Give a Little- But Who Gives a Lot?

The quake that hit Haiti was awful, they are in dire need of food, medical supplies, body bags, doctors and much more. Some people here still haven't gotten word on their relatives, others received very bad news. Of course we are helping, we are Americans - but I am so tired of the FaceBook/MySpace/Twitter posts and countless emails and ads asking people to text and donate $5, 10 or $20. How much money is AIG donating to Haiti? After our government gave them millions for their own mistakes?? Plus, you are asking people who make minimum wage to basically donate an hour of their time in wages, can't Oprah, Brangelina or Bill Gates spare a few million? The sad thing is, even kids are getting involved because Wyclef Jean started a fund. Great for him- how much money does he have in comparison to your average 19 year old?

Who is helping people in the United States that are homeless, jobless or hungry? We treat our illegal immigrants better than our own citizens. Guess who the majority recipients of welfare, section 8 and WIC are? If you are an American with no passport/green card it is nearly impossible to get a drivers permit. Oh wait...you have a green card? Step right up!

Housing prices are ridiculously high, so high that a married couple who both work full time with a decent HHI cannot afford a decent home! Who is helping us?

But, sadly- a lot of us are treating the Haitian people, who we don't know, better than our own friends. So many people will look at a friend in desperate need of money or a place to stay, and give a generic response such as "thats too bad" or "I wish I could help". Why are we more willing to help strangers than neighbors?

I don't want this post to sound as if I don't give back to those in need - I do. I just think its unfair that taxpayers end up paying for everything.