<p>Cangel, you make a great point. Responsibility for one’s self is a concept that many in this country don’t grasp. Granted, many didn’t have transportation and ended up stranded, but even a jug of water and a box of granola bars would have helped many who showed up empty handed thinking the gov’t would be taking care of them. Also, there were many cars submerged in the 9th ward while their owners were on roof tops. I certainly hope those who found themselves in a life threatening situation will do better next time - because there will be a next time.</p>
<p>This is what comes of people being too reliant on the government.</p>
<p>w 11 ked, did you think some faith based charity could have handled it better?? Or perhaps some large corporation? We see how fast the insurance companies are trying to avoid paying. The point is, ONLY the government could have handled it, but only if competant people had been named to key positions, instead of political appointees.</p>
<p>No Laura, that is not my point, and W1cked has hit on part of it. There are a lot of us down here that cut the federal government as well as state and local governments some slack because we have been through hurricanes, and we, down deep in our heart of hearts, aren’t sure that all the planning in the world would have made a lot of difference.
I blame the federal government for the incredibly inadequate response of FEMA afterward - particularly, for example the lame brain notion that people could do their contacting on the web - the cell phones don’t even work! I also blame all levels of gov’t. for not building the levees properly in the first place. I blame the LA governor for not calling in the National Guard, and possibly fed troops prior to the storm (of course all those army trucks would have gotten washed away when the levees broke, but hey, they would have been in the right place). I blame Nagin for not evacuating the city - what an idiot.</p>
<p>But, truth is, everyone knew this was going to happen, everyone just (humanly) thought it wouldn’t be this time, or in this day and age. These people live 12-20 feet below sea level, houses right up against a levee that’s higher than the roof - and they think that’s OK???!!!</p>
<p>At some point we have to take responsibility for ourselves and those around us who can’t care for themselves - no government, however well-funded, well-meaning or intrusive, can replace a community, a family and common sense!</p>
<p>In 1871 there was the great Chicago fire. IN 1900 a cat 4 destroyed Galveston, with at least 12K dead. IN 1906, there was the SF earthquake, killing 3K. I am sure the FEMA was around, with competent leadership, to help people then, right? Companies like Home Depot, Walmart, etc, got supplies to NO much earlier than the federal government did. Glad you mentioned that only the governmnet could handle the situation.</p>
<p>No they didn’t help, but that’s the point they should have, because they had warning, I do agree on a lot, about the levees being built badly, but that’s when the fed is supposed to be there, when a local area is overwhelmed, otherwise why bother to have a fed government. It might as well be the independent country of LA. The fed gov’t can make us all stronger and it is able to help when states are overwhelmed. That was nice of Walmart etc, but the fed let you down and they have been letting everyone down for years. Sometimes we can handle things on our own. NY could basically handle 9/11, because it was localized, but NO was never going to be able to handle something like this with everything being overwhelmed. We should not be cynical about what could have been done. No excuses.
One looks at the earthquakes in Pakistan and they couldn’t help their people, but I would expect more of one of the richest countries in the world, who can send billions to kill and torture people in Iraq, oh I mean save people in Iraq. Sending all the national guard overseas was Inexcusable, that’s why there is a national guard to help localities with local disasters. I guess when Bush was in it he thought it was a waste of time, but we know now that was really him that was the problem.
True, you should not build and live at undersea level, but the federal government had enough warning to help feed the survivors and they should have had the forethought to send in Food and the AVAILABLE medical workers to help in health care and the National Guard to help search for survivors and yes, helping rebuild or at least make sure the electricity is turned on and the AVAILABLE trailers are sent in. Imagine what all the money that’s now burning in Iraq could have done. Inexcusable.
Have we become so able to forgive our leaders for what they’ve done? Blood on their hands. Compassionate conservatives, no just greedy incompetent thieves and liars. We have had a more competent FEMA and government and can have one again. Come election day we all should remember that.</p>
<p>There’s always that sterling Bill Clinton example.</p>
<p>Quote:
Mr Clintons contact with Dubai on the issue underscores the relationship he has developed with the United Arab Emirates since leaving office. In 2002, he was paid $300,000 (252,000) to address a summit in Dubai.</p>
<p>An Isreal company just backed the Dubai deal and Clinton usually hired true experts in the field to run things. His expert of terrorism ACTUALLY had lots of experience in that area. Surprise… AND he read a lot and studied issues and was actually open to hearing opposing ideas before making a decision. He had brains and valued intellectual discussion, which everyone on this site should appreciate…</p>
<p>I knew it! I knew I should have said “what about Clinton?” before someone brought it up.</p>
<p>The issue is NOT what the federal government did or did not do (well, there is that too, but that’s not the subject.) The issue is that the President of the United States cannot remember what is being said to him at an emergency briefing 4 days earlier.</p>
<p>I think it might be wise for Republican leaders to convene a little group on the President’s mental capacity to continue.</p>
<p>Mini, Do Republican Leaders really think they can control GWB since he already tasted the fruit of being a wartime President? “What about Clinton’s” protectors who knew he was a hound; they weren’t effective.</p>
<p>I’m mad at my federal government (I don’t live in NO so can’t vote out the mayor or govenor) for two main reasons. 1) lack of planning … lots of blame to share on this one (fed and local) and all sorts of crying wolf issues also … and 2) an incredibly poor response to the disaster … in this case I do not buy the NO or LA complaints … sure NO and LA messed up but MY federal government messed up BIG time. </p>
<p>Let me ask each of you a question. Do you think the feds relief response would have been the same, slower, or faster if the levees had failed as a result of terrorists bombs? I am 100% sure the relief would have arrived much-much quicker if there had been a terrorist attack … what do you think?</p>
<p>Not really. The mess is too widespread and massive. There are just not enough people left to do all the work nor places for them to live while doing it.</p>
<p>We all know what Clinton’s brain focused on the most–Mr Happy. Not that there is anything wrong with that. </p>
<p>If he had such good info he should have stopped 9/11 before it got that far as most of the planning was done while he was President.</p>
<p>mini - How did you MISS that???</p>
<hr>
<p>Here’s the thing. (And you probably have a similar situation in your town.) I live near a big and very old nuclear power plant. It is right across the lake from Canada - easily within flying distance of, say, a wayward jet. If, God forbid, we were to have a terrorist attack on that plant (or even an accident) what is the plan? Well, they have sirens that I have only heard once since moving here 18 years ago. (I know they have tests - but I never hear them.) My sister is a nurse at our closest hospital (in the emergency room). She has NEVER been trained in haz-mat duty. My town supervisor has a GED and we have a town board of guys all over the age of 65 who spend most of their time in Florida. Our County is broke beyond belief. What resources does our state have? The State Police I guess and the Dept. of Environmental Conservation guys. </p>
<p>Our current evacuation plans consist of all of us on this side of the county getting in our cars and heading across a 4 lane bridge (2 lanes each way). This is a bridge which is literally closed during snow storms (which are frequent). If you don’t have a car (here is the funny part) you can go stand at one of the main roads and wait for a bus (!). Who would be driving buses in and out of a nuclear disaster site is unclear.</p>
<p>And you know what? This is a town the federal government probably doesn’t even know exists. We are NOT a big, popular, economically important New Orleans. So if they would treat New Orleans that way, imagine how things would be here in a huge disaster? It really is too scary to contemplate.</p>
<p>Couple all of that incompetence with foreign policies that have, I don’t know, increased the number of terrorists a hundred-fold?, and how can anyone feel safer. Or, how can anyone question why we need a BIG and READY federal response in an emergency?</p>
<p>cangel–I really have to disagree with you on this one. when something this big happens, it’s insane to expect people to just deal with it on their own. The leaders of our government ignore the weakness of the levees, but the people should have known? A hurricane didn’t demolish New Orleans; the disintegration of levees that people were led to believe made it okay to live below the sea level caused most of the destruction.</p>
<p>Should we blame the 600,000 who have died so far in Pakistan for not building better houses to withstand the earthquake?</p>
<p>Should we tell the 150,000 who died in the tsunami that they needed to be better prepared, that they shouldn’t have lived near the coast?</p>
<p>We are supposed to be the greatest nation on the earth; surely we are the richest and most powerful that ever existed, and we can’t offer better aid and protection?</p>
<p>I’m sorry, I can’t buy that. I can’t go along with the washing of hands of responsibility, or the wringing of hands in feigned ignorance.</p>
<p>We are capable of much better than that.</p>
<p>I think the greatest nation on earth should have a President that can remember an emergency briefing prepared for his benefit surrounding what by most accounts is the largest unnatural disaster in U.S. history.</p>
<p>Maybe if he can remember, someone will give him a woman in a blue dress as a reward. Or a man. I’m not picky; and, given his memory, maybe he wouldn’t be either.</p>
<p>My wife works in this great assisted living facility…</p>
<p>i noticed how most of this post is just the bush-haters hating on bush and the bush-backers having very little of substance to say… </p>
<p>9/11 is coming… I’ll just cast my fishing rod
Hurricane Katrina in 4 days??.. I have to start preparing for 9/11 ceremonies; no time to think about Hurricanes out in the middle of no where</p>
<p>I’m not a Bush supporter I just like making random comments on these kind of posts.</p>
<p>And the plot thickens…incompetent local officials, look out! The media is coming for you guys now, Blanco!</p>
<p><a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060303/ap_on_go_pr_wh/katrina_video[/url]”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060303/ap_on_go_pr_wh/katrina_video</a></p>
<p>Article entitled- “New Video Shows Blanco Saying Levees Safe”</p>
<p>Gee, isn’t she a Democrat…?</p>
<p>Blaming anyone in govt. for incompetence is a useless gesture. Govt. is incompetent in general, no matter what your political party is.</p>
<p>Bush’s initial statements made perfect sense. After all, I don’t think any body in the administration could have anticipated the security measures being breached and those videos getting out.</p>
<p>I’m actually becoming nostalgic for Dick Nixon. Now, there was a President who knew how to cover up and manage information; it took months of investigative journalism and subpoenas , Congressional hearings before we were able to discover the extent of his imperial hubris, duplicity and illegal military activity.</p>
<p>Regan too had a simple but effective two prong strategy: “I don’t remember” & Ollie North.</p>
<p>With Bush you’re just overwhelmed with a flood of one disasterous foreign policy failure, ruinous economic program, tax farce, social security debacle, Medicare Joke, Congressional bribery scandal, after another</p>