Obama this morning announced that "the U.S. response to the disaster in Haiti will require 'every element of our national capacity,' including military and civilian forces, to deliver aid" as reported by Roger Runningen and Hans Nichols for Bloomberg:
The president, making a statement at the White House, said he told government agency and department heads that rescue and relief efforts in Haiti "must be a top priority." The U.S. will put $100 million into relief efforts, Obama said.
Spreading generosity and compassion thoughout the world is all well and good but what about making the disasterous American economy -- you know, the economy with a true unemployment rate of 22%, record home foreclosures, a $12 trillion national debt, a looming dollar crisis -- a "top priority" for U.S. agencies? As the old saying goes: the cobbler's children are always shoeless. No doubt the $100 million pledged by Obama -- on top of all the manpower resources directed out of the United States into Haiti -- is just the beginning. Sadly, most of the relief aid won't even reach those in true need but will line the pockets of the corrupt who are responsible for much of the persistent misery in Haiti.
