Displaced Iraqis Have Better Voting Opportunities Than Displaced Katrina Victims
Displaced Iraqis Have Better Voting Opportunities Than Displaced Katrina Victims
The upcoming New Orleans mayoral primary faces logistical problems because “tens of thousands of evacuees are still scattered across the country and eligible to cast ballots in the April 22 election, either by mail or at satellite polling places around the state.â€
An estimated 75 percent of the New Orleans Parish’s displaced voters are African-American, and serious questions remain about how African-American voters will be adequately represented in the primary.
The NAACP estimates that “66 percent of those displaced are outside of Louisiana,†but a federal judge last month refused to “order Louisiana officials to provide out-of-state satellite polling places for displaced voters” in the primary. Instead, over 700,000 former city residents will receive “information packets” about how to vote by absentee ballot. (Worse, the address the city has on file may be unreliable.)
In response, local leaders have wondered why Iraqis living in the U.S. were given this right, yet African-Americans are not. “[Louisiana] had all kinds of excuses why that couldn’t happen,” New Orleans City Council President Oliver M. Thomas Jr. said. “But the Iraqi people voted [at satellite offices]. Why can’t we do that for all of our voters?”
Topic Cloud
ArchivesBlog Roll
I remember when intellectual consistency used to be a conservative trait…
March 7th, 2006 at 12:13 pmHere in the age of mass technology its ashame we can not make life easier on American’s to let their voices be heard in government. True in this age of mass technology there are those who wish to expose the technology to strip us of our voice in our government.
Jamie
March 7th, 2006 at 12:17 pmhttp://www.intoxination.net
Did Iraq have diebold machines? What a sick joke. 2006 is going to different, 100% paper ballots,absentee or whatever. We NEVER let the same dog bite us twice.
March 7th, 2006 at 12:18 pm*Want to make big bucks? plug wal-fart on bloggs and get paid for it. We’re not for sale you wal-fart scum.
From today’s WSJ:
Ragin’ at Nagin
Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans is campaigning for re-election–in Houston, the Houston Chronicle reports:
Nagin on Saturday asked black community leaders here in Houston to help evacuees vote absentee or in person in the city’s April 22 primary election.
In a meeting organized by local chapters of the NAACP, Nagin received enthusiastic support from local leaders, but also some sharp rebukes from some evacuees. . . .
At the NAACP-organized gathering, evacuee Eugene Jefferson, 39, accused Nagin of not having had a legitimate plan in place for transporting those who were poor and relying on public transit.
“You waited until it was too late. The mandatory evacuation was too late and there were people who drowned,” said an emotional and tearful Jefferson.
“Now you want us to vote for you?”
The mayor argued that he is qualified because of the color of his skin:
Nagin noted that 23 candidates entered the mayoral fray before the registration deadline last week.
“Very few of them look like us,” he told the almost totally black crowd of about 200 persons who attended the meeting at the NAACP Family & Technology Center on Fannin.
Keep that race card going.”
March 7th, 2006 at 12:20 pmAbout:
“In response, local leaders have wondered why Iraqis living in the U.S. were given this right, yet African-Americans are not.”
Thank You!!
March 7th, 2006 at 12:23 pmSlavery wasn’t abolished, the Repugs just changed the name to Welfare and blamed it on the Democrats. Now Bushco wants to take away the money too. Actually the disparity between the two(Iraqis and African Americans) is not too difficult to understand: the Iraqis here in the US voted for the Government backed by Bush while the African Americans usually vote Democratic. Even Queen George figured that one out. As in the last three elections,”If they don’t vote then we don’t have to rig that precinct.”
March 7th, 2006 at 12:37 pmnext elections in Iraq were gonna istall diebold machines and get the oil one way or another
March 7th, 2006 at 12:37 pmGoddamn racist GOP.
Non-Americans in the US can use satellite voting but not African-Americans.
March 7th, 2006 at 12:39 pmNoted from the editorial:
The Governor and LA Senate are held by Democrats. I’m not going to blame Democrats. I’m just wondering how “conservatives” came into this?
March 7th, 2006 at 12:46 pmYou just gotta not be POOR but Have Lots of Black Gold!
March 7th, 2006 at 12:57 pmThe Iraqis got to vote because they could not possibly vote for a Democrat. I will always be sure that Bush deliberately allowed the destruction and death of New Orleans and its citizens only because Blanco refused to allow the Rethugs to declare martial law and thus gain Rethug control of the state. Couldn’t be? Look at the difference in rebuilding in the Rethug states of Ole Miss and Alabama, both of which have fared far better than Louisiana.
Now, with what, 70% or so African-American and Democratic voters displaced, Bushco is anticipating turning the state Red. Bush has to be the most vile, evil, and reprehensible person in America. Don’t he make you proud, Rethugs?
March 7th, 2006 at 12:59 pmBecause George Bush doesn’t care about black people.
March 7th, 2006 at 1:00 pmthe iraqi’s also get “health care”…remember that jewel?
March 7th, 2006 at 1:01 pmSeth II,
I think the pint is that if this administration has the position of spreading democracy and it enables a displaced group of people from another country to participate in voting (democracy in action) across an ocean with helpful technology and then does nothing to help a displaced group of people right in this country then it shows hipocrasy. Not to mention that this this administration did nothing to help the recent elections in Haiti. No spreading democracy where there is no oil I guess.
All words and no action is a good way to sum it up.
March 7th, 2006 at 1:01 pm“Why can’t we do that for all our voters?”
March 7th, 2006 at 1:09 pmUm, remember this administration doesn’t a flippin’ sh*t about these people? Or their voting rights?
Sweet Baby Jesus
The Constitutional hits just keep on coming.
March 7th, 2006 at 1:10 pm#next elections in Iraq were gonna istall diebold machines and get the oil one way or another
Comment by Tom The Republican — March 7, 2006 @ 12:37 pm
Why not just Rob Banks in America?
better yet just Become a Lobbyist in America?
Save yourself some travel and just feed off the pig trough
right here in the good old US o A.
You bee’n a Honest ‘Merikun n All.
Sheet build a bridge to sum damm Island
“Tom The Criminican”
March 7th, 2006 at 1:19 pmAt Last
March 7th, 2006 at 1:23 pmdlet – #14:
I don’t much about the Haiti election. Did they request help? The difference between Iraq and New Orleans is the difference between a national and a city election. Iraq had to interface with the U.S. on the same level of government. New Orleans apparently requested help from the state and was declined. The federal court upheld the decision. I don’t know if it went any further than that.
Do you really want the federal government to have the power to swoop in and try run local elections? I don’t, not even with Republicans in charge.
March 7th, 2006 at 1:42 pm#19 Do you really want the federal government to have the power to swoop in and try run local elections? I don’t, not even with Republicans in charge.
Comment by Seth II
Again, you are just making a hypocritical dodge. Is Lousiana part of the United States? Is New Orleans part of the United States? If this poor state and this poor city don’t have the means and/or the willpower to assist voters after a national catastrophy, then the federal government should be overwhelmingly in favor of providing sufficient monetary and/or logistical support to make it happen. If we value representative democracy as a nation, then we value assisting such an election if needed. It would appear that you do not value democracy over some red tape distinction between state vs. federal matters. What’s more important? What’s the higher priority? Did we charge back to Iraq for our assistance in their election? Or did we focus on the higher priority of enabling democracy?
March 7th, 2006 at 2:01 pm*Louisiana (sorry LA folks)
March 7th, 2006 at 2:04 pmSeth II,
Well being that the US put a man in power in Haiti then withdrew support of him when he didn’t act little puppet part, then a coup(questionable if US was involved) was put in to progress then the US military took the leader of that country to Africa for “his own good”, I think a little assistance would have been in order from this country. They did state that there would be problems with elections and the UN was already involved…
As to the voting in Iraq and the US thing…
March 7th, 2006 at 2:08 pmI wouldn’t want the Feds swooping in either. But they could make an offer of assistance since there are residents from N.O. sprread across the US. To me assitance would be welcomed. I think this administration has done enough “swooping into places” as is.
Did New Orleans ask the feds for help, or just give up after asking the state and being denied? Seriously, the feds cannot magically solve every problem in every city, especially if their help is not requested. If New Orleans asked the feds for help and were told to pack sand, you might have a point. So far, it’s only been shown that the STATE has told them to bugger off. Yet nobody has said a thing about the state.
Yes, red tape sucks a lot of the time. But when we ignore the red tape we have no controls over what is done with our money.
March 7th, 2006 at 2:18 pmThat last post was to CZ-1. Sorry I forgot to address it.
March 7th, 2006 at 2:20 pmdlet,
Louisiana Secretary of State Al Ater defends the state’s action in the upcoming election:
Secretary of State Al Ater, Louisiana’s top election official, said the state has done everything possible to ensure displaced New Orleans residents can vote and that there will be strong participation by black voters.
“I certainly hope there is and I sincerely believe if there’s not, it will be by choice and not any barriers,” Ater said.
He’s also a Democrat, so you can trust him.
If the state has it handled, the feds should not interfere. I’m sure that if the state asked for help, the feds would have helped.
March 7th, 2006 at 2:37 pm#23 & #25
We’re not talking about Smallville, USA, that’s barely on the map. We’re not asking the federal government to go out searching for every city that has a money/logistics problem. We’re talking about a major American city that was shattered by a national catastrophy and that Bush promised to do whatever it takes to make whole again. But then when does Bush practice what he preaches? Oh, that’s right, when it comes to war and killing.
March 7th, 2006 at 3:02 pm
We all know that the disenfranchising of blacks is an attainable goal. The Rethugs have shown us they can do it – and they will do it again. What’s astonishing is that they are so bold in their approach, so audacious. Who’s going to stop them? They have friends in high places.
March 7th, 2006 at 3:05 pmThose Iraqis living in America could vote because their vote wasn’t going to help put a Democrat in office.
#25- Seth II, go back up and reread the post. It was a FEDERAL JUDGE that refused to order that satellite polling stations be provided for displaced voters. So much for those “helpful” feds.
March 7th, 2006 at 3:09 pm- Not directed to Seth II-
This pisses me off SO MUCH !!! Why does the government go all out to make sure people from another COUNTRY can vote, yet stands in the way of displaced voters in our own country ? It is MADDENING, and just another item on the endless list of assaults by Bushco on Americans, and America itself. 2008- Bye-Bye, LICE !!! (killing their “eggs”, starting November, 2006 !)
This pisses me off SO MUCH !!!
Yes, me too. It’s one of the issues in which I’m most interested. We need a significant overhaul of the entire election system in this country. Such as:
– Campaign finance reform, so candidates aren’t bought by corporations and special interest groups and sold to the public with nasty smear ads
– Voting system reforms,
…..so votes are automatically error-checked and the voter has a chance to correct errors,
…..so multi-day elections allow everyone a chance to vote without time issues and without having to wait in long lines,
…..so fair and adequate distribution of polling places and equipment allow for voting without having to wait in long lines
…..so universal, tamper-proof, electronic voting equipment allows everyone a secure, instant vote JUST THE WAY A POOR COUNTRY LIKE INDIA ALREADY HAS IN PLACE for a voting population four times larger than the US
…..so the Electoral College system is thrown out, as system that was obsolete from the original intent within two Presidential elections and now makes elections a chess game that disenfranchises many voters
…..so we can have a Instant Runoff Voting system or other True Majority system that results in a real majority of voters expressing support for the candidate
…..so we can do away with unfair gerrymandering of district boundaries for political gain, such as happened recently in Texas
…..so we can encourage viable multiple parties instead of the two-party lock up that we have ensuring the two parties will be more like each other than different
March 7th, 2006 at 3:34 pm#26 – Like I said, I’m confident that if New Orleans asked the feds directly for help, if they really needed it they would have gotten it. They do still have to identify what they need help with, the feds aren’t rebuilding New Orleans by themselves. Show me that they needed, asked, and were denied, and I’ll rethink my position.
#28 – Indeed, it was a federal judge. They don’t work for Bush. They don’t direct elections. New Orleans sued claiming the STATE was disenfranchising voters, and the judge disagreed.
March 7th, 2006 at 3:35 pmI am not arguing with you about what the State has done or what they are capable of doing. I agree with them that the election has to go on since it has already been postponed. With all the things the STate and City are going through after the hurricane this is another burden they have to deal with. Assistance could have been given by the Fed as they assisted foreigners in voting problems. Democracy on the march…somewhere else. As I said they like words not deeds. And New Orleans right now is not just like every other city at the moment. Oh and I don’t “trust” Democrats blindly either by the way. Something that Conservatives might want think about not doing also.
March 7th, 2006 at 3:36 pmDisplaced Iraqis Have Better Voting Opportunities Than Displaced Katrina Victims
Thats cause they can vote for sunni ,shiite, or curds
Katrina victims can only vote for Bush,Kerry or the other one not much choice really there all nutters
of course they have better voting opportunities
March 7th, 2006 at 3:45 pm#30. #26 – Like I said, I’m confident that if New Orleans asked the feds directly for help, if they really needed it they would have gotten it.
Right, like how New Orleans and the federal Army Corps of Engineers asked for more help building/improving the levees before the hurricane. Bush and the Republican Congress cut their funds. Cut studies of how to improve the levees and rebuild wetlands protections. Now the levees are being rebuilt, but ONLY TO AT A CATEGORY 3 LEVEL OF PROTECTION just as they were before. And Bush & Co. have refused to commit to a wetlands rebuilding project that was asked for and was deemed the ONLY TRUE WAY TO PROTECT NEW ORLEANS FROM BIG HURRICANES. And Bush & Co. have refused a land buyout financing plan that was asked for almost universally by local and state representatives and was deemed CRITICAL FOR THE CITY RECOVERY.
It’s called lack of leadership. A leader doesn’t sit back and wait for someone to ask for help after things have gotten off track. A leader takes the LEAD, proactively focusing on the issue and making sure that things are working well. A leader doesn’t say, while being told by his cronies that things are going down the toilet, “Well, if they had just asked me for help, I’d have done whatever they wanted.”
March 7th, 2006 at 3:49 pm#30 Federal Judges, the ones appointed by Bush, were appointed by Bush for a REASON. Chief Justice John Roberts, was a Federal Judge, one of three, about to rule on whether the Bush administration had the legal right to keep “detainees” from having any information that might aid in their defense, should they ever actually be charged with anything, and given a trial. On the SAME DAY that he was offered the Supreme Court seat, he ruled in favor of the Bush administration. What a surprise. I already know that you will disagree, and that is fine. It does not mean that it isn’t true. Every day is “Opposite Day”, with Bushco. Anything they say, the opposite is true. Over and over again.
March 7th, 2006 at 4:00 pm#30 by Seth II
…Show me that they needed, asked, and were denied, and I’ll rethink my position.
Give me a dam break. Who are you?!
Walk a mile in their moccasins, and you’ll rethink your position.
Remember that we’re all Americans, and you’ll rethink your position.
Think about the hundreds of billions of your tax dollars and the thousdands of lives of your military servicemen & women were lost so that (according to Bush & Co) the Iraqis could vote, and you’ll rethink your position.
Ask yourself, What would Jesus do? and you’ll rethink your position.
March 7th, 2006 at 4:17 pm#30
Right, like how local and state representatives asked for new levees providing Category 5 protection, but Bush & the Repub-Cong have refused. Like how Bush has said, just like he said we were fully prepared for Katrina, that he is confident the levees will be repaired/rebuilt to a Category 3 level of protection by this hurricane season:
In fact, two different, independent teams inspecting the levee work have said it is SUBSTANDARD.
March 7th, 2006 at 5:53 pm
http://www.factcheck.org/article344.html
This isn’t all good for Bush, but here is a portion:
We can confirm that funding was cut. The project most closely associated with preventing flooding in New Orleans was the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Hurricane Protection Project, which was “designed to protect residents between Lake Pontchartrain and the Missisippi River levee from surges in Lake Pontchartrain,†according to a fact sheet from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (The fact sheet is dated May 23, long before Katrina). The multi-decade project involved building new levees, enlarging existing levees, and updating other protections like floodwalls. It was scheduled to be completed in 2015.
Over at least the past several budget cycles, the Corps has received substantially less money than it requested for the Lake Pontchartrain project, even though Congress restored much of the money the President cut from the amount the Corps requested.
…
Blumenthal implies that increased funding might have helped to prevent the catastrophic flooding that New Orleans now faces. The White House denies that, and the Corps of Engineers says that even the levee project they were working to complete was not designed to withstand a storm of Katrina’s force.
So it’s not nearly as clear as “Bush cut funding so people died.” Yes, he cut funding from CoE REQUESTS. Most government offices don’t get their budget requests. The projects as scheduled wouldn’t have helped either. 2015! THAT IS WHY LOCAL ENTITES MUST BE THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE! People who could have gotten out, should have. People who couldn’t get out should have been helped by their local governments first. You want to talk about a lack of leadership? Talk about how the local and state governments broke down long before the federal response is generally expected to arrive. The federal authorities may not have done things very well, but the local/state authorities apparently didn’t do anything at all. That’s a hell of a failure for the feds to compensate when they do arrive.
March 7th, 2006 at 8:10 pmGetting off topic now. You’re not really addressing my main arguments. I guess you concede those.
I’m not sure what your source means by “Congress restored much of the money.” Articles written about this topic say that New Orleans did NOT get the money and borrowed the money the previous year in order to keep the contractors working. Then funding was cut again the year of the hurricane, and they didn’t have the money to pay back the debt from the previous year MUCH LESS do any work that year.
Earthen levees subside over time, thus every couple of years one must rebuild them back to the design height. This process continues until the levees are compacted enough to stop subsiding and then they are complete. If the project was scheduled to be complete in 2015, that means the levees were still subsiding and likely were below design height if the rebuilding cycle was not performed. That said, it has widely been acknowledged that the levees–even at proper design height–could not have held against a Category 4 storm like Katrina was when she hit. In fact the design of the levees was faulty. They were topped, their base of earth eroded from the back side, and then the force of storm surge shoved whole sections of the levee backwards causing huge breaches.
Thus it is not Bush’s fault, but my point was in response to your, “I’m sure Bush would give the local people what they asked for.” He DID NOT then, and in several ways he hasn’t since.
Yes, there were problems at all levels of government. The city and state are relatively poor, and they didn’t have sufficient resources to deal with Katrina. They could have done a better job, and they likely could have saved more people. But the federal government was formally, legally requested to step in and take over the situation. And the federal government is obligated under such cases to do that job. They performed terribly, and that’s extremely significant because we were supposed to be stronger and more prepared after 9/11/2001 to handle a terrorist attack or similar national emergency. Remember, the name of our country is THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. It’s not the Loosely Associated States of America that don’t give a damn about each other, every locality for itself. Sheesh.
March 7th, 2006 at 9:31 pmyou tell ‘em cz-1.
actually, i have to commend seth II, at least he doesn’t preface his posts with ‘you libs’ or something of that nature… and he’s trying to making cohesive arguments that are on-topic.
i have to ask, seth II, had you ever been to new orleans before katrina? the reason i ask is, having travelled throughout most of the usa, including practically every major city, NOLA was by far the worst off in terms of poverty (in my view). it seems that somewhere in the process of “preparing” for this storm, someone would’ve had to have known that the lower ninth and st. bernard parrish could be inundated — and furthermore residents of those areas would’ve easily been the most likely to have not had a way to evacuate.
of course, mayor nagin is guilty of incompetence. that, at least, is clear to me. if there is a major threat to your city, and you are the mayor, you should know what that threat is and what the solutions will be. he didn’t.
this is in no way absolution for bush, though. come on – the fundraisers, the guitar playing, “nobody anticipated the breach,” all while this tragedy was occurring. the fact is the federal gov’t is the last line of defense when the local and state authorities are overwhelmed. bush has the ability to cut through the bureaucracy, and he has resources at his disposal that far outweigh anything the local and state authorities can provide. and he flat out didn’t do it.
this is our “strong leader”.
he sold himself on keeping the country safe.
and when the chips were down, he failed. he was ineffective, incompetent, and lied about his role. even his “admission” of fault was reminiscent of a 7 year-old’s confession: i don’t understand why i’m having to do this, but as long as it gets me out of trouble…
what ever happened to accountability?
what ever happened to “the buck stops here” … ?
surely you want more from your president then this man delivers, seth.
March 7th, 2006 at 10:46 pmWe all know that the disenfranchising of blacks is an attainable goal. The Rethugs have shown us they can do it – and they will do it again. What’s astonishing is that they are so bold in their approach, so audacious. Who’s going to stop them? They have friends in high places.
Those Iraqis living in America could vote because their vote wasn’t going to help put a Democrat in office.
Comment by Marie
Marie, you can’t really believe Republicans would do anything like that? They would NEVER!
Most importantly, the testimony has revealed a widespread and concerted effort on the part of Republican Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell to deny primarily African-American and young voters the right to cast their ballots within a reasonable time. By depriving precincts of adequate numbers of functioning voting machines, Blackwell created waits of three to eleven hours, driving tens of thousands of likely Democratic voters away from the polls and very likely affecting the outcome of the Ohio vote count, which in turn decided the national election.
While Blackwell supervised the Ohio vote he also served as co-chair of the Ohio Bush-Cheney re-election campaign, a clear conflict of interest that casts further doubt on how the Ohio election and vote counts have been conducted.
http://www.ilcaonline.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1025&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
It cites analyses showing that, in fact, the effects of the law — which will require Georgians seeking to vote to present a driver’s license or an identification card for which they must pay — could fall disproportionately on blacks. It concludes that the state had failed to show the law would not weaken minority voting strength, and recommends that the attorney general’s office formally object to it.
The chief sponsor of Georgia’s voter identification law told the Justice Department that if black people in her district “are not paid to vote, they don’t go to the polls,” and that if fewer blacks vote as a result of the new law, it is only because it would end such voting fraud.
http://www.ajc.com/today/content/epaper/editions/today/news_34d71814d42dc1d200d5.html
The memo, unanimously endorsed by six lawyers and two analysts in the department’s voting section, said the [Texas] redistricting plan illegally diluted black and Hispanic voting power in two congressional districts. It also said the plan eliminated several other districts in which minorities had a substantial, though not necessarily decisive, influence in elections.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/01/AR2005120101927_pf.html
If you commit a felony in Florida, you lose your right to vote there, and you‘re “scrubbed” from the rolls. My office carefully went through the scrub list and discovered that at minimum, 90.2 percent of the people were completely innocent of any crime – except for being African American. We didn’t have to guess about that, because next to each voter’s name was their race.
March 7th, 2006 at 11:00 pmhttp://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=217&row=1
#37 by Seth II
From your source:
1. So, in FY 2004 the Corps asked for $11 million, Bush allocated 3, and Congress restored it to 5.5? That counts as “restored much of the money the President cut from the amount the Corps requested” ??? My math says Bush slashed it to about 1/4 of the request, and Congress upped it to 1/2. That does NOT qualify as “much” in my book.
2. Then in FY 2005 the Corps asked for $22.5 million (had to pay back the borrowing that covered the shortfall from 2004), Bush allocated a measley 3.9, and Congress restored it to 5.5 (again 5.5)? My math says Bush slashed the request to 1/6 of the amount, and Congress upped it to 1/4. That does NOT qualify as “much” in my book.
I thought it sounded fishy — “restored much of the money” — and indeed it was.
March 8th, 2006 at 12:21 amCZ-1: I didn’t address all of your points because they seemed to be even more off-topic than we were already going. Regarding my source, you make a good point. “Much of the funding” is kind of an arbitrary quantity. I’ll just reiterate that most government offices don’t get their entire requested budget, and in general that’s a good thing. We’d pretty much spend our entire GDP on government if every manager was given what they asked for.
ProgRex: Thanks for the commendation. I honestly didn’t come here to troll. “You libs,” is troll-breath, and I try to stay cleaner than that. I received a lot of that kind of attitude, but I can’t call the regulars here, “trolls”. It’s just the atomsphere, I came to learn.
Both: It seems we all agree that failures occurred on all levels. Bush and Chertoff agree that failures occurred on all levels. The Governor and Mayor involved have not, to my knowledge, acknowledged anything. I do believe in “the buck stops here,” but part of it stops at each level. So many people are holding Bush accountable for the state and local failures in addition to the feds. That kind of thinking interferes with real solutions.
Failures can occur at every level, that’s why we don’t invest all of our faith in the federal response first. One of you said it: the feds are the last line of defense. Even if they had arrived in full on schedule, everybody who drowned in NO was already, sadly, gone. The suffering of the survivors was compounded by the late response, but the death toll would not likely be much lower.
That’s my main beef about this: failures at all levels, but the state and local levels are the ones who passed the buck. The feds are now investing a lot in the rebuilding. My employer, Shaw, has one of the contracts and many of my friends have spent a lot of time out there helping. It’s not perfect, but it never is. The “pass the buck” mentality allows people to blame Bush for every shortcoming, and that’s not going to help anybody solve any of this.
I’m actually closing out my visit to this site. This topic is slipping off the radar anyway, but I’m glad we could exchange some reasoning on it before I left.
March 8th, 2006 at 12:08 pmEven if you’re not reading this, Seth II, I just have to respond.
Seth II says: The Governor and Mayor involved have not, to my knowledge, acknowledged anything.
Look around a little. They did indeed acknowledge mistakes.
Seth II says: That’s my main beef about this: failures at all levels, but the state and local levels are the ones who passed the buck.
Two things:
1) State and local levels did not just pass the buck. They did make an effort to carry out the approved emergency response plan. Blanco did file an urgent formal request with the federal government for assistance before the hurricane struck. Sure, Nagin could have ordered the mandatory evacuation sooner, and he could have gone above and beyond the plan by trying to use more buses and other tranportation to get people out. Blanco seemed to hold things up at times instead of facilitating a faster response.
2) The key to remember here is that state and local levels simply did not have the resources (manpower, vehicles, special vehicles, expertise, other logistics capabilities, federal powers/priority/overarching authority). So you can say the local and state levels made mistakes, but the simple fact remains that they could not have done enough regardless. That’s what counts. You can’t squeeze blood from a stone.
And back to the topic: What is the priority? A fair election where as many of the electorate as possible have good opportunity to cast their vote? Reaching out to a population that was poor before, has nothing now, and is scattered over multiple states? Avoiding the appearance of the impropriety of excluding many black votes such that it takes away a win for Nagin? Giving American citizens at as much of a opportunity to participate in democracy as we’ve given to Iraqis? I don’t think you answered any of these arguments, and these are right on topic.
March 8th, 2006 at 2:08 pmSent this memo to Howard Dean:
Why should I send you money??? You don’t need me to send money till the Dems already in power start supporting each other. Howard Dean and the Dems couldn’t help a real Texan – Rodriquez beat a fake Dem Bush kisser Cuellar. How sorry is that? Did Pelosi or Hillary show up to help? NO!!! Also, Houston/Galveston had voting problems AGAIN, in the Republicans favor – AGAIN!!! Imagine that. You fake Dems are just Millionaires ripping off poor people for money. You couldn’t win a high school election against a tenth grader who isn’t eligle to vote. Oh yeah, why should I vote for Dems who sold us out on war, bankruptcy, health care, veterans benefits, wire tapping, Katrina, port security, outsourcing, insourcing, immigration, pensions, Supreme Court, and the un-patriot act? And you had the gaul to vote yourself a pay raise. Vote yourself fundraising while you’re at it, why don’t you?!? You sure you Dems aren’t closet Republicans? Karl Rove kicks your sorry asses every election. No amount of money is gonna stop that. Get a job like the rest of us.
Signed,
Disgusted in Texas
March 8th, 2006 at 4:42 pmThe people demand answers, and if you can’t give us what we want, then you aren’t serving our interests and you mustn’t remain in power.
November 20th, 2006 at 7:05 amIt’s that simple.
A change must me made on many levels in government, a sweeping movement throughout the corridors of power.
i’m going to be the frirst person to be 20007 word my blacks
February 27th, 2007 at 5:55 pmthey’re putting the worng time !!hi&bye
February 27th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
[...] fairer elections.” This pointing out the fact that during Iraq’s elections last year, Iraqi citizens were able to vote from satellite locations in the United States. The activists want the election to be postponed so that satellite locations can be set up in [...]
March 3rd, 2007 at 9:59 pm[...] fairer elections.” This pointing out the fact that during Iraq’s elections last year, Iraqi citizens were able to vote from satellite locations in the United States. The activists want the election to be postponed so that satellite locations can be set up in [...]
March 24th, 2007 at 4:34 pmEric
Great blog and I really enojoyed reading it. I appreciate your effort and the quality of the information you provide.
March 18th, 2008 at 8:43 pmCC Jesup
well really i can?t understand…
March 20th, 2008 at 1:15 amGay Incest Gay Male Sex Gay Brothers
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
March 20th, 2008 at 2:24 amOsvaldo
I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can’t make it through one door, I’ll go through another door – or I’ll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present.
March 26th, 2008 at 10:18 pmAss Round Ass Tight Ass
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
April 4th, 2008 at 12:25 amTrue Incest
came across our site doing some research coming from this other domain but as I can see it has nothing to do with “incest”, guess its a mistake
April 4th, 2008 at 6:35 amGay Incest Gay Cumshots Gay Jock
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
April 6th, 2008 at 8:54 amGay Incest Old Gay Men Gay Male Galleries
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
April 7th, 2008 at 6:37 amMy Cracks and Serials
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
April 9th, 2008 at 2:22 ampay baton rouge
April 10th, 2008 at 11:12 pmGay Sex Gay Sex Videos Black Gay Men
I can not agree with you in 100% regarding some thoughts, but you got good point of view
April 11th, 2008 at 2:27 pm