One day after witnessing Jothum and Rochelle arrive at the airport with Salinda all the way from Haiti, I’m mad. Some news cameras were at the airport, and they put the story on TV and their websites. Then comments like this one get posted (on KRQE’s website) “meanwhile, American children starve and freeze to death. I feel bad for the Haitian people, but do we really need to spend our money on them and bring them to this country when so many people that were born here are suffering? I don't think so.”
UGH – what is wrong with people? Let’s get this in perspective!
On September 11, 2001 the United States lost 2973 people when the World Trade Center collapsed. In 2005 hurricane Katrina, with the flood that followed, became one of the five deadliest hurricanes in our history. At least 1836 people lost their lives.
As of Jan 25, the estimate of the dead in Haiti jumped to 300,000. More could follow due to poor and non-existent medical facilities, doctors who can’t get into the country, polluted water, infections, etc. That’s like over 100 September 11th’s happening on the same day, or 163 hurricane Katrina’s hitting on the same weekend. It’s 68 Iraq wars.
But the impact to Haiti is worse than those numbers indicate. Before the earthquake Haiti had a population of just under 10 million (World Bank/Development Indicators). Compare that to the United States with a population of over 300 million. Percentage wise, it would be like loosing 9 million Americans. That’s not just the World Trade Center - it would be like loosing all of New York City (8.3 million) and all of Washington DC (OK, maybe we wouldn’t mind losing DC so much, but that’s another 600,000).
Or, compare Haiti’s earthquake to Katrina’s effect on the USA. It wouldn’t be like losing some costal areas of Louisiana and Mississippi, it would be like losing all of Louisiana (4.4 million) and all of Mississippi 3 million) and almost all of New Mexico (2 million – would Santa Fe really be a loss?) combined.
But that doesn’t tell the whole story yet. The average American family makes about $50,000 a year. An individual is considered poverty level if they make under about $12,000 a year (it changes a bit depending on their state). The average Haitian makes under $400.00 US a year. They have no insurance, no unemployment benefits, none of the advantages we as Americans enjoy.
So we, in our ignorance and pride, write things like “I feel bad for the Haitian people, but do we really need to spend our money on them and bring them to this country when so many people that were born here are suffering?” Once we put this catastrophe in perspective, the only answer is, “Yes, we do.”
For the newscasts about Salinda go to:
Channel 7: http://www.koat.com/news/22339789/detail.html
Channel 13: http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/world/albuquerque-family-adopts-haitian-orphan
To give go to http://www.heartlineministries.org
UGH – what is wrong with people? Let’s get this in perspective!
On September 11, 2001 the United States lost 2973 people when the World Trade Center collapsed. In 2005 hurricane Katrina, with the flood that followed, became one of the five deadliest hurricanes in our history. At least 1836 people lost their lives.
As of Jan 25, the estimate of the dead in Haiti jumped to 300,000. More could follow due to poor and non-existent medical facilities, doctors who can’t get into the country, polluted water, infections, etc. That’s like over 100 September 11th’s happening on the same day, or 163 hurricane Katrina’s hitting on the same weekend. It’s 68 Iraq wars.
But the impact to Haiti is worse than those numbers indicate. Before the earthquake Haiti had a population of just under 10 million (World Bank/Development Indicators). Compare that to the United States with a population of over 300 million. Percentage wise, it would be like loosing 9 million Americans. That’s not just the World Trade Center - it would be like loosing all of New York City (8.3 million) and all of Washington DC (OK, maybe we wouldn’t mind losing DC so much, but that’s another 600,000).
Or, compare Haiti’s earthquake to Katrina’s effect on the USA. It wouldn’t be like losing some costal areas of Louisiana and Mississippi, it would be like losing all of Louisiana (4.4 million) and all of Mississippi 3 million) and almost all of New Mexico (2 million – would Santa Fe really be a loss?) combined.
But that doesn’t tell the whole story yet. The average American family makes about $50,000 a year. An individual is considered poverty level if they make under about $12,000 a year (it changes a bit depending on their state). The average Haitian makes under $400.00 US a year. They have no insurance, no unemployment benefits, none of the advantages we as Americans enjoy.
So we, in our ignorance and pride, write things like “I feel bad for the Haitian people, but do we really need to spend our money on them and bring them to this country when so many people that were born here are suffering?” Once we put this catastrophe in perspective, the only answer is, “Yes, we do.”
For the newscasts about Salinda go to:
Channel 7: http://www.koat.com/news/22339789/detail.html
Channel 13: http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/world/albuquerque-family-adopts-haitian-orphan
To give go to http://www.heartlineministries.org
How upset I become also, when I hear we should just help our own. I've heard it myself many times since I adopted from Ethiopia and what some people don't seem to understand that when he asked his followers to help widows and orphans he didn't draw boundary lines.
ReplyDeleteIt is especially hurtful when you know by the way things fall together, that God's hand is in this and you know this child was meant to be yours. Certainly in the previous post of the Salinda Stallings story, we see God's plan for her.
Yes, there are people in the US who are hungry and cold and hurting. And when this happens we help. We give food to food banks, we feed the homeless, we have people who are foster parents and adoptive parents for the children here, too. People work tirelessly when disaster hits our country during 9/11, hurricanes, fires, tornados...we do our best to help those who are hurting.
But as you say in your post, Dan, we have resouces and Haiti has none. How can we not help? How can we not rejoice over the Stallings' adoption of Salinda and others who have done the same?
God made the world and who are we to draw lines where we should help? I think we need to try to see the world from His eyes. I think we need to remember that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. Jesus died for redemption for anyone whether they live in Haiti, Ethiopia, Iraq, or the US. There were no borders for His ultimate sacrifice, so who are we to say we should help only our own. We cannot if we are truly obedient.
"There are no borders for His untimate sacrifice." That's a line worth remembering! Thanks.
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