You may have read that the Bush administration had pledged $35 million towards helping victims of last week's tsunami. The actual donation amount was to be $15 million and our magnanimous president has offered extending a $20 million LINE OF CREDIT. So essentially, this nation's contribution was to be 5 cents from every citizen, while victim nations have the option of borrowing another 7 cents (if we round the figure up) from each of us (if they need it). Keep in mind that the week of inaugural festivities is likely to cost upwards of $40 million
Within the past few hours the administration has upped the pledge to $350 miilion. Mostly because of the international ridicule they were facing. Now we're up to $1.18, per resident, so it's like every person in American is contributing 1 pack of gum. Maybe we could send lottery tickets instead.
$350 million is roughly the equivalent of about 2 1/2 days' worth of war in Iraq. Or this amount is about $100 million less than the combined net worth of Bush and his cabinet (16 people in total but more than 450 million portraits of George Washington). Then again, $350 million is less than half of John and Teresa Kerry's nest egg.
The hardest hit country was Indonesia. the largest Islamic nation on the planet. Many of the other countries affected by the tsunami, including Somalia Tanzania Malaysia Tanzania, India, have significant Muslim populations. Prior to the tsunami, a lot of people in these countries neither hated nor loved the US. I think Bush's hamfistedness might have ensured a good recruiting year UBL.
Posted by scott at December 31, 2004 03:43 PM