Other ways to help Haiti

1. Repeal tariffs on Haitian sugar and lower remaining restrictions on Haitian garment imports.

2. Give expedited approval, in terms of food safety rules, to the importation of Haitian mangoes.

3. Set up a Term Loan Auction Facility for Haitians, or alternatively apply quantitative easing to the market for Haitian mud cakes.  It's worked for every other macro problem.  Alternatively, get out the helicopter, I have heard worse ideas.  Stabilize Haitian nominal GDP!

4. Find someone from the government to give a radio address.

5. In Port-Au-Prince and environs, define squatter's rights.

6. Invite Haitians to occupy the empty homes in the run-down parts of New Orleans.

7. Set up nearby charter cities which would welcome Haitian migrants.

8. Redefine the mission of Guantanamo to help Haiti.

9. Shift the capital to Cap-Haitean, if only temporarily, and build up Cap-Haitien in the meantime.  That may be a better investment than PAP.  As it stands, people will flow into Cap until living standards across the cities equalize.

10. Move Citigroup to St. Marc, which is underbanked (hat tip).

11. Offer special Haitian coffees at select shops, to boost employment in a more or less intact sector of the Haitian economy.

12. Continue military and special operations assistance.  Reconstruct the port as quickly as possible.

13. Let more Haitians enter the United States and organize a consortium to accept refugees.

Addendum: Here is Whirled Citizen, a very good new blog on Haiti, which will eventually turn into a blog on development in general, Africa too.

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