A simple suggestion for Haiti
Food aid, emergency tents, and inflatable hospitals may be a short short term priority for Haiti, but will never be the basis for rebuilding the country. You need a functional economy for that.
One thing that the government could do to help that along is to drop the trade restrictions on sugar imported from Haiti. Without the barriers imposed by government, Haitian farmers would have a viable export market for sugar, which would generate income to pay for domestic and imported supplies and capital goods.
This would have the added benefit for US consumers in lower prices for sugar, as well as less of the Florida everglades used for marginal sugar production.
But that's pitting Haitian farmers, US consumers and environmentalists against the major US sugar and corn syrup producers who benefit from the tariffs. Guess who will win...
One thing that the government could do to help that along is to drop the trade restrictions on sugar imported from Haiti. Without the barriers imposed by government, Haitian farmers would have a viable export market for sugar, which would generate income to pay for domestic and imported supplies and capital goods.
This would have the added benefit for US consumers in lower prices for sugar, as well as less of the Florida everglades used for marginal sugar production.
But that's pitting Haitian farmers, US consumers and environmentalists against the major US sugar and corn syrup producers who benefit from the tariffs. Guess who will win...