TSUNAMI3.CBS 01/03/05 10:51 PM-DLR   1:43
The Osgood File.  Sponsored by ________.  This is Dave Ross.  On the CBS Radio Network.
If there was any question about the American response to the south Asian tsunami, there's no question now.   Two former Presidents will head a campaign to unleash an equal but opposite tsunami of private donations to back up the government effort - and Americans appear ready to step up.  More after this from Charlie:
(SPOT)
Former Presidents George Bush senior and Bill Clinton, once political opponents, have joined in a nationwide fund-raising effort to raise money for Asian tsunami victims.
And because the distances involved make it impractical to collect things like blankets and clothes for shipping to the disaster area - this will be a campaign for CASH, so relief organizations can buy supplies closer to the people who need them.
Hence the choice of Bush and Clinton.  Because they have a talents shared by all successful politicians have to have - a talent for collecting cash.   They know who has the money, and how to ask for it.   And it should be a liberating experience for them, I think, because unlike a political campaign, there will be no limits to individual donations.
So whether you're a Republican or a Democrat, if you have a significant amount of money, expect a call.   
And I know some people will say, hey - isn't this what we pay taxes for?  Well, maybe once upon a time.
But with the tax cuts, the government already has to borrow the entire defense budget at the same time that it's cutting funding for programs like Medicaid.  So private donors are going to have to step up.
And by all indications, that's just what they're doing.  You'll remember that the President, in justifying his tax cuts, said again and again that people know better than the government how best to spend the money they earn.   Well, here's a chance to prove him right.
There's a list of reputable charities at www.usafreedomcorps.gov.
The Osgood File. Dave Ross.  On the CBS Radio Network.
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