How Much is $15 Million? - UPDATED

According to reports I'm seeing on TV news tonight, the U.S. government plans to spend $15 million to help the victims of this weekend's tragedy in Asia. For perspective, the following list of actors earn $15+ million for each film they make:

• Tom Cruise
• Cameron Diaz
• Tom Hanks
• Jim Carrey
• Mike Myers
• Mel Gibson
• Adam Sandler
• Will Smith
• Harrison Ford
• Bruce Willis
• Julia Roberts
• Chris Tucker
• Leonardo DiCaprio
• Russell Crowe
• Eddie Murphy
• Denzel Washington
• Nicholas Cage
• George Clooney
• Vin Diesel
• Toby Maguire
• Johnny Depp
• Ben Affleck
• Brad Pitt
• Keanu Reeves

UPDATE: The government of Japan has pledged $30 million, according to Wired News.

UPDATE II: According to CNN, the U.S. State Department said another $20 million in aid will be made available for disaster relief. So, that's like having Vin Diesel and Julia Roberts in the same flick.

Comments

[norbizness]

If it's any consolation, Ben Affleck, Eddie Murphy, and Vin Diesel should soon be dropping off that list.

In other conversion news, it's also 0.15% of what we're "officially" spending on that dumb missile defense shield, 12 minutes of interest on the national debt, one-eighth of the powerball lottery some retired John Deere salesman won, 14% of Picasso's Garcon a la Pipe at auction, or 2 hours of the cost of the Iraq War (at $5 billion per month).

[Robert Schumacher]

It's interesting to me that when 9/11 happened, the media stopped the presses and carried 9/11 news 24/7 for nearly a week (all TV and radio stations here carried new continuously, with things like Home Shopping Network carrying CNN vice normal programming).

Not odd...9/11 was one of the worst tragedies on US soil ever with over 3,000 killed.

This disaster has (at latest count) killed over 26,000 and there are upwards of 60,000 missing (from SEA-EAT), yet US news carries it like a fifth-page below the fold news item (compared to things like 9/11 or OK City).

People dying are people dying, regardless the cause. We seem to care so much less when they are not "us", as shown by our media (and the fact that our government spends more in one day in Iraq than it will for this entire catastrophe).

[tas]

Well, I, for one, have never been prouder to be an American, let me tell ya.

Fucking Christ... Did Bush write "Fuck off and die" on the check, too, or did he that message was already obvious?

[Laura]

Well, you know, strapped for cash and all, gotta save Social Security. Oh, and there's that war thing going on. I think we owe some back pay or something. When the markets pick up, maybe we can do more.

[Jordan Golson]

Why don't you criticize the EU for only sending $4 million initially when they have the same GDP as us?

As for the news coverage, like it or not, American's dying is BIG NEWS, other countries people dying, ESPECIALLY poor people, is not news. That's just how it is.

[Jordan Golson]

Laura, what do you mean "when the markets pick up"? You know that the Dow is at it's highest level since February 2001? Maybe you should pay a little more attention to the good news, and not all the bad news.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-markets22dec22.story

[Brad Warbiany]

Roxanne,
Excellent point. Now, if we could just get each of those celebrities to pony up a cool mil, we'd be in great shape... Affleck's pretty liberal, maybe we can get him to put up $2M...

[Roxanne]

Jordan:

I don't think anyone has said that the EU is doing its fair share here. I just used the illustration of how much actors get paid to understand the U.S. level of support, or lack thereof. Also, I think Laura was being facetious.

[mikey]

geezus. you people, i swear. you don't think that $15 million is enough? shoot, that's almost half the budget of Bush's inauguration/party!

and you know we can't skimp on that.

besides. none of those poor people work for Halliburton, so why should we give them money?

[Brad Warbiany]

For everyone who thinks we're not stepping up to the plate:

http://tsunamihelp.blogspot.com/

You can find links on where to donate through there.

[Daniel Kirkdorffer]

A CNN report last night indicated the French were making 100,000 Euros available for relief efforts. Mon dieu! I'm hardly wealthy but if necessary I bet I could scrouge up that much money. Perhaps I'm a nation unto myself after all?

The wealthy nations of the world should be ashamed of their meager response to such a catastophic event.

For all of you convinced that we're not giving enough, there are numerous charitable organizations that would gladly take your personal checks.

[Roxanne]

Yes, as I noted yesterday, if you can, please make a donation to one of the many relief organizations listed at ASV.

[Daniel Kirkdorffer]

"For all of you convinced that we're not giving enough, there are numerous charitable organizations that would gladly take your personal checks."

Sure. However, while individual charitable donations are needed, nations have a responsibility to act as well - and of course they do so with the taxes of their citizens. So they provide financial support on our behalf, with our blessing, and our money. We'd just wish they'd do more.

[Robert Schumacher]

Jordan,

Americans are not more important than the rest of the world, despite our arrogant assumptions that we are. "Ugly American" seems to fit you well.

[Tony Iovino]

Y'know, you liberals all jumped to the wrong conclusion--Bush has X amount of money immediately available (try to remember this is a democracy, and Bush isn't a King...yet); as more funds were freed up from other budgets, he allocated more. the real money, the rebuilding money will come later & will need, wait for it civics class-- Congressional approval.

And how about them French? $135,000. Where are the comments on that amount (which is what I think a key grip makes?)

[roxanne]

I'm not sure I understand why various commenters are taking the original post as a condemnation of Bush or Republicans.

[Robert Schumacher]

Well, I don't know if the original post was meant to be critical, but it does seem that even $35 million, for a nation as powerful as the US, is a bit thin. Tony, I took civics, too...and there is such a thing as an emergency session of Congress. And since the President's inauguration is funded by donations, here's a thought...why doesn't Bush (who really doesn't *need* an inauguration, he's already in office) opt for a simple swearing in at the White House and donate the nearly $40 million raised for his 2nd inauguration to the effort? I'm sure the donors who sent it for the inauguration wouldn't mind.

[Daniel Kirkdorffer]

I agree that what is missing in the administrations response is a representative gesture that demonstrates a response that is equal to the scale of the catastrophe.

So far, we've had a business as usual approach in Washington, and Bush has taken 3 days to make any public comments on the earthquake or tsunami.

I wouldn't hold my breath though. This administration is not one to ask Americans to make any kind of sacrifice, even at a time we're supposedly at war. I can't see them making a sacrifice of their own and bypassing their chance to party on inauguration day.

[Rori]

What freaks me out is knowing how much of a cluster fuck all of the donations we made to 9/11... and how many of those dollars are still just sitting there.

[Sim-I-Am]

Well, Well, Well, We all take great pride in knocking this country don't we??? But I don't see anyone taking up residence anywhere else. This country and it's citizens have our faults but its the best place on this earth to be living...So I'll just repeat an oldie If you don't like it leave it...got to France, Japan, any other country so you can say you live in a country how donated X amount of dollars to the victims because when its all said and done the U.S. and her citizens will have given the most in time, money, volunteers and aid to the victims of this terrible disaster.

[Eli]

As the days of BushCo add up, I take less and less pride in America.

We could leave, but what would y'all do about the "brain drain."

Also -- why is it that people who've no doubt never been outside their state always say the US is the best country on Earth? How the hell would you know?