and claims may be taken with caution, but even then, these are high numbers.

[SunTzu]

Well, im not counting our donations either I belive Sweden ranks very highly anyways..

The point is, you dont donate nearly as much as the rest of the world overall. A large part of your countrys politicans claims they need to be there to "guide the world", yet you arent paying up for it.

[Bigity]

I don't understand. THe site YOU provided indicates that the U.S. donates more then twice as many other country in the world, even before adding in private donations.