Just thought id post to see what you all think. From my outside view in to the whole katrina mess somebody seriously dropped the ball and the residents are paying with there lives.
Imho the mayor,governor, and state reps should be held acountable. They new what was poss and should have staged needed supplies within a respectable range. just like the marine
corp has predispositioning ships all over the world to respond to any needs.
my prayers go out to all those unfortanate people involved. and ask every to assist with what they can.
You can’t blame the government for this mess. People can take responsibility for their own safety. Harsh…yep… Individualism and initiative can get you a long way in this cruel world.
[quote]magyar wrote:
You can’t blame the government for this mess. People can take responsibility for their own safety. Harsh…yep… Individualism and initiative can get you a long way in this cruel world.[/quote]
Thank the Lord someone put this in there. We are so quick to blame others it isn’t even funny.
One of my favorite sayings of all time…
The Gift
The best day of your life is the one on which you decide you life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame.
The gift of life is yours-it is an amazing journey-and you alone are responsible for the quality of it.
In light of the tragedy in the Gulf Coast I ponder a question: What the hell is President Bush doing to tighten up the San Andreas fault? Pity those unfortunate people in California who don’t realize the potential for disaster. When the “big one” strikes, Jesse Jackson will reappear to blame the devastation on George W. Bush.
I do not feel that GW is at fault at all. I believe it is the local gov responsabilty to take care of those in there state. thats why they are elected.
[quote]WORKING wrote:
I do not feel that GW is at fault at all. I believe it is the local gov responsabilty to take care of those in there state. thats why they are elected.[/quote]
WHY is it not the responsibilty of The people to take care of THEMSELVES? with the exeption of course of those who are mentally or physically incapable such as small children and the elderly-- and that is still pushing it in my opinion.
I have found in my line of work that people have forgotten how to do some of the basics – ie find their own bandaid at 2am. I am not kidding we have been called to an home for an emergency bandaid. IT is sad.
It’s interesting how we had money to fund a bridge in Alaska ($200 mil) that went nowhere, but didn’t have the funds to repair levies($100 mil) to protect New Orleans from a major flood.
Who knows if the repairs might have saved the city, but when Bush said he didn’t think the levies would break, he lied or admitted to a level of incompetance that should get him impeached.
[quote]Soco wrote:
saved the city, but when Bush said he didn’t think the levies would break, he lied or admitted to a level of incompetance that should get him impeached.[/quote]
People were ordered to evacuate.
People were ordered to evacuate.
People were ordered to evacuate.
Children, the elderly, the mentally ill, and in-patients at hospitals could do very little to save themselves. They are not to blame. They DO have my sympathy, and should be the first treated and evacuated.
Those IDIOTS that said, “We’re going to ride out the storm”? I’m sorry to say, they had it coming. Survival of the fittest.
As much as I believe they had it coming, never-the-less, they are not to blame.
Mother Nature is to blame. People, this was one hell of a storm. It was not under anyone’s control.
Even if the city’s hurricane defenses had been upgraded to Level 5, there’s NEVER any guarantee than what man has built will stand up to the fury of Mother Nature.
As for those who are off taking pot-shots at the cops and the rescuers, I think we SHOULD shoot to kill.
Nobody can be held accountable for Katrina, obviously. However, the damage she caused could’ve been significantly minimized, and the balme for not preparing for this pending disaster - a disaster that was known to be inevitable for decades - lies with these groups:
The Federal Government:
for not protecting the marshland under their control in LA and MS, and allowing it to be drained and used by developers.
for building concrete irrigation channels upstream and consequently deteriorating the silt foundation of NO that would otherwise be replenished through annual flooding of the Mississippi river.
for being slow and overly frugal instead of practical about upgrading the levies in southern LA to protect against category 4 and 5 hurricanes.
The LA, MS and AL govts.
for not protecting the barrier islands and marshlands under their control, allowing developers to destroy this natural barrier to storm surges.
for being corrupt and doing little to improve the educational system in their states, allowing for higher crime and gang activity, which culminated into the increased raping, looting and all-around mayhem after the storm.
The American People:
for being complacent and not being more aware of issues in their nation, state and local juristiction.
[quote]Soco wrote:
There are a few excellent articles in the Washington Post on the topic of why people didn’t evacuate.
I realize they were told to evacuate, but if you are disabled and only have $50 to your name and no car, it is somewhat difficult to leave town.
[/quote]
I don’t mean to be nasty, but why did Mr. Dunbar need “several thousand dollars…for a rental car and airfare”? Greyhound and a Motel Six would have been a better option.
I will concede the point that the poor could not flee, short of hoofing it, and how many of us would actually walk the hundred miles it would take to get out? Not many. I hate to say it, but I wouldn’t, either.
I do agree that the disabled did not have the same opportunity that others did.
[quote]PSlave wrote:
I don’t mean to be nasty, but why did Mr. Dunbar need “several thousand dollars…for a rental car and airfare”? Greyhound and a Motel Six would have been a better option.
[/quote]
Not quite sure. Still, the government(mostly local with federal assistance) should have used school buses and other methods to bus them out.
It’s interesting how we had money to fund a bridge in Alaska ($200 mil) that went nowhere, but didn’t have the funds to repair levies($100 mil) to protect New Orleans from a major flood.
Who knows if the repairs might have saved the city, but when Bush said he didn’t think the levies would break, he lied or admitted to a level of incompetance that should get him impeached.[/quote]
My god, does everything have to lead to impeaching Bush, or calling him a liar?
No I am not absolutely sure of this, but I do believe there were funds available to fix the levies, but were diverted. I know nothing beyond that.
Now the people were told to evacuate. Some couldn’t, and that is understandable, but many decided to ignore the warnings. Some are still refusing to leave their houses, even with their first floor under water.
There were definite problems after everything happened. It might have been the magnitude of the disaster that nobody was prepared for. At least they finally realized they needed to send in the guard.
I am not referring to his actions, I am referring to his statement.
He was clearly trying to dodge any sort of responsibility with a childish “I didn’t know what would happen” response.
I am not actually calling for his impeachment, I was simply mocking how stupid his statement was. If he didn’t know they were going to break, despite all the information available, he is utterly incompetent.
As for this situation overall, I hope it leads to real reform efforts in New Orleans, and long-term changes that lead to better coordination efforts between state and federal agencies. While I do fault homeland security and the Bush administration, there is plenty of blame to spread around.