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Haiti in desperate need of our help

Let me preface by saying I am by far not a “bleeding heart liberal,” but the situation occurring in Haiti saddens me to the core. After the earthquake in 2010 left the country dazed and helpless, the recent hurricane with more lives lost only adds to their plight.

I have visited the country and found the people to be nothing less than happy by nature and just looking to please others and improve their lives overall. At that time, our country made a big deal about helping Haiti, but after a couple of months they were not much better off than before. Now after this latest disaster, I have yet to hear anyone in our government talking about some additional relief to help them recover.

With Haiti being a nation in our hemisphere, we should lead the way to help the Haitian people and stop spending billions of dollars half a world away in Iraq and Afghanistan ignoring our own neighbors. Imagine if a small amount of the money spent in the Middle East were used to relieve the plight of these good people; it would make a world of difference. I realize that the United States has no self-interest in Haiti (they have no oil to sell us) but this is the right and honorable thing to do.

Phillip Coduti

Prospect Heights

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