Third drill to start advancing toward 33 trapped miners - CNN.com

Third drill to start advancing toward 33 trapped miners - CNN.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

While I am not denigrating Chile's attempts to get these miners out of the underground hell they've been trapped in, (as a matter of fact, I applaud them) I can't help but be reminded of the differences between the reactions of other countries to tragedy, and America's reactions to its tragedies. Somehow there appear to be disparities in America's reactions that just don't sit well with me.

Take Hurricane Katrina for instance. There are still people struggling to recover in Louisiana from the beating they took, yet Haiti is continually receiving attention, money, and relief efforts (Haiti in NY Times) some of which could be going to help United States citizens. I am not against other countries getting assistance by NO means, but when I see some of the poverty-stricken areas we have right here I have to wonder why we don't do more to help our own. America is supposed to be the richest nation on earth, so why are so many of our own starving to death? I just feel like in all of this attention on the crises occurring in other countries these days, the crises right here in America are largely being ignored. Yes, America needs a more accessible health care system, but what good will that do those who live in areas with no health care facilities? What good does the war on terrorism do to those whose biggest terror is the rats chewing on their babies at night, or the meth-addicted young man from next door breaking in to steal whatever he can and perhaps kill them?

There needs to be a balance! America needs to invest as much time, effort, and most of all money into feeding its own hungry before going out to feed another country's. We need to take care of our own disasters and crises before we can begin to take care of another country's. America, clean up your own backyard, and make sure your own children are fed before you go take care of your neighbor's!