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**M_Marked** · 01-15-2010, 10:18 PM

I'm frankly a little more worried about the near total lack of governance in Haiti at this point, rather than its kleptocratic elites skiming off the top. Like your concern is a good one going into the future but that right now the destruction is such that its been made a tad irrelevant.

not skimming off the top, wholesale theft and incompetence. if there's no governance, that's an improvement. the pictures don't change anything, the best way to address the situation is through direct support, not in sending wads of cash to the haitian government, if there isn't a government, more is the better at this point. that's true now, it's true a month from now. I'm as aware as I'll ever be of what's going on there. Having read a bit about haiti in the last year, I knew that it couldn't have struck a worse place. that it was likely the whole place would just collapse. the first night a guy called in (presumably on a satellite phone) saying that the entire city of port au prince was shrouded in dust. no one wanted to say it, but in all lieklihood the city had fallen. literally. two years ago a school collapsed on children because the government neither cared to inspect nor fund adequate use of steel rebar. people were starving at "harvest time, " mixing in dirt with their food. the place must be like hell on earth. If it were me, I'd want the first boat out of there. I don't think you and I really disagree about anything here, honestly. I can be concerned about this because I'm not there. the President should also be concerned, and if he isn't supporting the government at this stage, I applaud him for it.

01-15-2010, 10:18 PM	#19
M_Marked Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 563 Senior Member	I'm frankly a little more worried about the near total lack of governance in Haiti at this point, rather than its kleptocratic elites skiming off the top. Like your concern is a good one going into the future but that right now the destruction is such that its been made a tad irrelevant. not skimming off the top, wholesale theft and incompetence. if there's no governance, that's an improvement. the pictures don't change anything, the best way to address the situation is through direct support, not in sending wads of cash to the haitian government, if there isn't a government, more is the better at this point. that's true now, it's true a month from now. I'm as aware as I'll ever be of what's going on there. Having read a bit about haiti in the last year, I knew that it couldn't have struck a worse place. that it was likely the whole place would just collapse. the first night a guy called in (presumably on a satellite phone) saying that the entire city of port au prince was shrouded in dust. no one wanted to say it, but in all lieklihood the city had fallen. literally. two years ago a school collapsed on children because the government neither cared to inspect nor fund adequate use of steel rebar. people were starving at "harvest time, " mixing in dirt with their food. the place must be like hell on earth. If it were me, I'd want the first boat out of there. I don't think you and I really disagree about anything here, honestly. I can be concerned about this because I'm not there. the President should also be concerned, and if he isn't supporting the government at this stage, I applaud him for it.
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