Americans Give $300 Billion... But We're Still Considered "Stingy"

I'm not surprised. People love to bash the Americans for everything wrong in the world. They are also the first to ask them for help when they need it. I have heard this transcript from 1973 from a radio host here in Toronto. I think it says it all even though it's 36 years old. The United States dollar took another pounding on German, French and British exchanges this morning, hitting the lowest point ever known in West Germany. It has declined there by 41% since 1971 and this Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least-appreciated people in all the earth. As long as sixty years ago, when I first started to read newspapers, I read of floods on the Yellow River and the Yangtse. Who rushed in with men and money to help? The Americans did. They have helped control floods on the Nile, the Amazon, the Ganges and the Niger. Today, the rich bottom land of the Mississippi is under water and no foreign land has sent a dollar to help. Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy, were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of those countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States. When the franc was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it. When distant cities are hit by earthquakes, it is the United States that hurries into help... Managua Nicaragua is one of the most recent examples. So far this spring, 59 American communities have been flattened by tornadoes. Nobody has helped. The Marshall Plan .. the Truman Policy .. all pumped billions upon billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now, newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent war-mongering Americans. I'd like to see one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplanes. Come on... let's hear it! Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tristar or the Douglas 107? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all international lines except Russia fly American planes? Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or women on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy and you find men on the moon, not once, but several times ... and safely home again. You talk about scandals and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everyone to look at. Even the draft dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, most of them ... unless they are breaking Canadian laws .. are getting American dollars from Ma and Pa at home to spend here. When the Americans get out of this bind ... as they will... who could blame them if they said 'the hell with the rest of the world'. Let someone else buy the Israel bonds, Let someone else build or repair foreign dams or design foreign buildings that won't shake apart in earthquakes. When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke. I can name to you 5,000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake. Our neighbours have faced it alone and I am one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of these. But there are many smug, self-righteous Canadians. And finally, the American Red Cross was told at its 48th Annual meeting in New Orleans this morning that it was broke. This year's disasters .. with the year less than half-over… has taken it all and nobody...but nobody... has helped.

I was almost right. I guessed France. I'm always impressed by the charitable giving in the U.S. We do care about others, both in our country and abroad. We given even when it isn't tax deductible. And we we go to other countries to live, we keep giving. Our military people love giving out candy and toys to the children of whatever country they are in. Giving is part of our culture. Or at least it has been. I'm somewhat concerned about the young people growing up now and their expectations to be given to. I'm hopeful that what I'm seeing is the vast minority of youth. I know there are kids who are great givers. Let's hope they win.

It amazes me how much we help other countries and they still hate us. Why do they even accept our help if they are just going to complain about the US? This did not surprise me at all. They are always complaining about the Us on so many levels

Do you think that there is the perception out there that America has a blank check when it comes to charitable causes? I hope I am explaining myself clearly here, but we are seen as "Land of Opportunity" as well as the land that covets material possessions, etc...and in turn maybe that gives certain people the idea we should just give and give. Sad part is that we can go above and beyond for foreign aid, but we are falling apart on our own soil. Wouldn't you just love to see a food drive for kids in our own country? I could never understand why we were always so worried about everyone elses backyard, when there is a huge mess in our own.

I did not guess correctly. Thank you for making this discussion. Three cheers for the Charitability of Americans. Huzzah!

I think you are perhaps overlapping two things which aren't entirely related? I think that anyone who knows Americans knows they are generous almost to a fault. However, I don't think the majority of those raising issue over US generosity are talking about the personal charity of individuals and companies. They are more interested in federal development monies given to poorer countries. Very different things. For those interested, US federal aid is one of the lowest in the world as a % of GDP - and often tied to unreasonable restrictions. So I would urge all of us to write to our representatives to do better. It would be a very good way to leverage even more charity. So, in summary - I don't think there are many people out there who actually thing individual Americans are less charitible than anyone else (I am sure there are some, but they probably do have an actual Club, with T-Shirts and weekly meetings. Those people are never going to be happy.).