This is a cutt'ed and pasted quote from another forum regarding Haiti

[TAB]

The main reason why they are in the shape they are in now is... they are poor. 

Thier construction methods are a result of that.    Like a good part of central and south america, most houses are built out of masonary.   Its what they have locally( so it cheap)  the prob is they don't use rebar to reinforce it.  Rebar its not cheap.   When the ground moves, masonary cracks, rebar stops that crack from growing. 

[r_w]

Hey TAB, they need mega construction for the rebuild, you could land a nice UN subsidized "Rebuilding Contract" (for the children), and build them some new bldgs.

Than there's the Jimmy Carter Habitat For Humanity aspect and let them build their own homes. Send them the left over FEMA trailers sitting in a field somewhere in the midwest,...

Habitat is the best thing Carter ever did (maybe the only good thing).  They are more than willing to go and help.  Let them.  Our military should rebuild the port (so it gets done ASAP) and then let charities do what they do best. 

[fightingquaker13]

The main reason why they are in the shape they are in now is... they are poor. 

Thier construction methods are a result of that.    Like a good part of central and south america, most houses are built out of masonary.   Its what they have locally( so it cheap)  the prob is they don't use rebar to reinforce it.  Rebar its not cheap.   When the ground moves, masonary cracks, rebar stops that crack from growing. 

Its also a result of deforestation. Hispanola used to be covered with old growth. Thing is, in Haiti, charcoal is the primary fuel. When the the trees are cut down, there is nothing to stop mud slides. It happens after every hurricane. An earthquake is orders of magnitude worse. Cheap houses built on muddy slopes? Its like Californians who build million dollar homes in dry arroyos and then are shocked, shocked mind you, when the Santa Anna wind blows and the wild fires spread. as the Duke said, "Life is hard. Its harder when you're stupid". Granted these folks don't have many other options, but this was a predictable disaster.
FQ13

[Neon Knight Anubis]

bho promised 100 million in aid, I would think that you would be able to buy the entire country and bulldoze it level for 1/2 of that and still be ahead.

The other 50 mill is a union payoff.

[PegLeg45]

Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.

[Sponsor]

[fightingquaker13]

Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.

+10, but its the price of empire. That is something we seriously need to debate in this country. Do we really want to be a super power, or just take care of our own defense and let the rest of the world find their own way, even if we don't like the direction they're heading towards? That is the fundamental question.
FQ13

[TAB]

Habitat is the best thing Carter ever did (maybe the only good thing).  They are more than willing to go and help.  Let them.  Our military should rebuild the port (so it gets done ASAP) and then let charities do what they do best. 

while I think the idea is great( a hand up rather then a hand out) the way it goes about doing things is all wrong.

[tombogan03884]

+10, but its the price of empire. That is something we seriously need to debate in this country. Do we really want to be a super power, or just take care of our own defense and let the rest of the world find their own way, even if we don't like the direction they're heading towards? That is the fundamental question.
FQ13

As long as they sell us what we want to buy, and buy what we want to sell who really gives a crap what the rest of the world does. As long as they don't inconvenience us, if they DO become annoying, like these stinking Muslims we just kill them and wreck their stuff until they take the hint and promise NOT to annoy us any more. (and of course pay for the munitions we dropped on them.)

[Badgersmilk]

While I understand many of them have "converted".  The reputation Haiti has had for as long as I can remember is that the people there are godless heathens, or worse, worship voodoo idols... 

And we have nuclear weapons just wasting away in their silo's.   

[tombogan03884]

While I understand many of them have "converted".  The reputation Haiti has had for as long as I can remember is that the people there are godless heathens, or worse, worship voodoo idols...  

And we have nuclear weapons just wasting away in their silo's.  

Actually it's Called "Santeria" and it is a combination of the tribal beliefs of the natives and Catholicism. (Where the Catholic part fits in with the dead chickens and zombies I have NO CLUE )