I just heard a report on the news that more than 10 days after the earthquake leveled Haiti, perhaps as few as 500,000 people have been provided with anything to eat, and that as many as 1,500,000 have yet to receive any aid at all.
The reasons given for the delay (and they are understandable) are that there is so much destruction and rubble that trucks cannot make it through the streets to get supplies to the people. The food is caught in choke-points, and the going is slow to say the least.
According to news reports, anywhere from 800-1000 planes are waiting to land in Haiti to deliver relief supplies, while only 130 can be handled per day. This lack of real action is absurd.
Haiti is very close to the United States. It is easy to fly from the U.S. mainland and back again in a short time. With that in mind, here is an idea that I propose. No doubt, it is likely too simplistic for anyone to accept, but it is one real common-sense way to provide actual food to actual people, and you don't even have to land the airplanes.
Just drop this stuff from the air for the people who need it. Keep it going... plane, after plane, after plane. Wrap the stuff up, fly in a coordinated manner over (or near) the people who are suffering and drop these little bubble packages out. Repeat.
Figure out the long-term relief later. Common-sense too often loses out to structured planning by (well-meaning) but short-sighted officials. If you agree, speak up. Tell the Obama Administration to drop their stupid clipboards, shut their stupid laptops and start handing out food to real people!
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