US - 1/3 of tsunami money spent

Many on the left were carping that the US pledged $350 million for tsunami relief but they wouldn't actually spend any of it.

Shock of shocks, and, from an even bigger shock, The Guardian comes this report on just how much money Uncle Sam has spent so far.

WASHINGTON (AP) - About $92 million of the $350 million that the Bush administration pledged for tsunami relief assistance has been spent so far, a U.S. government official said Friday.

The money has been provided to United Nations organizations and private relief groups, according to Tom Fry of the U.S. Agency for International Development, who spoke by telephone from Utapao, Thailand, with reporters at the Pentagon. The rest of the $350 million will be allocated as relief organizations submit proposals for specific projects, he said.

And that is just the pledged money. Uncle Sam is spending a whole lot more than that and most media ignore this fact,

The U.S. relief funds do not count the assistance provided by the U.S. military, which has 24 Navy ships, one Coast Guard vessel and about 15,000 servicemen and women involved in the relief effort. The Pentagon has estimated that it is spending about $6 million a day in those operations.

This is in the Guardian, yes that Guardian. Excuse me while I step outside and see if there are any pigs flying about.
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