Pakistan is in trouble.
Not just the same old troubles it has had for years, but catastrophic flooding on top of all that. The rains began about 10 days ago, and at first the devastation was mostly in the North. The once-beautiful Swat Valley, scene of the Pakistani Army's last big offensive against the Taliban, has been smashed and broken.
At first, the flooding was described as the worst in 100 years. Now, with the original misery added to by a second torrential storm, and the havoc spreading into the entire South of the country, it is being called the worst flooding the region has ever known.
There are many videos available, but for visual impact, this report by Kamal Hyder of AJE is probably best.
The USA has been there to help from the very beginning, as witness this story from Armed Forces Press Service, dated August 3rd. Ten Million dollars in immediate aid with more to follow, 200,000 packaged meals conforming to Islamic dietary restrictions, bridges, water purification units, and untold amounts of other aid.
I agree with the decision to help the Pakistani people. Conscience demanded it of us, and I would not ever suggest that we should have failed to send the aid.
But let us contrast this immediate help with the treatment afforded the 99ers, American workers who have been out of work for long enough to exhaust all available UI benefits. Congress has done nothing for the 99ers. President Obama has done nothing for the 99ers. Congress, in fact, went home a week early in order to campaign for re-election. Without doing anything to help the 99ers survive.
The 99ers are US citizens, the Pakistanis are not.
The 99ers have paid US taxes all their working lives, the Pakistanis have not.
The 99ers will be voting in US elections this November, the Pakistanis will not.
So, I ask you, dear reader, why is it more important to help Pakistanis, than to help our own people? What logic justifies abandoning 4 million plus US workers, who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, whose lives have been smashed and broken so that greedy Wall Street bankers could earn a fatter bonus, who have worked hard and paid taxes all their lives, who voted and believed in the America to which we pledged our allegiance every morning in class, since we were little children?
What is America coming to? How have our so-called elected leaders managed to become so desperately out of touch with reality?
Why have the 99ers been abandoned?
I do hate to sound cold hearted when saying this... but, Its time that America took care of itself first! I wouldn't have a problem at all with this IF we didn't have all the unemployment problems that we have. People here are starving in the streets! Wheres our aid? I'm yet to see the Red Cross do a humanitarian effort here to! WAKE UP WASHINGTON!!!
ReplyDelete~Gonzo
I really do feel for the Pakistanis. The damage and loss of life must be devastating. But I also agree that as long as the American government is rushing to aid foreign countries, they should first be rushing to aid America's own people, those affected by the economic downturn and joblessness. The damage to the U.S. people is not a natural disaster, but is every bit as devastating.
ReplyDeleteYeah, good luck figuring out America's national priorities.
ReplyDeleteAre the 99ers organized at all? I'm sure there are enough of you out there that if you got together and circulated petitions, organized demonstrations and so on, you'd not only be more likely to get help but it would go a long way towards getting the truth about unemployment through the collective thick skulls of Americans.
Kemstone,
ReplyDeleteThe 99er's are organizing, and there's so much more to it than geting unemployment benefit. Its about jobs, creating them, saving them, stopping the unpatriotic act of outsourcing, saving the middle class and the American way of life. If you earning don't put you in the top 2%.. you'd do well to get involved. They're many websites organizing this grassroot political movement, check one out you won't be let down.