The Response
Of course it’s inadequate.
What did anyone expect? Oh, I know: the "government" this and the "government" that. Isn’t it always about what the State is going to do, is not going to do; is going stop, start, "invest" in, or conduct a "war" upon? But it really brings the matter to bear, though, when the State, any State, is incapable of adequate response.
The lesson to be learned here is a simple one. Human beings… you are an individual, and as such, nobody cares as much about your circumstances as you do. You can fake your way through life all you want, believing that God, the government, or Santa is going to be there in your moment of need, but in the end, the results you obtain will always be less than had you arranged your affairs from the outset to rely upon yourself instead of the tax money from little old laddies in Green Bay and Albuquerque.
The events in New Orleans bear testament. Let me ask you: how many people do you suppose looked at the various news sources themselves, perhaps researched the Internet, and regardless of the "advice" given from on high from the High Priests, just decided to use their own minds, set their own course, and act accordingly? No doubt there are many. Conversely, how many followed their shepherds, as a flock of sheep, defaulting on their own faculties–their abilities to sense reality and act accordingly, on their own authority? Obviously many. Look at the teevee. And who do you believe fared better?
This is basic shit, laddies and gentlemen. Basic survival that our ancestors were practicing thousands of years ago.
Forget all the headlines proclaiming "ANARCHY" in New Orleans. What I just described above? Those who took matters in their own hands? That, my friends, is real anarchy.
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I couldn't have said it better myself. Thank you for making sense.
If you keep making sence I am going ot be forced to link to you.
Food for thought for those who ridiculously blame Bush for everything. Provided are valid points about bigger and deeper issues regarding humanity. Refreshing. As for Da Vinci's quote, I wonder what he would think about Michael Moore?
Food for thought for those who seem hellbent on rescuing the PResident from this appalling display of incompetence.
Go see what Newt is saying. Mitt Romney. A whole lot of other people.
I'll remind everyone who wants to give Bush a free pass now of two things.
(1) The flood control budget for the New Orleans area was cut by 80% despite warnings from a couple of scores' worth of local experts that something like this had to happen. Sooner, rather than later.
(2) It is Bush-not me, not you, not anyone posting here-that told us in 2004 that we should re-elect him because of all the "improvements" made to disaster response since September 11. Does anyone here seriously want to argue that because this disaster was not man made, that somehow the ability to respond should be different? That coordination and communication would have worked better if the attacker's name had been Osama? And how many people have heard of a terrorist giving a target several days' worth of notice that an attack was coming? Can you imagine how many more dead there would be in New Orleans if this had been something like a radiation bomb?
Stop excusing the President-instead, go back through his campaign, listen to what he was saying, and come up with the only conclusion available. Incompetence on this scale should not go unpunished.
On the contrary, I see very little sense here. It only shows a callous disregard for the suffering of people, who through no fault of their own happened to be in the path of the most destructive hurricane in US history.
And yes the government should help, and help big time. And you want to know why. Because the government ignored the warnings of engineers, and failed over a span of many years to improve the New Orleans levee system. And if it is not one of the prime roles of government to protect its citizens, then what is The Department of Homeland Security needed for? The poor people stuck in houses partially submerged in murky contaminated water in New Orleans have every right to expect help from the government.
Yea, Paul, that's the loser mentality at the root of why there are so many helpless people.
I have no qualms with helping them, whether it's the government or not. I'm just saying that it didn't _have_ to be that devastating. There are a host of reasons why it was, and a host of actions that could have better mitigated the damage. The federal government is not the only entity in the world that can design, fund, and build levies. Private interested parties could have long ago put together private initiatives and built it privately, even found some way through CC&Rs and property associations to pay for upkeep. ‘Course, it’s always far easier to steal money from little old ladies in Green Bay and Albuquerque.
Your apparent belief is that it's the government's responsibility. Well, do you see where that got you and the people of New Orleans? They doubtless believed that too.
Go ahead and rail against the government all you want. Go ahead and be stupidly obstinate. Me? I'm going to look out for myself and loved ones, as I always have, and I will _always_ fair better than you and your flocks of imbeciles, of which we will never suffer shortage, who are waiting for someone to rescue them and tell them what to do.
The government has failed miserably and that is a fact.
That depends on your values and standard for judging values.
See, I'd be the first to agree that the government has failed miserably, but that would be an odd way of putting it. Suppose a thief steals from me, but promises to "help the poor" with some of it. Am I to be surprised that he either doesn't "help the poor," or that he tries to and botches it? I suppose I could characterize it as a 'miserable failure,' but it kind of misses the point.
Of course, that's not what you mean, is it? You probably mean that the government has not been a good steward with the money it _takes_ from you (let's not mince words, k?). I can accept that you personally find value in the government taking your money and promising to do certain things that are of value to you. That's your business. And it logically follows that if the government does not carry out _your_ values, you're going to be upset.
In other words, in your condemnation, you're affirming that it's _your_ money they're mis-spending. So doesn't it seem odd that you'd be comfortable with them taking any more of it? How often are you happy with the results
Why don't you just associate with people of similar values and you all chip in and have the money spent as you would see fit? Or, is it that you prefer to have the government use some of the money it takes from you to force people who don't share your values to pay for your values nonetheless?
The governemnt has failed miserably and that is a fact. It is based on economics and race as much as anything. Exerting energy to bring in machinary for a photo-p in front of the levees when the nergy exerted fro such could have maybe saved a few lives is inexcusable and just an example of the total disregard of this administration for the welfare of it's constituancy. There is blamehowever to be pp-lace on the natino as a whole for it's lack of attention to it's government.
I wish I could have said it as clearly as you did.