Or donate in addition to taxes.
I finally got through to the Red Cross web site today, the traffic seems to have slowed down a bit. I chose to give to the Red Cross because I think they do a fantastic job. In fact, they were among the first on the ground even before the magnitude of this became clear.
But there are real, serious limitations to what the Red Cross can do, and this situation in New Orleans is the most unbelievable example of what their limitations are.
We've talked about the fact that Bush doesn't ask for sacrifice. Would giving up your tax cut be a sacrifice?
There are some things only the government can do. And that requires taxes.
Let's start with access to the city. Many of the roads are cut off. The Red Cross does not have helicopters or large boats to get access to those areas. This kind of effort requires the coordination of government.
Likewise, what is needed now are airdrops of food and water. (Phone number for the White House: 202.456.1111. Call your senators and congressional representatives too.) This requires the organizational skills of a governmental agency, whether military or civilian.
And let's go back to the beginning. Private organizations can't support the levees. Sure, in the past, bridges, ferries, etc., were privately owned. But would you trust a private levee?
The infrastructure is beyond the capacity of private charities and other groups. This is the necessary and proper role of government.
And need I point out the need for civil control? Should this be the job of private organizations or NGOs? Right now New Orleans is ruled by gangs and vigilantes. Where are the police? Decimated by funding cuts. And where is the National Guard? We know where. Remember that many first responders are also members of the National Guard, a double hit.
Civil control is the role of government, not charities.
I could go on, but I'll leave it to anyone who wants to make a comment.
The point is this: We need to think about what our priorities are and what our needs are and how we are going to pay for them.
We need to demand, yes demand, some real, hard leadership from our local and national representatives and tell them we need to focus on our long-neglected infrastructure. Something only the government can do.
We need to focus not only on charity, but justice. Something only the government can guarantee.
We need to focus on safety and order. Not Nixon's 'Law and Order' society, but the kind of order that restores trust in society and in
our fellow human beings. Charitable organizations can play a role, but the government must take the lead.
And we need to be willing to sacrifice, and pay for this.
I'm in an upper-income bracket (not the top 1%, but up there.) I will say it, I will say it to my congressional representatives and my senators.
I will continue to make donations to charities. I'm not sure exactly what the difference would be regarding my 'tax cut.' I don't care, I'll do what I can do. But I'm willing to do more than that.
I am willing to sacrifice a greater portion of my income in taxes to make this a better society, to truly make America the great nation she wants to be.
Any takers?