#1870: Re: #1864: Laleau replies to Millis

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From:NLaleau@aol.com

Dear Lokken Millis,

As you point out, and I agree with it, the important word is "empowering."  I 
didn't mean to target you in regard to the "beggar mentality" comment, and I 
hope I didn't imply that anyone is specifically trying to create beggars 
(although the importers of Miami rice and pepe are doing a lot to undercut 
Haitian production, with the result that beggars are certainly created).  The 
"creation" of beggardom is being done on a very large scale -- from the seats 
of international policy and business.  Those of us farther down on the ladder 
might be enabling people to be dependent, as we enable them to remain alive, 
but that is a far cry from deliberately creating beggars.  I've also done 
what I could to alleviate immediate material poverty, provided medicines, 
etc., and tried to provide means of making a livelihood -- a sewing machine 
here, investment capital for small businesses there, etc.  Sometimes it 
worked out (empowered someone), sometimes it didn't.  The biggest single 
waste of resources that I know of that I made was handing money directly to a 
specific priest that I thought had the people's benefit at heart...

Sincerely,
Nancy Laleau