When we’re young, teachers, parents and everyone older and wiser tell us that sharing is good and it comes to be expected of us. And as we grow older, that sense of sharing tends to continue, whether it be holding potluck picnics, buying someone lunch, lending out money or allowing others to borrow personal items like CDs or tools. But how much is too much when it comes to sharing? There are definitely times when you have to draw the line. If you never get paid back on a loan or someone loses or damages one of your possessions, the chance that you’ll continue to lend your belongings to people diminishes. And, in my opinion, our governing body would benefit from taking a lesson on that common, everyday logic. While I realize the need to keep good foreign relations, I think the U. S. government should set up some kind of boundaries or limits when it comes to helping out countries in need.
Take the current situation in Haiti, for example. The nation just experienced a devastating earthquake that took the lives of over 200,000 people and cost millions upon millions of dollars in damage. Never the one to be greedy, the U.S. government acted quickly in sending aid to help out. And I completely understand the feeling of wanting to help out. But given the our faltering economy, can we really afford to give away money we don’t even have to a country that we know will never be able to repay that debt? That just doesn’t make logical sense to me. And it’s the same old story every time this sort of situation arises. If there’s fighting in a futile foreign nation or a natural disaster has just wreaked havoc overseas, the United States steps in to help.
Though I understand the government does have money budgeted for such instances, that’s most likely a contributing factor in our current economic state. We not only have to support our country, but we throw money at any other nation that needs it for whatever reason. Sure, it’s a great way to be friendly neighbors, but when in the hole we’re in, maybe it’s time for the U. S. government to start focusing on numero uno for a change. Lately it seems whenever a natural disaster hits anywhere in the world, we’re the ones sending money, supplies and emergency personnel. But what happens when we have a national crisis. I’m pretty sure there weren’t too many nations that lent us a helping hand when Hurricane Katrina hit or when the devastation of 9/11 unfolded. For the most part, those were inside jobs. So why does our government feel the need to bend over backwards to help other nations when something bad happens to them?
With Haiti, I realize it’s an impoverished country, but is that really our fault? If people who have the money to spare, like celebrities and athletes, want to lend a helping hand, that’s great. I just don’t think the government should feel obligated to fork over millions of dollars when we clearly need that money here. And speaking of monetary needs, is it really necessary for the U. S. government to continue to fund space expeditions to Mars, the moon or wherever during this time of economic crisis? I’m pretty sure all of that can be put on hold for at least a little while ... or at least until we fix what’s wrong down here first.
Jennie Oemig
Editor
Arcadia News-Leader
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