Haiti’s past history is not a happy one, though its present is of course even worse. Because of this, you may have heard loud voices in American society suggesting that we waste our money when we give it to Haitians or organizations that are trying to help Haitians.

So: does outside help for Haiti do any good? This morning, I came across a helpful piece by the New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, entitled “Some Frank Talk about Haiti.” Mr. Kristof addresses the following questions:

• Why is Haiti so poor? Is it because Haitians are dimwitted or incapable of getting their act together?
• Can our billions in aid to Haitians accomplish anything? After all, a Wall Street Journal column argues, “To help Haiti, end foreign aid.”
• So, is Haiti hopeless? Is Bill O’Reilly right? He said: “Once again, we will do more than anyone else on the planet, and one year from today Haiti will be just as bad as it is right now.”

Mr. Kristof’s answer, in short, is that there is indeed hope for Haiti and that we should continue to provide assistance. Now, as you may be aware, he comes from a particular perspective–but this piece struck me as even-handed and well-informed. Check it out, and see what you think.

—Dwight Christenbury