Which Side Are You On?

Question

Responding to Natural Disasters. Hurricane Katrina presented a veritable case study of governmental incompetence as well as the playing of the blame game. Although some point the finger of blame squarely at either the federal or state and local governments, the reality is that there was more than enough responsibility and incompetence to go around for all of the governmental actors.

Answer 1

Although Katrina was a terrible disaster a lot of "blame" has to go to the people that did not follow the advice of their governments (local, parish, state or federal) to voluntarily evacuate and then the mandatory evacuation order that was ignored by many.  Unfortunately many stayed behind viewing it as an opportunity to loot, rob, burglarize or otherwise victimize those that were already victims.  Many communities continue to build in dangerous areas below damns, in natural arroyos, in flood plains, on fault lines etc. and that is their choice, but to have an attitude of entitlement when the inevitable eventually does occur is ridiculous.  Somehow we have a victim mentality in this country that whatever bad things happen "to" us has to be someone else's fault.  If you build your home below sea level, in a hurricane prone location, you shouldn't be surprised when your home is flooded in a major hurricane and quit looking to point the finger at anyone but you.

Answer 2

If the government spends all its treasury on foreign folly it has no money left for its own people. Americans might as well pay no taxes.   THEY get nothing but a huge national debt for their hard earned taxes.   The Katrina fiasco is evident. but wait till the full force of the Mississippi flooding comes home to roost.  Pray tell that we don't get attacked by China. Aside from a few thousand Nukes we have no defense. A few rag tag Muslim terrorists have decimated our ground forces.  We have been over there chasing shadows while the terrorists have been roaming the world blowing things up.

Answer 3

The entire government is mean!

They should have gone into New Orleans and talk to everyone, give then $1 million and a massage and a big cake!

They should have built a huge bubble around everyone's home and sat around singing Kum bay ya too! Yippie!

Answer 4

everyone has a right to build where ever they want,whether in a dangerous place or not.  the thing is that when something bad does happen, those people shouold help themselves.  As the saying goes "God helps those who help themselves."

Answer 5

Let me preface this by saying that I survived Katrina, Rita AND Ivan.

Blame if you like the federal government, but truly, it was a clear demonstration, the failings of the democrat mindset.  Look at some basic facts.  New Orleans flooded not directly because of the storm.  The flooding took place AFTER the storm.  The mayor failed miserably on just about all counts, his responsibility to the people, followed immediately by the governor.  Those who were left behind were predominently poor democrats subsisting on government hand-outs.  Their mindset was that the government would provide and it did not.

Had the federal government intervened without a request by the state government everyone would have had a cow about states rights having been violated.  As was, it was racist little chumps like Khanye West spreading fear and hatred with remarks about sending in the troops to kill the black man.

What's truly tragic is that all the while the news was pumping the people full of "the horror" that was happening in New Orleans, the people of Mississippi were truly the ones who needed the help and did not get it.  Entire towns were wiped off the map and no one noticed.

Know the difference between a democrat and a republican?  After the storm had passed and we came out of our shelters, the republicans picked up our chainsaws and began working to restore what ahd been lost.  The democrats were too busy looting the local convenience store.  Republicans feel it is the responsibility of the individual while the democrat feels it is the responsibility of the government.

That the people would find it most appropriate to re-elect the mayor who abandoned them in their moment of need speaks volumes.

Answer 6

True.

And a very good example of why the federal government shouldn't be involved in that sort of thing, at all.