Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Coburn’s Haiti Aid Opposition Misrepresented

To The Editor:

Bethany Imondi’s viewpoint “Aid to Haiti Should Not Be Political” (The Hoya, Oct. 8, 2010, A3) exemplifies what is wrong with liberals on campus. Instead of doing independent research about current issues, they simply parrot what they have read on leftist websites such as MoveOn.org and ThinkProgress.org.

Bethany is entitled to her opinions, but not to the facts. While she is correct that the $1.1 billion Haiti relief has passed, funds are already being distributed despite the lack of an authorization bill. Check USAID’s website for specific details.

Therefore she is incorrect when she argues that Sen. Tom Coburn is delaying Haiti relief. Second, the bill that Bethany claims that Coburn is holding up is about an additional $500 million for fiscal year 2011. The reason he is holding up John Kerry’s new Haiti relief bill is not a $5 million position for a senior Haiti coordinator, but that he wants the new appropriations to be financed by lowering government spending elsewhere. This is the same principle of the PAYGO, or pay-as-you-go, legislation that President Obamasigned into law earlier this year. While it might be a lot to ask Congress to be concerned with our overall national debt, it should not be too much to ask Georgetown editorialists to check their facts before publishing party-line opinion pieces.

Peter Nesbitt (SFS ’11)

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