Whenever I see the argument that the government (with taxpayer money) should be the charitable nanny around the world, I feel for the people who buy into this. Their heart is in the right place, no doubt. But their heart is often interfering with their mind.
Some analogies ...
When my family and I were in Vietnam last summer, one of the places we visited was in the mountainous north where the Hmong minority live. They are treated very poorly by the government, and they largely survive by selling food and clothing to tourists while the children play music for tips. It's heartbreaking. Lan bought as many items (that she didn't need) as she could carry. I gave every kid I could find a sizeable tip in exchange for listening to their music.
In places where the tourists and locals interact, there are signs suggesting the tourist not directly help the Hmong. Instead, they should donate to the government, who will then take care of their people. This would be the same government who killed hundreds of thousands of Hmong and now deprive them of their culture and force them to live in poverty.
Similarly, if one cares about the plight of the poor in Honduras, what is the best way to get them surgical care? Give money to the corrupt, leftist government? Or go there yourself (or contribute to those who go) to provide the surgeries and medicine? The government could help, but they won't. To do so would trim their luxury spending. They'll gladly take your money though (while condemning the evil wealthy Americans).
If you want to help, contribute your time and/or money. Lan will be going on her 5th and 6th surgical missions this year. Direct help is the best way.* Wanting the government to "do something" is being generous with other people's money. That will check the concern box, but it won't help much, if at all. Government shouldn't be in the charity business. Government is grossly inefficient at best and straight up thieves at worst.
*Added: An even with direct help, be prepared for the theft. On our last trip to Honduras, upon arriving at the airport, a sizeable portion of the medical supplies the group bought were seized. It happens with every medical mission. You just have to plan for it and bring a lot more than you need because a lot of supplies will be "taxed." No doubt the cash value of the stolen supplies ended up in a Honduran politician's pocket. Even on our flight out, Lan had the anesthesia monitor that she brought with her (and bought with her own money) confiscated by an airport/government employee. I wanted to kill the guy but was restrained from acting. Think the government cares about the people?
Some analogies ...
When my family and I were in Vietnam last summer, one of the places we visited was in the mountainous north where the Hmong minority live. They are treated very poorly by the government, and they largely survive by selling food and clothing to tourists while the children play music for tips. It's heartbreaking. Lan bought as many items (that she didn't need) as she could carry. I gave every kid I could find a sizeable tip in exchange for listening to their music.
In places where the tourists and locals interact, there are signs suggesting the tourist not directly help the Hmong. Instead, they should donate to the government, who will then take care of their people. This would be the same government who killed hundreds of thousands of Hmong and now deprive them of their culture and force them to live in poverty.
Similarly, if one cares about the plight of the poor in Honduras, what is the best way to get them surgical care? Give money to the corrupt, leftist government? Or go there yourself (or contribute to those who go) to provide the surgeries and medicine? The government could help, but they won't. To do so would trim their luxury spending. They'll gladly take your money though (while condemning the evil wealthy Americans).
If you want to help, contribute your time and/or money. Lan will be going on her 5th and 6th surgical missions this year. Direct help is the best way.* Wanting the government to "do something" is being generous with other people's money. That will check the concern box, but it won't help much, if at all. Government shouldn't be in the charity business. Government is grossly inefficient at best and straight up thieves at worst.
*Added: An even with direct help, be prepared for the theft. On our last trip to Honduras, upon arriving at the airport, a sizeable portion of the medical supplies the group bought were seized. It happens with every medical mission. You just have to plan for it and bring a lot more than you need because a lot of supplies will be "taxed." No doubt the cash value of the stolen supplies ended up in a Honduran politician's pocket. Even on our flight out, Lan had the anesthesia monitor that she brought with her (and bought with her own money) confiscated by an airport/government employee. I wanted to kill the guy but was restrained from acting. Think the government cares about the people?
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