The Economics of Disaster

I just read a Forbes article about how The Red Cross has had to borrow money for the first time in its 125-year history.

Quick data points from the article:
The Red Cross took out a $1 billion line of credit.
In two months, they raised $1.3 billion for Katrina. September 11th prompted $1.1 billion of donations in four months.

In the past, I didn't really donate. Maybe I'd drop a bit of change in a Salvation Army kettle, or give a dollar to a street musician. Sure, I thought about donating to public radio, but I figured that others would cover it. Now I'm in no position to donate anything other than my time. Soon I can donate blood, though.

If you haven't yet given money, and you can, the Red Cross has a page for Katrina donations. For another lean-back approach, many of the Coinstar change machines you see in grocery stores accept donations.

A few days ago, I noticed a PayPal-run "Tip Jar" over at Waiter Rant. I started to look into getting such a button of my own over in the sidebar. Right now, I don't feel so good about doing that. So this holiday season, give a little if you can.

Okay, soapbox over. My birthday is next month, so you can make it up to me then. :)