Denver vs. New Orleans

Quote from tradermaji:

piezoe,

If you contact Senator Landrieu or Vitter's office, or Representative Jindal's office, they can tell you what they were doing to get the federal monies for flood control work before Katrina. As far as I know, and I am very involved with flood control work, they were busting their behinds to get the federal monies for this work. However, they were not that successful.

Read the postings made by other posters here. It appears that these posters are trying to blame others in order to shift the blame away from the Federal Govt. and bushboy. That is what is sad. chimp in chief did accept that it was his fault during his speech from Jackson Square, yet these party card holders are trying their best to provide excuses for that moron.
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As I have said, New Orleans should have been protected decades ago by the federal, state, local levels. Each decade and generation should not escape blame, but the majority blame FEMA and Bush simply for political reasons because that's not their party. Inadequate levees in New Orleans existed 100+ years ago, but some people think it's only Bush's fault. Rooting for their political party is no different than rooting for a sports team as they are not actually interested in having the problem solved, just like politicians have no interest in solving or preventing problems. The politicians have chosen their party and are interested only in their own careers and future of their party and only want to maintain interest in their voting followers.

It looks like the more problems there are in this country the better. More problems means more "help" from the politicians. The more problems there are the more air time on the telly vision the political candidates receive, telling us vote for me because I will save you and if I'm elected and the problem is not solved it's someone else's fault. It's just one big party at tax payer's expense.

There seems to be a lack of personal responsibility for each employee in the various governments and each individual citizen.
 
Louisiana's State Board is NOT in New Orleans. Believe it or not, the State is responsible for divying up the funds.

That is not Bush's Fault. Not entirely. His party has made it the norm to ignore mounting issues related to public safety while focusing only on needs and wants of the top 1% and their friends.

WHAT BUSH IS RESPONSIBLE FOR:

FEMA - wasn't prepared - had been focused soley on what might happen during terrorist attacks

LACK OF CARING - Did he even cut his trip to Texas short? No. Even after he heard about the devestation, he went to a meeting across the country. Of course, he had them fly a little low, so he could check it out. Then, when he finally DID show? Ooohhhh! Photo op with people on an overpass. Did he bother to leave food or water as he was getting his $5000.00 suited buttocks into a private helicopter and chugging a water on the way?

SHEER STUPIDITY OF UNHEARD OF MAGNITUDE - Hiring a horse show judge to be the head of a NATIONAL DISASTER RELIEF ORGANIZATION (did anyone happen to catch that? helllooo - national DISASTER RELIEF) then not bothering to check up on him? Brown has already stated that he had no idea what to do or where to even begin and that he basically hid in his office.

REBUILDING? WHAT REBUILDING? - 14 months after Katrina and we still have houses that need to be demolished by pros because they are too dangerous for volunteers or amatures. BUT THE COMAPNIES THAT BUSH GAVE THE CONTRACTS TO ARE FRAUDULENT!! Yes, the so noble Halliburton and it's counterpart Bechtel...Bush suspended minimum wage and illegal immigrant hiring. Meaning workers do not have to be paid more than pennies and do not even have to be legal to work for these companies. In the meantime, the companies BUSH GAVE THE CONTRACTS TO (NO BID WAS EVER DONE) ARE CHARGING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PRICES AT AN ALL TIME HIGH FOR CONSTRUCTION. And, workers that would have been able to help are banned from the jobs. My dad is a Union electrician and The Gulf Coast is in desperate need of electricians. But, he cannot get a job there because the companies Bush gave the rebuild to refuse to hire Union empoyees. They only want illegal aliens and unskilled labor to keep their costs down. Between non union illegal employees and the outrageous amounts they are charging the government, they are reaoing some serious profits. The reason they are only hiring non union workers is because they dont want to have to deal with Union regulations on safety and accomodations. OSHA is having fits over their lack of safety protocols and the working and living conditions of their underpaid workers is unreal. This is Bush's doing. He and his evil circle are allowing and have, to a great extent, encouraged this behavior.

Basically, I don't hold Bush and his regime accountable for the condition of the levees. That is not what this is about. Yes, had they been in better repair, THEY MIGHT HAVE HELD...MIGHT... Had the pumps in the pumping station been updated (or manned) they MIGHT have been able to keep up with the water. But, since the pumps are supposed to deal with heavy rains, not flooding from a broken levee wall, it would have been moot as they pumped the water RIGHT BACK WHERE IT CAME FROM.

I was visiting family in New Orleans over Halloween (I am a Flight Attendant and had a lay-over so I got to see them) and they gave me a tour. FOURTEEN MONTHS AFTER KATRINA AND IT LOOKS LIKE A WAR-ZONE...and yes, I have seen one of those as well..
There is little to no idication that anyone is even trying to help these people.

THE BIGGEST THING I BLAME BUSH AND CIRCLE OF EVIL FOR? SPENDING A FORTUNE EVERY SINGLE DAY IN IRAQ WHILE STATES IN OUR OWN COUNTRY ARE STRUGGLING FOR SURVIVAL...

It is unforgivable that he concentrate the dwindling financial resources of our country and the powers of the NATIONAL GUARD (again...anyone notice the NATIONAL part of that) on a foreign country while OUR OWN PEOPLE suffer. As for the National Guard? Until Bush rewrote it, their mandate was home soil first - foreign soil as a last resort. But, since no one believes in his war and they dont want to sign up, he is rewriting mandates right and left.

I have never been a Bush supporter. I did not like his Father, but I would take 100 daddies over the son. He is ridiculous in his immaturity, bull-headed piggishness, closed-mindedness, and stupidity. Even before Katrina, other nations held us up as the clowns sof the world. Now, on pretty much a weekly basis I hear the pity of those from other countries. Every family I meet (from other countries) tells me how sad the Gulf Coast tragedy is and how shocked they were by our government's lack of response.

What can I say? I am ashamed of it. I was shocked and angered. I continue to be. I also believe ... truly believe ...that if it were Florida and his brother's reputation at risk? THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED...

K
 
Well, we have pretty much exhausted this topic. EqtTrdr's post reminded me that attitudes about self-reliance really are different in New Orleans and much of the rest of the country. Some thought that the post was about comparing the snowstorm in colorado to the Katrina disaster, but it really wasn't. IMO It was about comparing attitudes and accepting personal responsibility.

Tradermaji's posts convinced me that the Federal government shared a larger portion of the responsibility for what happened in New Orleans than i had previously realized. For that i thank him. Some saw the finger pointing as mostly politically motivated, and i suppose that is largely correct.

Now that we're past this, i hope we will get the needed federal and state cooperation and funding to get those leevees fixed and improve the pumps and pumping capacity in a city that is truly a national treasure. Frankly, i'd far rather see my tax dollars spent there then in Iraq.

I wish, that the City's "modified" population would elect a competent, responsible, and efficient City government that will insist on an intelligent and competent police force. I'll be pleasantly surprized if that happens.
 
Bayoumermaid,

Thank you for your excellent articulation.

Piezoe,

I agree with you on the aspect of personal responsibility. There is a lack of that in a lot of us, but I don't want to say that it is more in the southern states that it is up in the northern states or something along geographical lines. I think the repeated evacuation orders followed by misses (thank God for that though) made a lot of people ignore the warnings this time. Also, the time between the strike and the first warning was not enough. I can tell you from what I heard from a large number of people.

I think all the politicians did a horrible job during the aftermath. However, the higher up in the ladder you are, the more shit you will catch.

What bothers me is the attitude flaunted by a lot of people in this country. Natural disasters can happen anywhere. Weren't the National Guard out in Colorado helping them? I just hope people have more compassion when they hear about the misfortune of others.

On another note, I think Katrina pumped up the economy of this region. The average wages have gone up and there is a lot more economic activity. Katrina also gave the City an opportunity to cleanse itself, which, I am sad to say that was squandered by the local leaders. What we needed was a lame duck mayor who didn't have to worry about being reelected. It would have given him the courage to choose the bitter pill without having to worry about reelections.
 
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