I will be the first to agree that there is much to criticise about America. By the same token it would be churlish not to acknowledge all the good that America does. I have been following the extensive BBC coverage on the relief efforts in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan in The Philippines. The USS George Washington with its 23 choppers is making a huge difference to communities that have been left with absolutely NOTHING. People left in utter despair, without even water to drink, are receiving aid. Contrast that with China's utterly reprehensible initial offer of $100K. Yes, I am fully aware of the diplomatic tensions between the two countries, largely due to China's ridiculous territorial claims in the South China Sea, but there is a time to put aside all that and be humane. On that score China clearly doesn't even know the meaning of the word. Well done America!
Giving away money we don't have, often as not to those who hate us, is one of the few things we still do well.
That's socialism! Those people, not to be confused with Those People, should've bought insurance! Or maybe they should've bought more guns.
US is only doing this to gain influence. Go and read how much the US gave when the last big typhoon (Bopha) hit - nothing. Asia is the focus continent now and there's a big push to gain power and I wouldn't be surprised if US will be asking to build military bases in Philippines in the next few years. China upped it's number to $1.4 million and if you'd read about it then you'd know that US also offered significantly less at first. The continent-island of Australia and Norway, with a population of 5 million, are contributing more than the US. US publicity machine is definitely well oiled. Any help is obviously great but this thread is obnoxious.
I would be interested in seeing figures (by country) detailing the amount individuals have given to charities involved in relief efforts for the typhoon or direct payments to help in the aid effort. Could adjust those values by GDP of the country so the comparison would be apples to apples. I don't think these numbers exist anywhere, but I would be curious to know who is really helping out when these disasters strike. fan27
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-14/cheapskate-china-wins-no-friends-in-philippines.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24938874
I have not been able to find such a list. This one is several days old. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-24899006 Frankly at this point what really matters is not money pledged but physical aid and logistical support. Case in point one of the early reports highlighted that there were only 16 trucks available for an entire province. Thus 8 were deployed to transport supplies, 4 for urgent reconstruction work, and 4 for cadaver retrieval. One man had only eaten 2 meals in 5 days. Initial aid supplies limited water to 1 litre a day for a whole family. In this regard, America has an aircraft carrier and support ships on station, with a hospital ship en route, Britain has despatched a helicopter carrier and is flying in supplies, and Japan is sending warships and personnel to help. This is the sort of stuff that makes an immediate difference, and is what is needed most of all right now.