According to Wikipedia -

That's what I get for taking my info from a conservative blog, it seems Italy didn't even actually SEND the choppers.

Where did you get the $3 million?

Italy sent us old parts from some cannibalized Fiats, and we're supposed to send them how much?

One can also look at that list of Katrina donations and wonder how much of it reflected genuine humanitarianism/international cooperation and how much of the big donations were given to allow the countries to say that they had helped the United States when it was refusing to help its own people.

An excellent question, and one to which I feel I must withdraw my statement....I heard that specific number on a local radio show I listen to (no, not Rush or Hannity, but local), and I cannot find a specific number to go along with the lists of stuff I got off the MSNBC link. I have no idea who valued it or how.

Hell, Obama is giving Chrysler to the Italians, how much do they want from us?!

To be fair, though, for a significant portion of the membership here, three months ago the operating principal was "${ANY_BUSH_ACTION} will be immediately interpreted in the worst possible light, no matter what it is." And a lot of the time it was as pointlessly kneejerk (in my opinion of course) as what I'm seeing for Obama. Of course, there was more history to back it up but that doesn't make it any more valid.

Except we didn't need to make up things in order to paint Bush in the worst possible light. He gave us a steady supply of genuine outrages to work with.

More seriously than my previous replies, it seems sensible to me that the amount would be relatively small.

1. Italy is not some third world country sent into complete collapse by this. This is further demonstrated by them saying they don't need our "boots on the ground" assistance.

2. Italy is already part of a larger economic support structure that, to the extent that Italy needs assistance should be the first and primary responder. That is, the European Union.

3. The announced money is from the Italy embassy's budget. This sounds like something that could be done with a very minimal amount of bureaucracy and could put the money into immediate circulation where it is needed. As per the reasons above, any true need for U.S. assistance is likely to be immediate while everybody is getting ramped up then the internal and EU support response should kick in.

4. I have no doubt if Italy says "we need more!!" that more will be forthcoming. Also, I have no doubt that private charitable giving will almost certainly be quite charitable (and which, certain political groups in the United States are often quite justifiably proud of and frequently say is the appropriate channel for assistance rather than federal dollars).

Yeah, that's reasonable, Alex.

And JW, outrage is in the eye of the beholder. I also don't make up the things that Obama does that angers me, I just don't post them.

It's fun. My dad blames Obama for our economy.

Yet, before he was sworn in, my dad blamed Clinton for the present economy, stating that it's always the former president's mess.

I try to point that out to him whenever he blames Obama now, and he'll rebutt with, "You don't see the big picture. You don't understand what's going on, but I do." :rolleyes:

Weak tea.

Hmm, kinda hurts the allusion to the Boston Tea Party if they're thwarted by some permit issues.