Rep. Corrine Brown: “I rise today to voice my deepest sympathy for the families of the hundreds of persons who drowned before dawn on Monday…”

“I rise today to voice my deepest sympathy for the families of the hundreds of persons who drowned before dawn on Monday of this week when a packed Haitian ferry--transporting hundreds more passengers than it was built for--tipped over. These people, who were merely going to work, died tragic and unnecessary deaths. This horrifying event is the second such event in Haiti in recent times. In 1993 over 1,000 persons drowned in another crowded ferry off Haiti's coast. We should be outraged that such tragedy happens so close to home. But because Haiti is a nation of black people living in crippling poverty, and not an oil-rich country, the United States turns a blind eye. As a member of the Transportation Committee, let me say this: The reason for such tragedy in Haiti is simple--there is no decent or safe transportation infrastructure in Haiti due to lack of funding and necessary expertise. America has failed Haiti and there is shared responsibility for the failure. The President, along with the leadership in our State Department, should have carved out a realistic financial program to give Haiti the tools to build a sustainable democracy. What is needed is a unique program--designed to fit Haiti's particular needs and requirements. In foreign policy, we need to get away from the cookie cutter mentality that expects all foreign countries to be the same.”