Demand 2.6 Billion In Tsunami Relief! Why 2.6 Billion?

[DistressedAmerican]

According to its own web site, the federal government's 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund payed out roughly 2.6 BILLION dollars in claims to the families of the 9/11 tragedy.

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2004/April/04_civ_207.htm

Several of the countries devastated by this disaster suffered losses dozens of time greater that those we experienced that awful day. The dead from this disaster number more than were killed at Hiroshima, Japan. I believe that the United States' current pledge of $350 million in disaster relief is unacceptably low. The world rallied around us after September 11th. It is our turn to do the same. I believe a minimum commitment equal to that offered the September 11th families is the very least we can do as a nation.

Please contact you senators and congressmen to demand additional aid money be budgeted to help the victims of this disaster. They can be looked up at:

http://www.senate.gov/ and http://www.house.gov/

My suggestion is $2.6 Billion. After all it doesn't take long to burn that much money in Iraq and this money would go to saving lives for a change!

Distressed American
http://www.seedsofdoubt.com/distressedamerican/main.htm

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Wasn't the $2.6 billion to more or less bribe the families not to

sue the airline industry?

[sam sarrha]

2. exact;y what that was

[DistressedAmerican]

5. Absolutely it was!

The families were forced to agree that they would not take legal action against the airlines. It was basically a bribe to keep them from suing. I didn't really like it at the time and it still doesn't feel right to me. Maybe that's why it popped into my head.

Still I'd argue that is well worth the money we spent to "save" the airlines to help out the roughly 5 million people directly impacted by the event.

If you want to get you dollar's worth out of your "winning hearts and minds" money, this is a going out of business sale. International good will is in short supply these days. I recommend we stock up while it is cheap.

[melnjones]

3. Well stated, my friend.

Not sure I'd go quite that high, but at least a billion.

[acmavm]

4. And another billion for healthcare and infrastructure repairs and upkeep

for our own poor neglected and abused country.

[DistressedAmerican]

6. For some numbers on what else we are not spending on

because of our war expenditures check out:

http://costofwar.com/

It has a running estimate of the cost of the war to date and a conversion calculator that breaks it into real world costs like, education, healthcare, etc. Check it out. It is sad!

[DistressedAmerican]

7. Something else to chew on...

According to CNN Sweden's losses are expected to total more than 3,000.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/01/01/thailand.tourist.toll/index.html

According to the article Sweden's national per capita fatality rate is roughly equal to that suffered by Indonesia.

The effects of this historic disaster are being felt far and wide. We are the richest nation on the planet and the lone superpower. I see no excuse for not being more committed to the recovery effort

[DistressedAmerican]

8. Just did some quick math...

Japan is currently pledging $500,000,000 to the relief effort.
The US is currently pledging $350,000,000 to the relief effort.

Japan's population is 127,000,000.
The US population is 295,000,000.

That means that Japan is pledging $3.93 per person to the effort while the United States is pledging $1.18 per person. We can do better than that. Much better!