December 31, 2004

Yeah, Real Stingy

Americans are giving Millions of dollars for tsunami disaster relief. Here's just one example:

John Hewitt is used to opening his checkbook when disaster strikes overseas.

The Virginia Beach entrepreneur, who typically gives a quarter-million dollars to charitable organizations each year, says he expects to provide as much or more to help buy food for victims of the tsunami that has killed nearly 80,000 people and devastated parts of a dozen nations that rim the Indian Ocean.

Hewitt, owner and chief executive of Liberty Tax Service, which prepared nearly 1 million tax returns last year, says he will "donate something for every tax return we do" to Stop Hunger Now, a charity in Raleigh, N.C., that is among dozens of U.S. organizations rushing aid to southern Asia and East Africa. "My feeling is that God wants us to give back," says Hewitt, 55. "I don't think God just says arbitrarily, 'You win, you lose.' "

Some consider it "stingy" when a government isn't the source of cash, but show me a more benevolent private sector than that of the U.S. Take that Jan Egeland.

"Rush of Donations from USA is Immediate and Immense"