Aklim, do not donate if that is your wish. Personally, I support the efforts by our government to deliver aid to these folks. I suspect a few others here also support the efforts. But you may have suggested something without realizing it. Haiti will need considerable rebuilding of its major systems; water, sewer, power. Perhaps we should put together a program employing out of work skilled folk to travel there for some time to begin reconstruction of these systems. Without them, the initial death toll will easily be doubled by the illnesses that follow.
Considering the GDP of Haiti vs the amount donated in Katrina relief by them, I suspect that would be like us giving quite a bit of money.
Haiti contributed a sizeable amount of the population of NOLA during the 19th century. They have contributed considerably to the culture of NOLA.

You said it a lot nicer than I would have, thanks.

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

I'm generally not impressed by donation efforts of people to foreign causes. Like I said, it's not like we don't have enough severe problems of our own today. To me, when someone takes the effort to fix someone else's backyard when their own lawn is a mess, it stinks of showboating. Kinda like if you told me you were adopting some foreign kid to give them a home. WTF? We have enough kids here to adopt.

But with what will they pay us with?

According to some charts, it is about 7 billion.

That was then. The question is: What have you done for me LATELY.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
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03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
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11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Here's another story on the conditions there.....before the quake:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/6982906/Haiti-earthquake-commentary-earthquake-may-expose-Haitis-poverty.html.

Just remember what one foreign observer said once: "You have the only country I know of with fat poor people"


We have tough times in many parts of this country, and folks in many other countries would trade places with our poor any day.

I say do what we can in both places. Right now in Haiti, it seems like they are updating the death toll by adding zeros. It's that bad. The next 48 hours will be crucial.

Your lawn is a mess. Fix it first before you fix anybody else's yard. As my first aid instructor Mrs Nesbitt would tell us, "Don't go rescuing somebody unless you are sure you are not going to get into a bigger mess. Better one than 2 in trouble.".

OTOH, maybe with less population, they will have more resources to go around.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Bob,
Boy ain't that the truth. My Russian GF constantly reminds me of the obvious: Americans are the fattest people on the planet.
I'll turn your remark around a little bit: If you're fat, you aren't really poor.

Unfortunately this country proofs otherwise; being poor in the US means no easy or non at all access to good healthy food. The cheap food they have easy access too makes them fat. So yes being obese is a sign of poverty in this country.

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

jeezus. Just read that they think over 100,000 people have been killed. That is horrifying.

It's absolute horrible; there entire infrastructure collapsed. I can't see how such a fragile society can re coupe from this disaster. This must be the most plagued country in the world, finally there was a tiny bit of hope for this country and it evaporated all in seconds. So sad.

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1979 Black on Black, 300CD (sold), 1990 Black 300SE, Silver 1989 Volvo 780, 1988 300CE (vanished by the hands of a girlfriend), 1992 300CE (Rescue).

There is this thing called "Portion Control". Sure, you can eat fattening foods. Just don't eat as much. Nobody said you can't have a Big Mac with Supersize fries and a soda. Just not 5 times a day. The cheap food they have access to, thanks to our good intentions, does nothing good for them. It makes them die slower, is all.

They are in their fate because they lack the self discipline and will to succeed. that explains why they gorge themselves and not subscribe to portion control. that explains why they don't exercise and are obese.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Rank Country % Overweight or obese
1. Nauru 94.5
2. Federated States of Micronesia 91.1
3. Cook Islands 90.9
4. Tonga 90.8
5. Niue 81.7
6. Samoa 80.4
7. Palau 78.4
8. Kuwait 74.2
9. United States 74.1
10. Kiribati 73.6
11. Dominica 71.0
12. Barbados 69.7
13. Argentina 69.4
14. Egypt 69.4
15. Malta 68.7
16. Greece 68.5
17. New Zealand 68.4
18. United Arab Emirates 68.3
19. Mexico 68.1
20. Trinidad and Tobago 67.9

http://www.infoplease.com/world/statistics/obesity.html

According to the BMI used to construct the above, a person 6' tall weighing 185lbs is overweight.

Thanks Doc! No comment on the fact that the information contradicts the referred to statement?: