One Year Later: The Real State Of New Orleans
One Year Later: The Real State Of New Orleans
Standing in Jackson Square on Sept. 15, President Bush stated, “This government will learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina” and promised to “get the work done quickly.” But on the eve of Katrina’s one year anniversary, here’s a look at the current state of New Orleans:
– Less than half of the city’s pre-storm population of 460,000 has returned, putting the population at roughly what it was in 1880.
– Nearly a third of the trash has yet to be picked up.
– Sixty percent of homes still lack electricity.
– Seventeen percent of the buses are operational.
– Half of the physicians have left, and there is a shortage of 1,000 nurses.
– Six of the nine hospitals remain closed.
– Sixty-six percent of public schools have reopened.
– A 40 percent hike in rental rates, disproportionately affecting black and low-income families.
– A 300 percent increase in the suicide rate.
Eighty-four percent of New Orleans residents rate the government’s recovery efforts negatively, while 66 percent believe the recovery money has been “mostly wasted.”
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August 28th, 2006 at 12:09 pmI wonder what is going on here?
snark
August 28th, 2006 at 12:11 pmBush: “As long as I am President, we are going to stay in Iraq and out of New Orleans”.
August 28th, 2006 at 12:12 pmIs dat all youse guys can do, is be negative? We nevah heah duh gud news from da Gulf. Don’t be baggin’ on my man Mr. Bush.
August 28th, 2006 at 12:13 pmWhere the hand of Bush goes, disaster, destruction and devastation soon follow: Afghanistan (Bush was too cheap to help repair war-torn Afghanistan: he can never spend any money to help the poor or the middle class: only the rich), Iraq: more disaster, and NewOrleans, southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi. Bush talks the talk, but doesn’t walk the walk. Still All Hat, no Cattle.
August 28th, 2006 at 12:17 pmCheers,
Insane photos from the 9th ward here. It’s really been a whole year.
August 28th, 2006 at 12:17 pmI hear that displaced teachers who have lost their jobs because of school closings have had their contracts terminated and are also out their retirement benefits. Many school were closed and became “charter” schools which don’t have unions. They’ll have to start from scratch.
Here’s one article I found on it. See Education about half way down the page.
http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0822-31.htm
August 28th, 2006 at 12:19 pmHeckuva job, Dubya.
August 28th, 2006 at 12:23 pmI live in NOLA, the bubble. It’s sad really. The comfortable warmth of August and denial. One year ago today I left for Houston. A 6 hr drive that took 14 hrs to make. Didn’t want to leave but glad I did. Came back in the 1st week of Jan. Helping in any way I can since. See the site macchuck.com for a side of it with a face, a history, a sense of what it was like for us from the early days.
August 28th, 2006 at 12:25 pmI can totally see the suicide rate. I’ve got a lot of family that was directly affected by Katrina so I’ve seen how hard it can be.
August 28th, 2006 at 12:35 pmI’ve posted parts 1 and 2 of a three part piece on my Katrina experience at my blog. Please come by and check it out.
America’s Least Wanted
Not that it makes much difference in the overall scheme of things, but I couldn’t help notice that the picture posted by TP above looks doctored. For one thing, check the For Sale sign. Why is it perfectly parallel to the camera? Shouldn’t it be either parallel or perpendicular to the road? The light that falls on the sign does not look like natural sunlight. Same for the overturned park bench on the right side of the picture. These 2 items look like they were added in for effect. As if most areas of NO need that…
August 28th, 2006 at 12:36 pmMission Accomplished!
No more Blacks in NO. It was a tough fight Uncle Dick but we won!
August 28th, 2006 at 12:47 pmMore facts about conditions in the Gulf Coast:
Working Conditions in the Gulf Coast Region
-In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, local companies and small businesses were passed over for lucrative contracts, and multimillion dollar opportunities were outsourced to large out-of-state companies. For example, as of November 2005, only 5.4% of the $3.7 billion that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has spent on contracts related to hurricanes Katrina and Rita went to Louisiana companies.
–An Economic Policy Institute analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data revealed that African American (41.5%) and Latino (42.1%) evacuees were more than twice as likely as white evacuees (17.5%) to be unemployed two months after the storm.
Health Security Among Katrina’s Victims
–Currently, in Louisiana, the rate of uninsurance is between 35-50%. The lack of health insurance among the population will make it even more difficult for providers and health centers to recoup costs and rebuild their practice. As of July 2006, only 55% of Orleans Parish’s hospitals have resumed operation.
Housing Conditions One Year Later
–Prior to the storm, 67% of the New Orleans’ extremely low-income households dealt with housing costs that exceeded 30% of the household heads’ incomes in 2000. 56% of very-low-income households used more than half of their incomes to pay for housing.
Government Disinvestment in Social Infrastructure
–According to the DHS’s inspector general, a shortage of qualified staff contributed to a lack of oversight and overwhelmed FEMA employees in the response to Hurricane Katrina. When Katrina hit, FEMA was understaffed by approximately 500 employees. As the 2005 hurricane season began, many of the people on staff were new and untrained.
Voice: Voting and Political Expression in the Gulf
–In predominantly African American Orleans Parish, voters were incorrectly purged from the state’s registration rolls, and many voters faced unwarranted police presence at polling stations, poorly marked polling sites, and early closures of polling locations.
–Although thousands of voters were residing outside Louisiana, satellite polling stations were confined to the state, a problem that disproportionately affected African American voters who were unable to return to their homes.
Resources for the Katrina Anniversary
August 28th, 2006 at 12:47 pmOh, I hope he breaks out the “Mission Accomplished” banner for the press conference.
August 28th, 2006 at 12:51 pm#12
There is such a thing as taking Mohammad to the mountain.
It would be easier to move the photographer than the street. I would suggest the sign is parallel to the street perpendicular to the street behind the sign or placed in the corner at a 45 degree angle to both for equal visibility. The overturned bench is consistent with the trash littering the entire picture. The light and shadows on the houses across the street place the sun in a position to illuminate the sign.
Now, if the sign read “Re-annoint Queen George the Dumb,” i would suspect maybe Rockey lives in the house for sale.
August 28th, 2006 at 12:56 pmThe plan worked as Cheney wanted. Look the richest country in the world left the Gulf Coast without help just to get the beach front land. All the money the government gave was stolen the insurance companies wont pay and yes the fear is put in the headlines. The Gulf Coast will be brought by the rich for little to nothing or stolen. Now let’s look at what a country can do that is the richest country. Lebanon just bombed is already rebuilding people’s homes and gave each family $10,000 until the project is complete yes and the people are having their homes built for free. Well so much for government of the people in the US. Hezbollah didn’t steal the money they use it to help the people, Bush makes promises and does photo ops while the media reads the propaganda but as we see one year later nothing done. Maybe the Katrina victims should ask Hezbollah for help at lease they know it would happen right away as in the US they have to wait until we get a new President that doesn’t lie.
August 28th, 2006 at 12:56 pmMan,
I hope the local government finally wakes up and does something. Sounds like the people of New Orleans are not being served well. It amazes me they re-elected the same trash that didn’t do anything the last time. Sadly they cast there hope for help on the Feds. NEVER rely of a huge federal bueracracy for anything. The only thing government is good at is wasting resources and money.
Anyways, hopefully these people will take back there city from the filth they call there mayor.
August 28th, 2006 at 1:12 pmAfter reading this I’m very happy of living here in my 3rd world city, Medellin, Colombia.
August 28th, 2006 at 1:15 pmthat’s the WORST picture you could come up with?
sad as it is, whoever lived in those homes had the means to get out…
and the insurance to fix up… what neighborhood is that?
this has become a class war…
August 28th, 2006 at 1:22 pmnagin on 60 minutes seemed determined to keep the city from becoming a rich-white playground… i’m not so sure…
Roger_Roger
August 28th, 2006 at 1:34 pmNational parks, space exploration, eradication of polio, elimination of abusive child labor, national highway system, state universities, World War II, etc. Just because YOUR political side can’t do anything, does not mean that no government can.
Well if Baghdad is in better shape than Washington DC, imagine the comparison against NO. We all should move to Baghdad and may God Bless Whatever.
August 28th, 2006 at 1:40 pmNEVER rely of a huge federal bueracracy for anything. The only thing government is good at is wasting resources and money.
Comment by Roger_Roger — August 28, 2006 @ 1:12 pm
Yeah. We should privatize everything. Even your freedom to say stupid things.
August 28th, 2006 at 1:43 pmWhen you walk into the lobby of a retail financial institution in a major city, you are often greeted by marble pillars, gold-leaf tin ceilings, and conservatively extravagant art. It’s impressive, and it’s intended to be impressive.
It is designed to remind you that the sum financial power of that institution is greater than any single investor or client. It reminds you that it is capable of great and powerful things, when all of its resources are pooled.
This same effect is used in Washington DC, a city designed to remind the world that the US has more raw resources to apply to any goal than any people on Earth – and beware that you are not blocking our path to that goal.
We have used our collective ability to change the course of events in the Middle East, but we have also proven that no single country can actually change the character of the Middle East. It remains as it ever has, a collection of conflicting factions and beliefs, with too few resources to placate all parties.
The US, as a single investor, cannot install the pillars of democracy in Iraq, paint the heavens in Afghanistan, and conservatively inspire Iran, Israel, Syria, and Lebanon to create an artful compromise. This is going to require all of the world’s investors to work together. It takes a board meeting of our global interests, the use of a tool we’ve lately maligned.
Our only solution is to admit our limits, and ask the UN to help us find peace. Not because its the tool we choose, but because it’s the tool the world chooses, and we need their help.
And maybe, when we’ve reduced our obligation in the middle east, there will still be enough of ourselves left over to rebuild our beloved city on the delta.
August 28th, 2006 at 1:46 pmThe only thing government is good at is wasting resources and money.
Comment by Roger_Roger — August 28, 2006 @ 1:12 pm
Conservatives repeat this ad nauseam so that, when they are in charge, they have a ready made excuse for their failures and corruption.
What I find ironic is that people keep voting for conservatives candidates, even though they have been warned of what’s to come. Here is how it works: I come up with a nice political slogan like “Government is wasteful and corrupt. Vote for Gregor Samsa to head it!”. I get elected, serve my term, and when monies are found to be missing, I shrug, and say “Well, I told you government was bad”, then walk away shaking my head in disgust. No public shame. No consequences.
Why do they keep electing the very same people who told them government is nothing but waste? It boggles the mind.
August 28th, 2006 at 1:59 pm24 Gregor Samsa
August 28th, 2006 at 2:13 pmExactly! I wish Americans would remember that we are a “government of the people, by the people, and for the people”. “The government” is a strawman, that can not be blamed or credited. Government is the combined will of the American voting public. If our government is corrupt, it is because we are collectively corrupt and do not demand more. The U.S. could make great things happen, if we had the political will to do so.
Some of the problems that TP highlights are due to what Bush did almost immediately after the hurricane:
1. Dropped Davis-Bacon (apparently due to a letter from Grover Norquist)
2. Moved the former residents out and warehoused them in hotel rooms and trailers in other states.
3. Allowed corrupt, connected contractors to bring in illegal aliens to take the jobs that the former residents should have been kept to do.
Unfortunately, the only one of those that the Democratic Party complained about was #1. They assisted Bush in doing #3.
Both parties are responsible for the current situation.
August 28th, 2006 at 2:15 pmBroken Promises
By: John Amato on Sunday, August 27th, 2006 at 9:41 PM – PDT
Paul Krugman: (reg req)
Apologists for the administration will doubtless claim that blame for the lack of progress rests not with Mr. Bush, but with the inherent inefficiency of government bureaucracies. That’s the great thing about being an antigovernment conservative: even when you fail at the task of governing, you can claim vindication for your ideology. But bureaucracies don’t have to be this inefficient. The failure to get moving on reconstruction reflects lack of leadership at the top.
August 28th, 2006 at 2:22 pmI think I’m missing something from those statistics: Statistic #1 says that less than half the population is back. That’s bad. But most of the followup statistics say that half of the supporting infrastructure (schools, doctors, hospitals) are back too. Well, yeah, that’s because only half of the population is back — it’s not a shortage, it’s proportional to the ground conditions. Rental costs and suicide rates are the only actual problems there above and beyond “life hasn’t gotten back to normal for half of the population.”
So we’ve got high costs, low morale, no timetable, but conditions on the ground are showing great progress! Now where have I heard that before?
August 28th, 2006 at 2:46 pmSeriously guys you should learn lessons from Holland — WOW — 1/3 the country under sea level and they have 90 mile barriers to stop sea storms also look at the swinging bridges in Rotterdam etc ……. A BIG LESSON TO LEARN
This make the Thames barrier look like its made from lego and puts the New orleans levees to shame ……..
August 28th, 2006 at 3:03 pmWhy don’t you hire Hizbollah to do the job when they have rebuilt southern Lebanon?
August 28th, 2006 at 3:18 pm#25 PLC
We are now a Government of the People, by the Culture of Corruption, for the Corporations.
August 28th, 2006 at 3:28 pmClyde the Ripper
August 28th, 2006 at 3:37 pmUnless the voters do some major shaking up in November, I worry about the “of the people” part even.
PLC,
AMEN!
The people will be here but the “Governed” part is sure in question. Enslaved comes to mind.
August 28th, 2006 at 3:53 pmHow many more Katrinas, Ritas or Wilmas does it take before our national leaders address global warming as an urgent threat to the people of this nation? We cannot afford to continue patching our coastlines with expensive band-aids. We must address the root cause of the problem and take the necessary measures to protect our country from continuous disaster.
Americans deserve solutions. We deserve leadership. Our children and grandchildren deserve to inherit a healthy, thriving planet. We have an obligation to our generation and a moral responsibility to future generations to address global warming before it is too late.
August 28th, 2006 at 4:29 pmRogerRoger: “NEVER rely of a huge federal bueracracy for anything. The only thing government is good at is wasting resources and money.”
When we elect conservatives who believe things like this, it’s no wonder that government doesn’t work when they’re in charge. The people of Florida in the mid-90’s had a completely different take on FEMA. This was because Clinton put a professional in charge and hired people who believe in civil government to do the jobs.
August 28th, 2006 at 4:32 pmIs’t it precious the way progs unleash their whining on Repubs when they control EVERY aspect of NO City and state government. If only Choclolate Ray had utilized the multitude of school buses…..FYI – Dear Chocolate, when a storm attains a Cat 5 designation, it’s probably a little late to be issuing the mandatory evacuation notice…..
August 28th, 2006 at 4:50 pmMighty, Ray Nagin is and has been a Bush supporter. He voted for Bush. Just thought you’d like to know. And, how would you explain the fact that FEMA ran very well under Clinton? What’s the deal? Why would the people of Florida praise FEMA for its great work helping them deal with hurricaines?
August 28th, 2006 at 4:52 pmMighty A: “Dear Chocolate, when a storm attains a Cat 5 designation, it’s probably a little late to be issuing the mandatory evacuation notice….. ”
Dear President Bush: When a storm attains a Cat 5 designation and is approaching an American city, it’s probably not the time to tee off for a round of 18.
August 28th, 2006 at 5:06 pmYou gotta love Michael Brown finally starting to speak up… here’s the link to the Truthout article:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/082806M.shtml
And since it’s short, here’s the text:
Brown Says White House Wanted Him to Lie
United Press International
Sunday 27 August 2006
Washington – The ousted head of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency says the White House wanted him to lie about the response to Hurricane Katrina.
Former Director Michael Brown told ABC News “This Week with George Stephanopoulos’ Sunday he stood by comments in a Playboy interview, and President Bush wanted him to take the heat for the bungling.
“The lie was that we were ready and that everything was working as a team. Behind the scenes, it wasn’t working at all,” Brown said. “There were political considerations going into all the discussions. There was the fact that New Orleans did not evacuate and the mayor (Ray Nagin) had no plan.”
Brown said it was natural to ‘want to put the spin on that things are working the way they’re supposed to do. And behind the scenes, they’re not. Again, my biggest mistake was just not leveling with the American public and saying, ‘Folks, this isn’t working.”
The former FEMA chief cited what he called an e-mail ‘from a very high source in the White House that says the president at a Cabinet meeting said, ‘Thank goodness Brown’s taking all the heat because it’s better that he takes the heat than I do.”
Also on ‘This Week,’ U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said the administration still doesn’t understand the magnitude of the reconstruction problem; but the president’s Gulf Coast coordinator, Don Powell, said the federal government’s No. 1 priority is to rebuild the area in a businesslike way.
August 28th, 2006 at 7:24 pmIsn’t it precious how Mighty Mouth finds a way to whine about “whining liberals” in three different threads all in one day? If Bush thought the Democrats in Louisiana weren’t doing the job well, he could have ordered FEMA to take over. But wasn’t it precious how he was playing guitar just like he plays President?
Poodles
August 28th, 2006 at 8:08 pm[...] Think Progress » One Year Later: The Real State Of New Orleans Standing in Jackson Square on Sept. 15, President Bush stated, “This government will learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina†and promised to “get the work done quickly.†But on the eve of Katrina’s one year anniversary, here’s a look at the cu (tags: disaster katrina news politics scandal weather hurricanekatrina neworleans) [...]
August 28th, 2006 at 9:21 pm[...] I’m often tempted to do this, but this time I just can’t resist. Cursor doesn’t have permalinks to this stuff and I want to preserve this series of paragraphs for all eternity: A year after Katrina, Paul Krugman finds that “In America as in Iraq, reconstruction delayed is reconstruction denied,” and the WSWS describes “a national humiliation without parallel in the history of the United States.” Plus: ‘Brown says White House wanted him to lie.’As President Bush makes a ‘Return to the Scene of the Crime,’ to fight for his image, Frank Rich quotes historian Douglas Brinkley as saying that “the crucial point is that the inaction is deliberate….The last blue state in the Old South is turning into a red state.” [...]
August 28th, 2006 at 10:45 pmI drove through Homestead Florida after Andrew several times. The first time was mere days afterwards and the destruction was devastating. I drove through two more times, the last being about 3 months afterwards.
Within 3 months almost all of the housing was completely restored and much of the mountains (literally) of garbage were removed.
Is this happening to New Orleans because someone wants that land, whereas the rich didn’t need another haven in southern Florida?
Or does this have to do with practicing Martial Law?
August 28th, 2006 at 10:57 pmPrediction: After November 8, 2006 TP et.al. won’t give a damn about NO & will moveon.
August 28th, 2006 at 11:50 pmi’ll take that bet, stevesh…
August 29th, 2006 at 12:54 amsurely you understand that the cleanup effort of the bush disaster will take 10s of years and the citizens will still rely on TP and the rest to make sure that job is down correctly…
i know i will…
If Bush thought the Democrats in Louisiana weren’t doing the job well, he could have ordered FEMA to take over.
Comment by PLC (PatrioticLiberalChristian) — August 28, 2006 @ 8:08 pm
Indeed he could have. And he could have called it a move consistent with his “preemptive strike” doctrine, or part of his inherent powers as president.
After all, Katrina was a threat. A pending, gathering threat -the very kind of threat Pres Bush said needed to be confronted before it was too late. He also vowed to protect Americans from harm, and has all but said he will not let petty things such as the law and the constitution get in his way.
Unfortunately for NO residents, they are not the kind if Americans the Bush administration wants to protect: They have no money, oil, or political connections.
August 29th, 2006 at 1:07 am[...] Amanda at Think Progress reports the current state of New Orleans on the eve of Katrina’s one year anniversary: – Less than half of the city’s pre-storm population of 460,000 has returned, putting the population at roughly what it was in 1880. [...]
August 29th, 2006 at 1:15 am[...] Katrina: lessons learned, the real state of affairs, and why the federal lack of response since trumps everything. [...]
August 29th, 2006 at 5:23 am[...] Click on this text to listen in your browser. (15 mins 54 secs) I’ve got rusty cogs, but here’s some commentary on Katrina, small government, military spending and more. I’m on a new computer, so please accept my apologies for quality problems as I get used to the new systems, etc. Think Progress: New Orleans One Year Later [...]
August 29th, 2006 at 6:32 am[...] Think Progress tightens the spotlight. [...]
August 29th, 2006 at 9:47 amBillions of federal dollars has been sent to NOLA and Louisianna…state and city governments that have been steeped in graft and corruption for generations. Let’s all admit that all branches of governement – federal, state and city – didn’t handle this disaster well a year ago and get on with it. One year later and the citizens have a fool for a mayor THEY re-elected! It’s too convenient to play the blame game and point to the “shrub.”
August 29th, 2006 at 11:17 amThe mayor and the governor are acrrying the water on this one.
there are 2 ways to think about this. The first is to assume the entire population of New Orleans and Louisiana is incompitent. I doubt this. THe other is to consider who gains by having New Orleans out of operation.
I believe that the port of New Orleans was the biggest US port. If its stature is diminished, then those ships have to go somewhere else to be loaded and unloaded. This transfers power from New Orleans to elsewhere.
August 29th, 2006 at 12:36 pmOur country is degrading. I am so embarrassed.
August 29th, 2006 at 2:01 pmI have an ongoing comment:
August 29th, 2006 at 3:46 pmhttp://fotoarttoo.blogspot.com/
[...] and the cleanup still has a long way to go. [...]
August 29th, 2006 at 4:17 pmComment #51 “They have a fool for mayor which they re-elected” United States of America has a “Fool” for president which was re-selected as well. Par for the course I guess.
August 29th, 2006 at 4:44 pm[...] Think Progress [...]
August 29th, 2006 at 5:02 pmSpin vs. Reality…
Spin from Mississippi:THE PRESIDENT: And so I’ve come back on this anniversary to thank you for your courage, and to let you know the federal government stands with you still.Reality from New Orleans:- Less than half of the city’s pre-storm…
August 29th, 2006 at 5:40 pmNagin, Blanco, and Bush should all be stripped of all their riches, and should be forced to live in those putrid conditions for a month. Then maybe they’ll get off their asses and do something.
August 29th, 2006 at 11:30 pmBy the way, who the hell reelected that idiot nagin back into office? Probably the same idiots that reelected Bush. All the complainers need to take action. I know you’re pissed beyond all hell, but come on, do something about it by voting for someone else.
Now, I’m really forced to say: You did it to yourself.
But its still sad.
August 29th, 2006 at 11:37 pm[...] President Bush has visited New Orleans, site of the downfall of his Presidency, on the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Think Progress offers this to-do list for the apologetic President: – Less than half of the city’s pre-storm population of 460,000 has returned, putting the population at roughly what it was in 1880. [...]
August 30th, 2006 at 1:00 amPresident Bush Is Doing a Heck of a Job…
Hurricane Katrina gave President Bush the opportunity to show what compassionate conservatism really meant….
August 30th, 2006 at 7:56 amFor All the People Who Complain About Nagin’s Re-electionThe candidate who lost to Nagin, Mitch Landrieu, who is also the lieutenant governor of the state, and whose sister is a U.S. Senator from the state of Louisiana, really had no concrete plan either. He is a career politician who only had a bunch of useless platitudes to offer, “Let’s Rebuild Together,” etc. etc. Nagin is not corrupt, he’s really not a politician, at least he speaks plainly, which gets him into trouble a lot of the time, and he always was an advocate of the business community here rather than a “man of the people,” but let’s face it, the current presidential administration keeps painting itself as a populist defender of democracy and the common man, when we know for a fact he only wishes to widen class divisions and make his friends more money at the expense of everyone else. Talk about corrupt!
August 30th, 2006 at 1:41 pmI reread my last post… my english teachers would be horrified! The last half of my comment was one huge run-on sentence.
August 30th, 2006 at 1:43 pm[...] Thanks to Think Progress (by way of The Gay Expat) for the sorry facts. Posted by Joe G. Filed in News and politics, Meta, Social Issues and Politics [...]
August 30th, 2006 at 3:48 pmI was just commenting the other day about how gas was $3.30 a gallon in our area last year around Labor because of Katrina and how it is down to about $2.50. No complaining from me!
September 2nd, 2006 at 7:58 pm[...] Â Â http://thinkprogress.org/2006/08/28/katrina-facts-anniversary/Â [...]
September 17th, 2006 at 12:59 amAnyone who depends on a government to help them is a fool, especially those people who live in a country where freedom is allowed. I was in New Orleans right after the disaster. I saw the reason for so much destruction and it wasn’t the federal governments fault. The fault was in the local and State Government, the people who never listen to news, and for the most part people who live for entitlements.
As someone who started with less than most I have learned that people are usually their own worst enemy and that those who blame others for the problems that plague them are lazy or are anti-success.
If your so concerned do something to help rather than complain. Negative statements are designed to undermine, postive statements help to build. It’s your choice, that’s the definition of Freedom.
Joseph Alan
December 26th, 2006 at 3:32 pmDon’t talk about what you don’t know first hand. I’m from N.O. I am a certified paralegal relocated in Houston (where Bush put us). I’m not lazy, I’m not “anti-success”, and I don’t live for entitlements. All my family, all their lives, lived in Southern Louisiana. I loved my city. Late nights in da quarters, sun filled days under a big oak. I never wanted to move. I’m from a poverty stricken area as are most of us. We never really knew it, though. Until Katrina, we thought that all of America was just “surviving”. It is the RESPONSIBILITY of our Federal Government to protect it’s citizens, not just the land! The Federal Government failed the cititzens of New Orleans time and time again. As a child growing up, my dad, who lived through Betsy and Camille always said that if a major hurricane hit again, they would blow the levees. Anyone that says otherwise doesn’t know what they’re talking about. As far as our re-elected “fool” of a mayor, the returned citizens really had to chose the lesser of two evils and in a city of mainly blacks and native americans, who’s gonna trust a “blue eyed” anyway? Mitch Landrieu looks like BUSH!! Katrina was the WORST natural disaster in the history of the U.S. and the survivors are treated like “refugees”. This is my COUNTRY. This is my HOME. We DID NOT deserve this! Now, rent at home is avg. $1200-$2500 a month. To people elsewhere, this may not seem like that much, but in a city where most of us don’t even make that much, it’s a joke! It has nothing to do with our education, skills, or work ethic. All our lives the cost of living has been low (compared to all other states) so therefore, wages have always been low. BUSH is a joke, the federal government is a joke, and when the time comes to “raise arms”, I urge all Katrina survivors to take a stand, stick together, and come out on top this time, instead of being on top ( the roofs)!
December 27th, 2006 at 10:46 am“And no he aint gon drop no dollas but he do drop bombs. RIP Ted ’cause he died in the storm f*** President “Georgia” Bush!”—-Lil Wayne
In reply to comment number five I have to say that you must live under a rock to say what you have about our president. If you think that he is to cheep to spend more money in Iraq, then you can jack up taxes and tell the American people(who are already in over their head in taxes)why we have to take their money and give it to them. “he talks the talk but cant walk the walk…” tell that to clinton. The first time the terrorists attacked us in 93′, he ran his happy a** up to canada and didn’t move a finger to do anything about it. Also if it wern’t for him cutting our millitary in 1/2 we wouldn’t have the problem we have today with soilder shortage.
February 15th, 2007 at 5:27 pmdo your research first next time.
[...] the Think Progress blog, here is where things were on the eve of the one year anniversary of this horrible [...]
February 22nd, 2007 at 1:11 am