Driving Me Insane
The news from New Orleans is surely going to drive me insane. This story touches on all the things that bother me about the attitudes towards people in this country.
I could hit you with quote after quote after quote of people anticipating this situation and being ignored. I could provide you with example after example after example of incompetent handling of this situation.
And I probably will.
But before any nutty Bush apologists start spouting off about how you can’t expect the man to anticipate every disaster, let me tell you now that I don’t. You can’t guess where or when these things will happen. Period. But I can expect him to step up when the s**t hits the fan.
The government at its purest form is there to provide for the common good. When there is a disaster, it should respond quickly. Air dropping food in 4 days after a disaster is unacceptable. Going to San Diego to a political fund-raiser instead of focusing on the needs of 100s of thousands of your citizenry is unacceptable. Worrying about a handful of people stealing wet shoes when tens of thousands are trapped in sports arenas is unacceptable.
This is not what I pay my taxes for. I expect more from my government. I expect better.
I believe, in my heart of hearts, that the current administration is doing the best that it can. I also believe that their best is a woefully incompetent, too little-too late response to anything that doesn’t directly benefit the ultra-rich.
This is not what I pay my taxes for. I expect more from my government. I expect better.
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September 2nd, 2005 at 4:38 pm
James:
I agree. It appears to me that what the US has done so well overseas (airlift food, create staging areas for supplies, establish communications, by satellite if necessary, establish security, establish field hospitals) wasn’t even *tried* for our own citizens. Any evidence of a good-faith effort at helping the refugees with food/water/medicine would have counted with me, even if the effort came up short. There was no effort at all that I could see. Any Iraqui who’s on the fence about the “benefits of democracy” would break Saddam out of jail and restore him to power, if he’s seen what I’ve seen over the last several days.
I’m not detracting from the efforts of the Coast Guard chopper pilots, who rescued 7000 people, last I read. In fact, I admire the kind of cojones it takes to do that kind of work. To have *nothing* in place to care for them after the rescue is plain old inexcusable.
–Ken–
September 3rd, 2005 at 7:25 am
It really is all a bit bizarre. I remember my dad, who is a retired Army Command Sergeant Major from 67th Signal (satellite communications), being down in Homestead, Florida, setting up communications – with all of his men – on the SAME DAY that Andrew wiped them out. And those conditions were not much better than the N.O. conditions are now. Hmmm….it’s obviously *possible* to coordinate a quick response.
September 4th, 2005 at 1:13 pm
I would like to add an original comment to your thought about the government. I am a Bush hater. I can’t stand the replubican paty, but I have a unique perspective. I find the democrats to be better yet I still hate them to the core because I don’t I agree with them on most issue issues. To me this is a coke versus pepsi issue. Can I hate both parties? because clearly as you said the American government sucks. Having listened to your show and read your blog for some time now, I am willing to bet that you don’t agree with the democrats on all issues either. I’m a liberal. Who do I vote for? No choice me me.
September 6th, 2005 at 8:51 am
Yes the response was too late What do we expect from a FEMA director whose only job experience was to oversee Arabian Horse Association Officials. It seems like this administration puts loyalty above competency. One of the things the 911 commission warned about was the “group think” where everyone involved in discussions are so like minded, they can’t think outside the box and agree just because. That seems to be the goal this administration is working for. Yes, Mr President, you are right, is all Bush wants to hear. So you get appointments like Mr. Brown.
But bitching about that isn’t going to help now, or fix the problem. Hopefully we don’t have to wait for another election, and can come together to solve the immediate needs, the people of the Gulf need help with so badly.