IT TURNS OUT...

In U.S., a Multitude of Forces Drains the Spirit of Giving (Philip Rucker, 5/23/08, Washington Post)

[I]n the weeks since a cyclone laid waste to Burma's delta region and an earthquake devastated a central Chinese province -- catastrophes that collectively left 184,000 people dead or missing and displaced millions -- Americans have donated an estimated $57 million to disaster relief charities as of yesterday.

Compare that with the $207 million that Americans donated in the first five days after an Indian Ocean tsunami struck southern Asia in 2004. Or the $226 million raised in five days after hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast.

Americans historically respond to natural disasters with an outpouring of giving, but the charitable response to the cyclone that hit Burma on May 3 and the earthquake that struck China on May 12 has been modest at best.

...Americans don't voluntarily transfer their money to totalitarian enemies. Go figure....

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 23, 2008 10:13 AM