America is great. The concept isn’t tested very often, but when emergencies happen, Americans respond. The latest round is Haiti. Within days of Haiti’s tragic earthquake, millions of dollars have been donated by everyday Americans in the midst of the worst economic climate since the Great Depression. At first glance, you’d think that Americans must still have lots of free money.
The truth is Americans don’t have that much cash. The years prior to our latest economic collapse, America as a whole had a negative savings rate. That means we didn’t save any cash, we spent it all and more. That was followed by years of massive losses when most Americans saw their net worth drop 20-50%. To recap, Americans spent all their cash, accumulated debt and lost most of their assets. And now we have a huge outpouring of support for one of the world’s smallest countries. That is why America is great.
It’s not all benevolent giving and donating, as many companies look to find ways to profit off of the tragedy. There are some creative tie-ins and even some blatant scams going right now. Fraud is a sad problem that follows events like this, which is why Doctors Without Borders advises:
“Alert: Due to reports of fraudulent activity, we are asking all donors to please be wary of third-party solicitations for Haiti relief. To ensure that your donation goes directly to Doctors Without Borders, please use our secure website or toll-free phone number 1-888-392-0392.”
Today, we can all say America helped and America is great, but please don’t forget that this is just the beginning of the tragedy for Haiti. It will take years for the rebuilding process to be complete, and Haiti will never be exactly the same. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost and there is no way for our aid to help bring them back. Keep the Haitian’s in your mind, hearts and prayers. They need our support.
Donate Direct to Organizations Helping on the Ground in Haiti:
* Doctors Without Borders: https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=197
* Oxfam America: https://secure.oxfamamerica.org/site/Donation2?df_id=3641&3641.donation=form1
* Yele Haiti : http://www.yele.org/donation/
- Dan
