I do feel sorry for them but there are veterans, that fought for our country, who are homeless. If we can't take care of our own then what buisness do we have trying to take care of others.

Having worked for 2 non-profit agencies in the past 15 years or so, I can tell you they do good work. However, I being first hand involved in the payables side of the agencies I have seen what can go on even in non-profit organizations. Basically, our slim paychecks were funded by the donations of the public and of course we should use that money wisely. I decided to quit partially based upon what my acct. mgr. made me do which was to cut a 10K check to an employee to not involve a suit from what I think was based on age discrimination. I questioned the ethics and confronted him on why, he just told me to cut the check since his approval was on it. So, the morals I have told me it was hush money and a payout since she was useless as far as I knew of her to the non profit organization as a long time employee that just happened to be older. Soon afterwards, I quit because I have morals although not rich and I will take care of myself first before handing out money to someone I do not know. Call me selfish with some, not tons, of money but at least I have morals and values and know when right is right and wrong is wrong unlike what this non profit organization did. I won't name it here, but point being you never really know what your hard earned money goes towards UNTIL you have first hand experience on where it is going like I did.

BayMom

Ok, then give $10 to the Salvation Army.

My point is that there's virtually no one who can afford a p/c, or a television, or a newspaper, who cannot afford $10 for Haitian relief.

Giving is important, but so is giving wisely.
After the Red Cross stuffed it's accounts after 9/11 and didn't want to give very much to the victims in whose names they'd been raking in the cash, and after hearing first hand from friends and relatives how little help the Red Cross was after a major Florida hurricane and after Katrina, I gave up on them.
-

Giving to the Salvation Army (which pledged to use every cent they collect for Haitian relief on Haitian relief, and which did a great job in the major hurricanes), or Samaritan's Purse (which has people on the ground in Haiti helping, including the brother of a friend), or other private charities seems much wiser, too, than giving to governmental ones which may funnel the money through Haiti's corrupt government (after, perhaps, funneling it through their own graft and corruption systems at home).

You never hear of any of our repersentives in congress giving, rebulicans or democrats they play us for suckers, Email Ryan or Feingold and ask them how much they gave.

janesvillereader and westside,

Those are some pretty lame excuses. Shame on you.

I think we all gave when obama gave Haiti 100 million of our tax dollars, what about the people in new orleans, they are still struggling to get there houses fixed.... there are plenty of people in the us that need money also ....

not everyone likes/uses twitter

If you claim to be a Christian, isn't it your duty to help the sick and injured? Will a $10 Twitter donation to the American Red Cross really be too great a burden to bear?

64/4/30 seems the math is bad here.

I'm more worried about helping our own country. What has Haiti done with all the millions of dollars they get every year from us anyway??

estside
Jan 20, 2010 at 1:51 p.m.
Suggest removal help them out if that will make you feel better about yourself and brighten your day, but do not bash those who simply choose not to or cannot afford to! We as citizens can choose how we want to spend our money and mine will not being going overseas....... just my taxes
.
I agree with most of this post.
.
I think a lot of people are making general comments about some of the reason people choose not to donate.
.
One person (jvlhousewife) actually said she wouldn't give because the people of Haiti hadn't helped themselves first.
.
Seriously, that is a backwards way of looking at this horrible situation.
.
Most people understand that times are tough and many of us have to choose how we spend our money very carefully. Helping locally first makes sense. I don't know many that criticize that belief.
.
However, some have brought politics into this. Some brought judgement of the Haitian people into this.
.
Those to beliefs are difficult to understand.
.
A disaster happened and people need help. If you are able, hopefully you choose to help (more than just taxes) if you are unable hopefully better times are ahead. If you are able and feel they don't deserve your help for any reason...that is sad.

Years ago a friend heard that I was moving to Janesville and shook his head and said why would you ever want to do that. My reasons are not important, but I asked him why he said that. "Bunch of uncaring hillbillies" is what he said. Then he went on and on about the people driving around in their trucks / SUVs, etc. I thought he was nuts to say that and have enjoyed my time here. Why do I share this story? I am in a state of SHOCK after viewing the results of the informal poll that the Gazette conducted on helping Haiti. (the question above)I have much empathy for what GOT_TO_GO has been saying. I cannot believe that more than DOUBLE(almost 800 votes so far) of those that cast a vote would not help Haiti. Maybe my friend was right about the real population of this town. It;s hard to believe that those that have voted can see the piles of bodies, estimates of 100,000 or more and vote no - very disappointed.

Wow, this is sad. Even if you don't have money to give or don't want your money to go to Haiti, there was another option...to help out in nonmonetary ways. These are human beings we are talking about. Regardless of their nationality, race, political beliefs, etc., they are still people and deserve better than what happened to them.

No thank God the majority fills like these posters.I donated to the Katrina fund,the Good Friday tornado in Monroe back in 1967,alot of other tradgedys.I dont care if they live in tim buck too.I am retired and on medicare.I do what I can.Salvation Army you can get hold of your local chapter and donate.We are a blessed country and should leave politics out of it.For those who donated bravo,for those who have made excusses not to shame on you.It might just be you that needs help the next time.

Hank,

The US had a GDPof 14.265 Trillion in 2008
The next closest is Japan at 4.924 Trillion
So yes the USA is the richest nation on the planet. Please do not compare me to and old GM worker and make a general statement like that. I lost my job more than 7 years ago and have since opened 5 of my own businesses. I have helped myself and I take care of my own. As far as my investments they are doing just fine thank you. Please just go stick your safety bunker and learn more about how the sky is falling. Can't believe how much flack I am getting for wanting people to help each other.

Call1-I would suggest that you do a little research on charitable organizations and how they work. I am quite familiar with the Red Cross having volunteered with them for several years. While I can't speak to how the international Red Cross distributes funds, I do know that $.90 of each dollar donated to disaster relief is spent on disaster relief in this country. They can do this because of the tremendously large network of volunteers. And services provided by the Red Cross Disaster Services are provided WITHOUT COST to victims, and those in need. There is no 'repayment plan' for this assistance.

If I were giving to a Charity, I do a little checking people..www.charitynavigator.org. Even the American Red Cross, because I'd be willing to bet you'd be surprised at how little money actually goes to the victims of any disaster. And, a lot of Charities (United Way, & ARC) have repayment plans for the victims they help. One of my good friends who was in Katrina got to find that little tid bit out when one of the Charities named above helped his family. And for you hard heads who will say, "So.. they should have to pay it back!" I'd like to remind you that, when most people give to these charities (Key word here is "GIVE") they don't expect the victims to be helped out by these Charities like a Bank would help out these victims. Most disaster victims didn't have anything when the disaster hit, & the ones that did.. just lost everything. At least thats the way its done here in the good ole USA. I personally don't see these charities putting millions into Haiti because they know there's no pay back for them. I use to give to Charities.. but I don't anymore.

Mister C,

How are we not taking care of our own? Yes unemployment is high, yes things are tough right now, but are you living on a dollar or two a day as many in Haiti do. We live in the richest, most powerful country on the planet. So you are saying you want the Gov. to help you out more, yet when they try to get involved in things people cry socialism. You have to help yourself, we in this country have the ability to do that most of the world does not have that luxury. I have never said we should not take care of our own but we also shouldn't turn a blind eye to the rest of the world.

Ok Andre for the last time I will explain how I come to my conclusion. The JANESVILLE Gazette is a rock county paper (yes I know how Google works) the largest city in Rock county is Janesville so it stands to reason that most (not all) most posters here live in Janesville.

63% say they won't help ? Amazing .

I give when I can afford it. Now is not one of those times.

Thats the problem we don't take care of our own. Get a grip go to go

"Boy, 5, pulled alive from rubble in Haiti" after 8 days buried alive.
Who still thinks we shouldn't make every possible effort to get every last victim out of their death trap? Who cares if we weren't born on the same piece of land? What difference does it make? A 5 year old boy is a 5 year old boy-not some vicious enemy. And he never will be either, if we don't treat him like one.
At the same time doing everything we can to take care of our own, of course! No one says to has to be one or the other.

I have donated directly to a former UW Badger football player and a couple of Milwaukee firefighters who took it upon themselves to go into Haiti through the Dominican Republic and have been medically treating Haitians all over Port au Prince. They are putting their money where their mouths are and have the pictures to show it! Check out badgerjake.blogspot.com

my compassion goes to my family with 2 major illnesses and 2 people about to pass any day now i would rather have my time and energy put into that. I have done my share of volunteer work at my local church,and rang bells for the salvation army, still small minded? Have you ever been to away from WI and seen homeless people on the streets wearing rags, bone thin, dying for just a bite of bread? I'm small minded because i will give to those in my own country

One more thing then I will shut up. I have lived all over this country and oversees. I do know what other towns are like and what other people are like so don't tell me what other people and towns are like. Now goodbye.

One more thing. I don't help people out to make myself feel better. I do it because it is the right thing to do. I would want help as I watched my family members dying. So just because it is not in our town we can turn a blind eye to this tragedy. Small Minded!!!

Small minded as usual, thinking that you pay extra taxes because of this. You pay taxes no matter what, that is part of living in this country. You really think the US can stand on its own without the help of other countries? Others help us so why shouldn't we help other countries, especially those in dire need. I understand it is tough all over but try and see the big picture once in awhile.

help them out if that will make you feel better about yourself and brighten your day, but do not bash those who simply choose not to or cannot afford to! We as citizens can choose how we want to spend our money and mine will not being going overseas....... just my taxes

got to go, and hollynfaith, are you guys blind? yes these may be the opinions of a small majority of Janesville, BUT lots of people all over the united states feel the same way,including myself. move anywhere and you will find the same opinions.

andre,

Because it is a Janesville based paper and the vast majority of people reading it are from Janesville. I don't think people in NY or LA are subscribing to the Janesville Gazette. That is how I come to my conclusion.

Haiti has been hit so hard that even the people that would normally be in place to help out in the event of a crisis have been buried. If that happened here and all of our resources to help us was gone, what do you think we would be doing? Begging for help of course. If we were in their shoes all of you naysayers would be crying like babies for help.

This poll shows about what I expected out of Janesville. I am so ashamed to be a member of this so called community and can't wait to get out of this town.

We donated to a Christian organization that we trust to use our donation wisely. The devastation in Haiti is so overwhelming, even if they were not a poor country, it would have been catastrophic. But with that level of poverty and lack of infrastructure, it is just beyond words. My heart breaks for the people there, especially the children. They are people with a strong faith in God and their continued faith amazes me in light of the suffering they continue to experience. I hope my donation and the donations of others will help alleviate the suffering of at least a few victims of this tragedy. If you are poor in the US you are still a LOT better off than these people. There are so many resources to at least meet your basic needs. To try to compare the needs in this community to the needs in Haiti is just ridiculous.

I would love to help the people of haiti but I have no money cuz I dont have a job, could anybody help me with that please!

This is the problem with good ole USA we would rather help out others insted of our own.Then we belittle those that don't shame on you! We would rather help people who don't help them selfs and when someone ask you for help in your own town ya call them lazy and worthless.How about we help those here before we go help any one else

My wife and I gave to 3 well-respected charities. I am appalled by the results of this survey.

This is the great community I live in? I think it's time to move....so much for compassion of human life! No wonder Janesville is in the shape it is in...everyone is too busy looking out for themselves and not willing to help their neighbor. I can understand those who can't afford to; however, simply not wanting to is beyond comprehension to me. Has our society really come to this? And comdemn if you really feel the need, but it will fall on deaf ears. There is no excuse for such behavior. We are all human, we all deserve compassion.

darwin1 I was not complaining,I was giving my opinion,also we are not talking about Iraq,spare me from your criticizing,We as United States Citizens have more needs here the money should be distributed here not there Oh ! sorry I was giving a speech again,go take a nap

partarican1, It may seem odd (and frustrating) that they're asking for money but not supplies that they need the money for. But really, there is a reason. They are much better equipped to deal with securing large amounts of uniform supplies of whatever type they need and ship them or have them shipped in an orderly manner than they are to receive, sort, pack and transport tons and tons of whatever the general population can gather up or think is wanted. And it certainly would save much of the donated money.
You can imagine that everything must be inspected-who knows what some "funny" (or even angry) citizen might put in some pants pocket, or what someone might slip into that bag of flour.

No one can fault you for wanting to help in whatever way you can afford, so I would certainly use your particular donation locally. Of course, the same principle is true for local non-profits, but on a much smaller scale, so sorting and inspecting would not be nearly as great a problem-but it still must be done, as insulting as some may think it sounds. It's not. It's reality. Your donation would still be helping someone.

OK. So nobody is taking non-monetary donations for Haitians right now, and they say it's because it's too difficult to get the collected supplies there. I see the news, and see the people are not getting the relief they need. These people don't need money; they need supplies. How awful...

The Red Cross only accepts monetary donations, and I'm having trouble getting through to the Salvation Army to ask questions. Any suggestions?

I am unemployed and can hardly afford to keep my home now. I want to help, but I can't give money. I have clothing and other goods I could give, but where do I send it to?

sannio: A reminder, while the US may promise the highest total of money, we are also more populace than many nations. Yet, "per capita" or per person, the US does NOT rank very high or give more charitable dollars voluntarily than any other nation on the planet...
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0930884.h......
And, quite often, monies promised do not equal monies delivered . . . http://www.globalissues.org/article/35/u...

Of course. I will give to them because they are suffering and struggling, and, we SHOULD give to those in need.

Remember, you did not CHOOSE to be born here- nor they there... You are VERY, VERY lucky to have born into this awesome country. Had you or I not been so lucky, this could easily be us.

BobDiddler who is "your god" anyway? How much did you donate? To who? When?
Is it a bad thing to be a tea party member? I already donated dude, it's called taxes. That's all I got, and it's all you're gonna get. If you're so concerned, get on a plane. I wonder how compassionate you are about abortion? In a sticky situation, combat for example, bleeding hearts are the first to put their heads in the sand, trust me, either that or snap.

I cannot believe that the US is is seemingly SO "worried" about helping victims in whatever country has the most RECENT tragedy! There is constant and continuous devastation in other countries daily...because it's not a NEW problem, it's not as important?

And what about the US itself? Poverty is everywhere. Kids are being abused by miserable parents...parents who cannot get a job. People in the US are starving HERE, every day! Oh boy, I could go on and on with the daily tragedies in the US.

How can we, as citizens of the US, successfully help anyone else when we truly cannot completely help ourselves?What's worse is that we even have the SOURCES to help ourselves,but no one seems to know how to get groups of people together who know how to properly use or manage these sources!

Are we practicing on other countries to prevent ourselves from the embarrassment of FAILURE?

Not all the donated money went to help the Mississippi river flood victims. Not all the money went to help the hurricane katrina victims either. The first thing rebuilt was the oil company highway. Not all of the money will go to Haiti either because there are too many greedy companies that get wealthy when disasters happen. Some company might take your $100 to give a Haiti dude a bottle of water. Remember the $500 hammers and $10,000 toilets? It's all about the money!

The website delavan mentioned at 8:16am should read http://www.satern.org/, not .com

Why are people bashing here? As a nation we donate a greater percentage of our GNP than any other nation in the world. Individuals accounted for almost 75% of all donations in 2008. Also in that year the total contributions totaled over 307 BILLION dollars. There's so much aid going to Haiti right now people are tripping over themselves.

Look's like the USA is helping them

Ok nictre, I see what you're saying now, and understand it.
I'll also say, no one should feel guilty about not being able to give because of their own circumstances, but it's sad when some say the help shouldn't be given. Could they possibly be saying let them rot? I just can't fathom it. Would it make any difference that some of the crushed, trapped, but still living victims are Americans (often having been dedicating their very lives to make things easier in pre-earthquake Haiti. They are of course being followed by others willing to dedicate their lives to the earthquake victims no matter what their nationality.) And some find it hard to send 5 bucks!

We could make Haiti A State if that would make some people happy. NOT

Thanks for the link. Are you sure THIS one is the real one?

My mistake on that White House link. The real one is here http://www.whitehouse.gov

Haiti is one of the poorest nations on earth. It has suffered from natural and political catastrophes, one after another. Yes, our local poor need our help but the Haitians have suffered like few people have ever suffered. We have so much in this country, but what good does it do to have so much if we won't share even a little. One of the few things that money can buy worth having is the spiritual satisfaction one gets from being generous to people who need so much and have so little. Try it, you'll like it. And it won't cost much.

The White House has a link to the Clinton/Bush Haiti fund at http://www.whitehouse.org . You can also go directly there by clicking this link,
http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org.

You don't have to give $25, just click on the "other" option and type in whatever amount you can afford. All you need is a credit card or a Visa/Matercard debit card.

Generocity is such a spiritual lift to the giver. Need a lift? http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org.

Shame on those who don't choose to give. No matter how tough your personal situation is right now, I'm sure you are much better off than those in Haiti - probably even before the quake. Give up a pack of smokes or a couple drinks at the bar and donate that $5 to the Red Cross or some other deserving relief agency.

---

For the Christians out there, James 2: 14 - 17 addresses this.

14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

BillyLoopner
Jan 18, 2010 at 11:52 a.m.
Suggest removal My donation is through tax dollars. Why is the US always the only or largest player in helping out others in need. I think several of the other richer countries need to step up to the plate.
.
As a truly a great country we shouldn't need to ask...

It is great to give if you have the means. Too many do not in Rock county. I personally prefer to give locally.

Send all the unemployed people from the US over there!!! They need jobs!!!!

Let's not get into the media hype of United Way/Red Cross and 9/11. From a non-profit point of view, people thought that contributing to these organizations meant that the organizations were actually giving money to the people, not using funds to support both short-term and long-term recovery efforts. The media made that whole situation a whole lot bigger that it really was. I understand that our economy is a mess, but we do have clean drinking water, and shelter availability if needed, along with medical care if necessary. Unfortunately, Haitians do not, and that kind of humanitarian aid is not cheap.

im not in a position to help,but if i could i probably would,but i wouldnt give one dime to red cross or united way,not after what happened with 911,they are not trust worthy,an others know it also,thats why theyve set up different web sites to donate,but to say mean an hateful things is wrong,these people are suffering great devistation,its awful,but to say,they never helped anyone,is wrong,maybe they dont have the funds to help others,an theyve been warned they were in a bad place,where do you want them to go?i hope to all of you who had such negative an bad things to say about this disaster,never have to suffer any kind of devistation in your life such as this.

Per capital giving of the world's "richest" nations: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0930884.h...

Don't get me wrong but why help another country when we cant even take care of ours.

My donation is through tax dollars. Why is the US always the only or largest player in helping out others in need. I think several of the other richer countries need to step up to the plate.

I too prefer to "give" either my time or my money to local organizations.

proartist- interesting to know. Thanks

FYI to bassman: Within 36 hours of the earthquake, British donations to Haiti amounted to over £2 million (or nearly $4 million) http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/thi... While the US is always generous in times of catastrophe on other shores, the % of our giving per capita is shameful when compared to many other nations. BTW wetside: other nations DID want to give money and aid to New Orleans when Katrina hit. Better to ask why the ships with supplies weren't allowed into the ports. Better to ask why help from their engineers to build known and tested flood abatement measures wasn't heeded.

westside- I just made this same kind of comment to my husband when they are complaining about help not getting here fast enough. We are sending food and water by the tons I imagine. Did they have all this food and water before? Also I believe people in Katrina area are still in need of help!
I know many missionaries are already over there helping before this happened. I know a family over there about 100 miles from the big hit.

Bassman- I had this question on another blog concerning the 100 million. Are we not in debt past our eyeballs. Where is this money coming from?
What other countries are helping?

janesvillegirl72- I understand completely!
It is harder to stretch because there isn't hardly any copper in there anymore!
If we all gave just $10 for everybody out there that needs just a little we couldn't support ourselves. I may give $10 but I too am worried it wont really get there.

bassman, it sounds ruthless and cold because it is ruthless and cold. The Bush administration LOST 12 billion dollars in Iraq but now you complain. Spare me the speech.

I donated when the tsunami hit a few years ago and when Katrina hit, however times have changed and being unemployed with uncovered medical bills I had to say no this time, I am sorry if that makes me a bad guy but taxes are coming up, who knows how that will go for us this year and I have two kids that need money for college next fall, every penny is accounted for and that copper is hard to stretch.

I am a amateur radio operator(ham)I have been taking traffic ot of Haiti.I belong to Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network(Satern).If you have anyone that you are asking about in the infected area you can go to www.satern.com and scrol down to Health and Welfare.Enter all the info you have.One of the team members will track down and get back to you.I have now takin over 175 traffics and got hold of over 35 via telephone in the U.S.A.We have Satern members and Dominican Republic hams there now.

This is a horrible situation,And my heart goes out to them,BUT why does the USA always have to come to the rescue for any tragedy,I thought I saw we are giving 100 million of the tax payers money,WHAT ! This country is falling apart daily the main focus should be us and no,one else.Is the Queen throwing millions,how about the Saudi's there loaded thanks to us buying all of their oil we never see or hear any other countries jumping in.sure I sound ruthless and cold but look at the poll it speaks for itself!

I would recommend worldvision if you want to donate money. Although I agree with an earlier post about helping out locally first. Salvaton Army is a fine organization.

Take the time and read about the Yele Foundation and their accounting practices. This is the organization run by Wyclef Jean. The Smokinggun.com had some interesting information about this organization. Many other sources also were concerned abour how they use donated money. You can draw your own conclusions.

Wow...64% no? I guess that says a lot about Janedsville and Rock County. I have clothes I could donate if anyone knows where I can take them or how to get them there.

Wow! I almost didn't open and read this poll because I was certain all or most people would say "Yes, of course" whether they really planned on helping (for example, don't really have the funds, or, they knew it was the right thing to do but didn't want to part with their money.) I never, ever would have expected so many people to openly admit they care absolutely nothing about little babies near death for lack of food, water or basic medical care; looters being shot at for desperately seeking nourishment (hopefully we'll be putting a stop to such inhumane "law-enforcement), people being left to die because there is nothing to help them with. "I only help locally." is no excuse, we here can get by with 10% less so that people in Haiti will have 100% more than they do right now. People here in our county are not "dying of hunger"; they are doing without a lot of things, their cup isn't over-flowing, but there is always something to put into it. No one around here needs to go completely without food; there is help for everyone in your neck of the woods if they really need it and look for it. I know that many of those who need to seek help with food here would gladly give up a small portion of what they get to help the Haitians; I know that they often try to "give back" for what they receive. I don't think they'd like you using them as your excuse.
Have any of you who say "NO!" been watching the coverage? If so, one can only assume it must be for entertainment then.
By the way, nicte, I was bothered by your "Christian" comment. Much of the aid is coming from Christian groups (meaning they do more than just sit in church), but I'm absolutely certain that it isn't a prerequisite to feel compassion for these suffering people. Christian or not, people with compassion do share a belief: It is "These people need our help. We should give it, and I want to do whatever I can."

Well said Mulehunter

Wow, it is unnerving to read some of these posts. While I don't have alot to give, I will donate. I would suggest some research be done by those who don't understand the issues facing Haitians, political and otherwise. It is not a matter of 'picking yourself up by your bootstraps, dusting yourself off, and moving on' as some seem to believe. Political strife abounds in this country, factions promoting so-called ethnic cleansing, amazing levels of poverty that we cannot even bring ourselves to imagine, it is tragic. And now an earthquake destroys all hope of those who were living on just the little bit of hope they did have! Man's inhumanity to man is tragic in an of itself, but when Mother Nature adds additional strife.....

ProudFighter; nobody's demanding you, or anyone else, to donate. How is asking for a donation infringing on your freedom? I think you tea partyers just shout without any thought at all. My God! You're pathetic.

007; I don't see bodies lining the street as a result of the GM closure. Again, you don't have to donate if you choose not to, but to compare this natural disaster to GM pulling the plug on operations in a city that put all eggs in a single basket is absurd. Further: Agentina, Afghanistan, Honduras, Germany, Iran, India, Japan, Kenya, among many, many other countries offered or directly lent help in the wake of Katrina.

To those who don't donate--do you realize you're gripping $5 or $10 and justifying it for political reasons. I know, for some households, it's hard to let go of this, & that's fine. But, for those of you who have the money but politics prevents you from letting go, I wish for you to realize what you're holding so dearly--more dearly than life.

I'm donating because I'm not sitting under fifty feet of rubble dying of dehydration and lacerations. I'm donating because human life means more to me than a couple of new apps for my iPod and a couple cups of coffee. I'm donating because I CAN, & I CHOOSE to.

The 100 BILLION "our government" is giving them is "our" taxpayer dollars. However sad this tragedy is, I don't remember any foreign handout given to our area when GM closed its doors or to our hurricane victims. Oh, that's right, China is helping us by buying up all our assets.

I will always keep my donation dollars locally because my neighbor or your neighbor could be with food or a roof over their heads.

Donate all you want. I did my part. To force someone to help another is the opposite of freedom.

I continue to be astounded by the ingnorance of some...what would you have Haiti do to help us during Katrina??? I do not think they have CNN and HLN etc. or know what is happening here. What could they possibly do?
As far as them "helping themselves" where do you propose they move to? How do you propose they move away from their homeland...do we condemn folks for staying in the tornado belt, or Florida or New Orleans?
A natural disaster is a disaster I am under-employed, we donated. We also donated to the Tsunami and to Katrina.
This kick them while there down attitude is sickening. People in torment deserve to be respected and not condemned for acts of nature. The Red Cross is reputable and accountable. I did not give to get a pat on the back, I and my family give because it is the right thing to do. My heart feels at ease when i do the right thing, which is why I am not filled with bitterness. I am an american, i am a veteran i am a citizen and i sleep very well at night.
The saddest part is 67% of my neighbors do not care. Hopefully more educated and compassionate people will speak up.

We are giveing to them 100 Mil. To bad these thing's happen but we need to take care of our own also

housewife,
I hope someday I am as perfect as you so I can feel comfortable judging other people.
.
I find it sad that some lucky enough to live in this country have the belief that they can be judge, jury and executioner of other innocent people.
.
Not everyone in Haiti falls into your "dependence" category yet you condemn them all. My ego is just not that big.
.
Your statement is extremely dangerous.

I donated and am happy to do so.

I would not donate to Haiti because of the way they have remained dependant on others for many, many years. They have been told that the country is in a bad area and they remained there, they have not been able to work their way to better lives even after lots of help to try to bring them out of property. Yes it is sad what is happening to these children and families but I will not send money to people that refuse to try to help themselves.

BTW, I try to give a locally and when disasters strike.

Westside,
That is the cost of being the best. Shouldn't helping others should be as a result of wanting to do the right thing and setting a standard?
.
If you are only helping because you are hoping for something in return, don't help. There is no guarantee.
.
Help people because it is the right thing to do. That is the only reason I need.

" Also where were all these countries when Hurricane Katrina hit our southern coastal areas and Americans needed assistance??"

babaloo- I couldn't have said it any better!!! im tired of the USA being depended on to give aid all of the time, when we all know darn well no one would help us, or help to the capacity that the USA is expected to. I'M SICK OF IT!!!

Our tax dollars (100 million plus) and military are on the way.... I too prefer to give locally. Many people in this community are hurting. This doesn't in any way make you less compassionate, as some would have you believe.

I haven't decided. If I did it would probably be to the Red Cross. My heart and prayers go out to all the people over there but there have been so many scams over the years with the so-called charity groups that I don't trust them anymore-I too give locally. Also where were all these countries when Hurricane Katrina hit our southern coastal areas and Americans needed assistance??

emac I completely agree with you, I prefer to keep my money in the community as well. I donated for years to United Way until my unemployment and I like to know that my local dollars are going to help local people.

I have already read stories about how a charity is under IRS watch because of their questionable spending and how very little of the money actually went to relief.I am in no position to donate money myself, being unemployed, even so I would not donate if I had the funds.

Our family is struggling yes, but I don't understand how anyone can NOT help this poor ravaged country. We don't have our dead buried under rubble, or watch our children die from a broken leg because there was nothing or no one that could help. I can't imagine the suffering that these people are going through. I don't understand the lack of compassion here. If the little bit I can send will do good, how could I not...?

My heart goes out to all those Haiti. But, as long as there are children in Rock county that go hungry any extra money we have goes to Echo.

Nice showing, Janesville.