Wednesday, January 24, 2007

The United States of New Orleans?

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco angrily criticized President Bush because he failed to mention the City of New Orleans in his State of the Union address last night.

Guess what Governor Blanco? Last night was the State of the Union Address, it wasn't about New Orleans, it was about America as a whole. He didn't mention Ridgecrest in his address either. Should I be angry and put out over that?

Besides her anger at her cesspool not being mentioned the Governor is upset that the entire state of Mississippi has received more federal relief money than the City of New Orleans did.

Gov. Blanco accused the White House of repeatedly delivering less money than Louisiana has needed to repair the damage to housing, schools and hospitals. By comparison, she said, Mississippi has been handed much more help.

"I just want an end to the disparities, once and for all," the governor said.


I got news for you Governor, The brunt of Katrina did not hit New Orleans. The worst part of hurricane Katrina hit Mississippi. New Orleans received a firm, but glancing blow. The main difference between Mississippi and New Orleans in the post Katrina era is that the people and government of Mississippi have been busy working to rebuild their state from the moment the winds subsided. New Orleans and the government in Louisiana have done nothing to help themselves except whine about what the federal government is not doing to fix all their problems.

To borrow one of my dear wife's favorite phrases, Governor, it's time to put on your big girls panties and start fixing your own troubles. We had family who were in hurricane Katrina, they got themselves out, then went back and cleaned up their own property, fixed their own damage, and went back to their jobs. Right after Katrina hit my family made financial and property donations in an effort to help. But feelings have changed. I will start feeling sorry for the people in New Orleans again, when I start seeing news stories about the rest of the population standing up and doing something to help themselves. But as long as the only thing the Gov. Blanco can do is whine that George Bush is not talking about New Orleans, helping New Orleans, or doing her job for her, then she and her cesspool called New Orleans can all go to hell.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

David,
Come down to New Orleans and see with your own eyes a city in ruins. Come down to the Mississippi gulf coast and see the vacant lots. The last time I looked I was sending 40% of my income to the government of the USA. I believe that makes me a citizen of this country. When 90,000 square miles of the USA is suffering, it is ridiculous to say the state of the union is sound. You are beyond ignorant. I can't believe you call yourself an American.

David said...

I am beyond ignorant because I don't think that a Governor who has done nothing but complain that the federal government is not doing her job fast enough and a mayor who does nothing but complain that the federal government is not doing his job for him should be expecting their city to be a key point of the State of the Union address?

I have never claimed that New Orleans is not entitled to help from the federal government. I'm just sick and tired of hearing that no matter what we do it's not enough, nor fast enough.

I lived though a flood in 1972 in Rapid City SD. Entire sections of our small town were wiped off the face of the earth. I spent three days with my fellow boy scouts trying to get out of the flood waters and back to town. Once there we spend a frantic several weeks doing relief work and years recovering. Many of the boys I was in the flood with lost everything. The first sign of help from the federal govenment was when HUD showed up two weeks after the flood to help people get federal help to rebuild thier homes. The entire rescue, relief and rebuilding effort was run by the mayor, the governor and the state national guard. It took years to rebuild the city and not once was Rapid City ever mentioned in a State of the Union address. And not once did our governor ever complain about it.

90,000 sq miles is less than 3 tenths of one percent of the United States. So yes I thing that even though that small area is still suffering and rebuilding the Union is sound.

The point of my message is that New Orleans is not the center of the universe and they should stop acting like we should treat them that way.

Yes I call myself an American and even though I pay my 40% to the government I don't sit around crying and waiting for them to fix my problems because I want them fixed.

Anonymous said...

David, Your are 100% accurate in what you say.