I wish this were a surprising bit of news, but it isn't. CNN reported that for all of the countries that pledged support to Haiti, only 2 percent of that money has actually gone to the country. This includes countries like the United States, which pledged $1.15 billion and has paid nothing. That's nada. Zero. Just what is Bill Clinton doing over there again? Food supplies continue to go undisbursed and more than 1 million remain homeless, living under tarps.Venezuela promised $1.32 billion but has paid none of it. It also forgave Haiti's oil debt ($295 million) as Chavez acknowledged, "Haiti has no debt with Venezuela, it is Venezuela who has a historic debt with Haiti," referring to Haiti's support in Venezuela's independence from France. (Of course, there should be no such debt to begin with since it was enforced as a result of Toussaint L'ouverture's successful fight for independence, but that's another story.)


Only four countries have paid anything: Brazil, Norway, Estonia and Australia. Wow, really, USA? Estonia?

Clinton told Anderson Cooper earlier this week:

"I'm going to call all those governments and say, the ones who said they'll give money to support the Haitian government. I want to try to get them to give the money, and I'm trying to get the others to give me a schedule for when they'll release it."

Is that how this all works? You just call up a government and ask them about that money they owe? That seems pretty simple. Why has it taken this long to pick up the phone? And does he tap his own shoulder for his own government?

To be fair, private money has come in from the Clinton Foundation, Mexican telecommunications billionaire Carlos Slim Helu and Canadian mining investor Frank Giustra. Plus money still comes in from charities.

But it's not enough to rebuild Haiti's infrastructure nor is it meeting the short-term needs of the people there who are homeless.
The pledges are for fiscal year 2010-2011, so the countries -- France, Canada and Spain, none of which have shelled out any cash -- have until the middle of next year to make good on their promises.