But, more abstractly and maybe more importantly, is the real reason the Government feels it must be involved: international political pressure. Somehow, over the past 50-100 years, the concept of "world community" has formed as the prevailing worldview for relationships between nations. The foolishness and fallibility of this concept is for another article, but lets put it this way: the Government gives to foreign charities pretty much only because it looks bad if they don't. The Government (rightly) is not an individual with feelings, nor- some would claim- abstract thought.

The philosophical aspects of charity are cumbersome and complex, but I think everyone can agree that charity based on the wrong reasons (to look good) is a lot less effective than charity for the right reasons.

So if the Government doesn't pony up, who will? If you're going to argue against government charity, this, unfortunately, is the first question that comes up in the minds of most people. The reasons for such a question are telling: the instant a problem or disaster strikes, the media (and subsequently the people) immediately calls to the Government to fix it.

The reality with most matters, including this specific tragedy, are that private citizens and organizations are not only more effective in helping, they generally give a heck of a lot more.

The tsunami disaster, akin to most news events, has been digested by the masses in a series of numbers: X number dead, Y number injured, Z number missing. When it comes to helping the victims, the numbers speak volumes as well.

The US Government has pledged $35 million in money and aid. Compare that to the entirety of the US private sector, though. Everyday individuals have donated $150 million to the Red Cross. Big, bad US corporations, whom everyone loves to hate, have donated about $70 million themselves- double that of the entire US Government.

The concept of "who donated more than who" is not important here. The key is the expectations, and what the act of spending said money means.

People, sadly enough, expect the Government to be the first (and many times only) entity to spend money to fix a problem. Leaving spending on internal problems to its own debate, international problems are just not the business of the Government and its power over the tax dollars of its citizens.

Tax money is for internal purposes only. Sure, sometimes those internal purposes benefit from spending money outside the US. But only in very specific incidents. And these specific incidents are generally- and, as harsh as it seems, rightfully so- selfish ones. "Looking good" doesn't count here.

Tax dollars are the public's money. Its money that is essentially held by the Government only because there are certain things only it can do well. It's not a big, magic pile of money which the Government is somehow obligated to give out to the neediest people in the world.

Once again, private individuals, companies, and organizations do that quicker, at a greater level, and much more efficiently than the Government could ever do.