By way of background, the nation of Haiti experienced a 7.0 earthquake last week that resulted in massive devastation and death on an order that is not only incomprehensible, but improbable, from within the Western World, most especially America. As could have been easily predicted, the United States federal government, along with a large number of rich corporations, ran to the aid of the collapsed country within mere hours of the onset of the disaster, while millions of individuals from within the country donated a substantial sum when considered in total – all in the midst of the Great Recession. There is, however, a major problem with this situation: the federal government seems entirely willing to move millions of dollars in aid and resources at a moment’s notice to a foreign country with virtually no prior ties, but will not, or cannot, solve domestic problems a noticeable degree of magnitude smaller.
Haiti was a nation that did not particularly like the Western World, and contained millions of citizens that reached far beyond the upper limits of the poverty line. Entire cities were only slightly better than shantytowns, there were only the most limited of public services, and extreme corruption existed within almost all levels of its government. This was a country that existed on a major tectonic fault line, but ignored the danger implicit in such a position – as a result, the government has both physically and metaphorically collapsed, hundreds of thousands of people within its borders are now dead or injured, and anarchy is beginning to rise out of the ashes. As sad as the situation may be, this is not a natural disaster – it is a crime of supreme and willful negligence that substantially exacerbated a foreseeable situation.
If Haiti had prepared, in any fashion, for an earthquake, the situation would not be so dire – even if the only preparation was to sequester food and water for emergencies, or to have a contingency plan in place for such an occasion. This, quite obviously, did not happen and has brought the country and its people to the ruinous point at which they currently stand. The fact that the United States came running so quickly to its aid is questionable at best, despicable at worst: for the last few decades, the federal government has operated on the policy that any and all disasters could, and should, be solved by intervention. The majority of Africa, a portion of the Middle East, parts of Asia, countless South American countries, and now Haiti can all lay claim to “big brother America” riding in on a white horse to save the day with money, food, water, and manpower, but New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina cannot.
What is wrong with this picture? The answer should be immediately obvious to any and all observers of the ongoing situation, no matter how impassioned or emotional they may be. When somewhere close to half of the world does not want the assistance, or even presence, of America during the course of normal operations, why, then, should they be aided in times of distress? There are no ethical qualms about aiding allies when necessary, and if England were to be attacked by a fast-moving and unnoticed glacier from farther north, there should be no doubt that the United States would rightly rally to assist. However, the government has no business spending the nation’s money on foreign affairs that do not effect its people’s future in any fashion, as a poor nation with no interest in its benefactors does not advance the cause of anyone but those who receive said aid.
America is in the midst of several crises, none of which have been solved or even adequately addressed: the Great Recession still continues, no matter what Ben Bernanke wishes to claim; the institutions that were largely behind the collapse, and subsequent job losses, still run free and rampant; healthcare reform remains unimplemented, with its best hope being a questionable reform status; the military engagement in Afghanistan continues, along with the cleanup of Iraq; the nation’s infrastructure is crumbling around the feet of its people; the number of unemployed, impoverished, underfed, underprivileged, and uneducated continues to rise beyond tolerable limits; secularist society appears threatened by a resurgence of religious dependence; highly polarized and vitriolic politics continue to rend the nation into distinct factions and pieces – the list continues at great length. With all of these issues unsolved, why should money that is, in tandem, both funded by taxes and deficit spending be expended to solve someone else’s problems that have nothing to do with the country, not even tangentially?
Suggesting to ignore the plight of those around the world is not a popular position to take, especially in the midst of an ongoing disaster, but it is an important one to be taken, so long as there are valid reasons. The United States has a famously short-term and selective memory, where Haiti has become all-important, while so many other crises exist, and have for years, around the world – this is merely the latest headline-grabbing tearjearker to grab the nation’s wallets. It is important to note that criticizing America’s aid to Haiti is not political: President Obama is not acting out of self-serving reasons, there is no great conspiracy, and God/Allah/Shiva had nothing to do with the earthquake. This is simply the understandably reasonable plea for the allocation of funds, effort, political will, and, most of all, attention to issues at home before issues abroad.
The United States will not be able to prop up nations or people, when such disasters occur in the future, if it does not continue to exist as it has over the last century. Comparative prosperity notwithstanding, America is a nation in significant trouble that can simply not afford to invest resources, of any kind, in arenas that will never reciprocate or even result in mutually beneficial arrangements. Had the last two decades proceeded differently – with respect to deregulation, federal spending, and generally addressing domestic issues - such assistance would not be so crucial an issue.
History, however, is as it is, and America is not the world’s savior – it’s time to spread the message.
From Kyle Brady…..
Kyle can be found on his blog, via email, or on Twitter.
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