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This was written by a guy who lives in Shreveport, LA:
I love it when people who have no idea what is going on spout blindly. I live in Louisiana myself and know exactly what is going on. Trust me, my city is now the second largest in the state thanks to this little disaster. I went to the good old Wally-World today and there were New Orleans accents everywhere. Before you people think I am talking about solely African American inhabitants, nope, not even. You know the people who DID get out, ie. most of the city's population along w/ the surrounding metro area? Come move down here and then you'll be on equal footing. The rest of the state, along w/ Texas is paying for the mistakes of my state's politicians in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Not to mention the people in New Orleans who paid with their lives.
But, as fingers began pointing at Bush the second this happened, I feel I must let people know that my state's irresponsibility (and this really hurts me to say so as it's quite embarrassing) is responsible for the lion's share of this.
Kathleen Blanco and Ray Nagin were on TV crying and saying "someone help help us!" Can you imagine if Rudy Guiliani had done that on 9-11? I know (trust me I KNOW) this disaster makes 9-11 look like someones broken fingernail but down here in Louisiana, we have had politicians for years with an uncanny ability to do absolutely nothing and pin the blame on everyone else. Have you not seen the pictures of the giant lot of New Orleans school buses?
They could have carried probably half those people out in one run BEFORE the storm. Yet now they are a flooded lot of useless buses. It didn't take the feds to screw that up. Trust me, New Orleans officials are proficient at using buses when it's election day and they get people to the polls. And about the common folk, if they were so important, why did Nagin (while there were still thousands at the Super dome and convention center) evacuate the tourists at the W hotel first? There's enough blame here for everybody.
Sorry, it's just much of Louisiana has been complaining about these politicians for years and I can't watch them pass the buck again.
Nope, I'll gladly say it was my own state's fault because I know quite frankly and truly it was. I think relief has gone as well as it could have to get those people out who stayed for one reason or another. No, the problem is THAT they stayed and that the city was so endangered in the first place. True, FEMA knew that New Orleans was a disaster waiting to happen. But in it's 300 year history, it hadn't. It'd be as silly as prepositioning thousands of troops on this side of the San Andreas fault b/c one day the big quake will come. The feds should be prepared but the state's should do their part first. Who do you think was in a better position to get New Orleans evacuated? Bush in D.C. or our own Gov. Blanco 60 miles from the flooding? Answer: Blanco and she didn't. Neither did Nagin, the mayor.
60 miles from the current disaster area, in Baton Rouge (the state capital) the annual legislative session ended a month or so ago. Teachers were denied pay raises again this year (our teachers are the lowest paid). Never-mind that the current oil situation filled my state's coffers w/ 1 billion in extra revenue. The money was given to build a huge new convention center hotel here in Shreveport and several wonderful new reservoirs. Like I said, can't you tell we need water down here? Louisiana's politicians have a history of not prioritizing and that's at the crux of our current mess. My fellow residents and I are going to be paying dearly now that 40% of the state's tax revenue just vanished.
This isn't taking potshots. This will affect me and my family dearly. My whole state is pretty much %$^%$. If you want to talk to me about blame and potshots, come on, we'll talk. Half the people I know have victims in their house. My little girl got pushed and shoved in the park today by a little girl from New Orleans today. My wife is (as a doctor at Charity Hospital's sister hospital in Shreveport) taking care of these people, we are donating clothes, and I will find out tomorrow (or in the next few days) if I am going to have to go down there and help. So, I think I have that angle covered, too. Bitter? You bet. Frayed? Yep...
posted by 141.116.37...
, Tue, 13 Sep 2005 19:54:08
, Wed, 14 Sep 2005 05:06:15, Wed, 14 Sep 2005 06:34:21, Tue, 13 Sep 2005 17:19:22, Tue, 13 Sep 2005 13:54:25
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