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December 29, 2004

We Can Do Anything

I have had (and will have) little to say regarding the tsunami that has killed at least some 60,000 people throughout the Indian Ocean region, for the simple reason there’s nothing I can say that will help the problem. For those of you interested in lending a hand, you can donate to the American Red Cross’ relief efforts through Amazon, and I have little doubt various aid agencies will be more than willing to accept your time if you’re inclined to donate it.

I am quite interested, however, in the responses to the disaster. As of this writing, Amazon alone has collected some $1.4 million in aid. While that number may pale beside the $35 million President Bush has pledged, as well as the millions in additional aid the United States will provide through the military forces moving into the area to help, it holds one significant difference: while the aid provided by President Bush will probably do more simply because of its vastly higher dollar amounts, the aid seen on the Amazon page (and elsewhere) actually represents people opening their pockets to try to do something to help. It may be more impressive for President Bush to announce the devotion of $35 million to help the victims, but that money is easily spent because it isn’t his. Hey, give me the power to tax and look at how generous I can be. No, what I consider far more impressive is how much money is being collected by people who have freely chosen to give it.

Those on the left may argue that, while it’s nice that some people are willing to give a little, their contributions alone will not be sufficient to provide the aid the peoples of Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, etc., require. Perhaps not, but I think that argument falls short in many areas. No amount of money is going to replace the lost spouses and children. Money can help to rebuild some of the damage and provide the necessities of life for the survivors, but it cannot salve many of their worst wounds and it certainly cannot replace what they have lost. I don’t know the answer, but I suspect that what it would cost to provide potable water and decent food to the survivors is somewhat less than the tens of millions of dollars that will be spent on the relief. It is also fair to assume that, were the U.S. government not already spending $35 million-plus in support of aid operations, the amount of private donations would be greater than it already is (now over $1.6 million just in the time I’ve taken to type this essay). Many Americans can give less or not at all because they know that their government is already acting to ease the pain of south Asia. In that context, it seems more than a little incredible to me that some 29,000 and counting individuals have donated a combined $1.6 million to help.

It is a common refrain that we need government to do things that people cannot do acting alone. We hear it so often because it is occasionally true; a private army or police or court would be no more than the extension of one person’s power over all of us. In those cases, and a few others, government is needed to ensure generally equal treatment. But too often it is assumed that governments are needed for things that private citizens could address quite handily, if only government didn’t insist on stepping in to create the illusion of being irreplaceable.

If you’re looking to help, the Command Post has <a href="I have had (and will have) little to say regarding the tsunami that has killed at least some 60,000 people throughout the Indian Ocean region, for the simple reason there’s nothing I can say that will help the problem. For those of you interested in lending a hand, you can donate to the American Red Cross’ relief efforts through Amazon, and I have little doubt various aid agencies will be more than willing to accept your time if you’re inclined to donate it.

I am quite interested, however, in the responses to the disaster. As of this writing, Amazon alone has collected some $1.4 million in aid. While that number may pale beside the $35 million President Bush has pledged, as well as the millions in additional aid the United States will provide through the military forces moving into the area to help, it holds one significant difference: while the aid provided by President Bush will probably do more simply because of its vastly higher dollar amounts, the aid seen on the Amazon page (and elsewhere) actually represents people opening their pockets to try to do something to help. It may be more impressive for President Bush to announce the devotion of $35 million to help the victims, but that money is easily spent because it isn’t his. Hey, give me the power to tax and look at how generous I can be. No, what I consider far more impressive is how much money is being collected by people who have freely chosen to give it.

Those on the left may argue that, while it’s nice that some people are willing to give a little, their contributions alone will not be sufficient to provide the aid the peoples of Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, etc., require. Perhaps not, but I think that argument falls short in many areas. No amount of money is going to replace the lost spouses and children. Money can help to rebuild some of the damage and provide the necessities of life for the survivors, but it cannot salve many of their worst wounds and it certainly cannot replace what they have lost. I don’t know the answer, but I suspect that what it would cost to provide potable water and decent food to the survivors is somewhat less than the tens of millions of dollars that will be spent on the relief. It is also fair to assume that, were the U.S. government not already spending $35 million-plus in support of aid operations, the amount of private donations would be greater than it already is (now over $1.6 million just in the time I’ve taken to type this essay). Many Americans can give less or not at all because they know that their government is already acting to ease the pain of south Asia. In that context, it seems more than a little incredible to me that some 29,000 and counting individuals have donated a combined $1.6 million to help.

It is a common refrain that we need government to do things that people cannot do acting alone. We hear it so often because it is occasionally true; a private army or police or court would be no more than the extension of one person’s power over all of us. In those cases, and a few others, government is needed to ensure generally equal treatment. But too often it is assumed that governments are needed for things that private citizens could address quite handily, if only government didn’t insist on stepping in to create the illusion of being irreplaceable.

If you’re looking to help, the Command Post has a list of resources.