Your editorial, "Bush's tepid tsunami response," makes a fatal mistake - it all but ignores the giving on the part of private citizens, and evaluates the generosity of the American people based on the relief given by the government.
Consider: how many of us gave privately to tsunami relief? I know I did. I know many others who did. Amazon.com's drive for the American Red Cross alone raised over $15 million. Every time I went to Wegmans, I was asked if I would contribute again.
The American people contributed of their own free wills. They need not do so again by taxes forcefully taken from their paychecks - especially when the federal government is running a $427 billion deficit.
America has given her share. It may not have been given by the U.S. government, but it was given nonetheless.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
