Re: OT Shots fired-- Evacuation suspended

On Fri, 02 Sep 2005 17:55:45 -0400, bill horne wrote:

> Chris Bryant wrote:
>
>> On Fri, 02 Sep 2005 16:40:01 -0400, bill horne wrote:
>>
>>
>>>It's not the only reason. Some stayed behind to protect their stuff from
>>>looters. Some stayed behind to rape and pillage. That should be obvious
>>>by now to even the oblivious. And when you have to call in the NG to
>>>"regain the city", it's a bit more than a handful.
>>
>>
>> And a large number stayed behind because they simply did not have the
>> resources to leave- far more than the number who stayed just to loot.
>> Read the stats on the NO population- 50,000 people who own no vehicles-
>> well over 30% living under the poverty level.
>
> I thought there were buses to take them to shelters. Was that a lie.

Yes- there were buses- but not nearly enough to do the job. Think about it
for just a minute- look at the number of buses lined up right now- and
where they had to come from to do the job.
Good lord- it doesn't take a genius to see the problem, and it doesn't
take a genius to see that *any* local government simply doesn't have the
resources to do the job.

>
>>>Back in the 50s, growing up in coastal NC, we had hurricanes. We knew
>>>folks who stayed on the beaches and barrier islands to protect their
>>>stuff from looters. Nothing's changed - except maybe that even liberals
>>>understood the problem back then.
>>
>>
>> Oh, heck. We all knew the dangers- though this administration gutted
>> the funds to work on flood control (hint- google sela budget). And-
>> FEMA drilled on this very scenario a while back. I guess they didn't
>> learn anything in that drill.
>
> There's more blame in this than FEMA. the city and State gummits, for
> instance.

Without question- but State and local governments simply do not have the
resources to deal with a disaster of this magnitude. We have been talking
about New Orleans- but the tragedy is just as bad all along the gulf
coast- and the FEMA response has been just as incompetent.
If, as a nation, we cannot help our neighbors who are in desperate need,
what's the point? We can provide- on a Federal level- the resources at a
much lower price than if each state or even county or city tried to
duplicate the effort.


>
> And you say "this administration". What? Did NO flood control risk
> suddenly appear in 2001?

No- the funding for flood control suddenly dried up in 2001- the 2005
budget was 20% of what was spent in 2000. Had to pay for "Homeland
Security", the war in Iraq, and tax cuts.

It is becoming obvious that people are realizing what a colossal screw up
this has been on the Federal level, and that all of the money we have
poured in to "Homeland Security" has been a big joke.
This disaster's aftermath is not at all unlike what might occur after a
terrorist NBC attack- and after 4 years of spending,all we have to show
are Chertof and Brown telling people what a great job they are doing,
while people have been dying from lack of the basic necessities of life.

It's a national disgrace, and apparently partisan politics keeps people
from admitting it.

--
Chris Bryant
http://bryantrv.com


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