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We Have Money for Notre Dame, but Not Flint, Michigan?
Apparently there’s none to spare for our own.
On April 15th, 2019 the world watched as Notre Dame, one of the most prominent Catholic Cathedrals and a 900 year old monument of Gothic architecture, burned in a fire that lasted throughout much of the night and caused extensive structural damage. Watching the building burn filled many with a profound sense of shock, loss, and nostalgia for those who have seen the building in person. It didn’t take long for social media to be flooded with pictures of selfies in front of the iconic building, and recollections of fond memories of their visits.
Even with the French government pledging to rebuild the Cathedral, companies like Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, and their enormously wealthy owners were so affected by the fire that some made individual promises of hundreds of millions of dollars for restoration efforts of the Cathedral. All this just months after Parisian citizens were rioting in the streets because of rising costs of basic necessities like gasoline that many are struggling desperately to afford.
But these monetary pledges were not limited to private companies and citizens alone, or even to the French government. A statement released by the Trump Administration regarding the fire pledged assistance to France in…
