State of the Union

[shinerbock]

That response was to get back into the argument. I was attempting to address any of your concerns.

On the disparity between Iraq and New Orleans;

Obviously the war in Iraq began prior to the destruction in New Orleans. The federal government has allocated 12 billion to Louisiana alone, so I have a tough time believing that the federal government is ignoring the problem. Now, how the money is being used and the speed at which it is allocated is information I'm not privy to, and i doubt many on this board are. Wars cost incredible amounts of money. If you have a problem with the Iraq war and how much it is costing, I think that is a legitimate concern, despite my disagreement with your position. However, I don't think one has anything to do with the other. We're in Iraq, right or wrong, and we have to spend money on it. Should we have instead pulled out following Katrina and diverted the funding? I think rational people already know the answer to that.

Other issues:

Many question why the city hasn't fully been rebuilt. Having been back to New Orleans on several occasions since the storm, there is obviously a lot of rebuilding left to take place. However, progress is obvious as well. Its not as simple as saying "Alright, tomorrow we're going to start on everything." First, it isn't the federal government's responsibility to go in and start rebuilding everything that was damaged. Not only is it not their responsibility, it isn't their role to take. Much of the low income housing that was destroyed are issues for the city and state, who will have to decide how to go about rebuilding, if they are to rebuild. Also, many of the people in NO obviously haven't returned, making it especially difficult to figure out what to do. Should the federal government just start rebuilding people's homes for them? What about issues with insurance payouts? People who try to make the solution to this problem seem simple are far removed from the situation.

My personal problem is the sense of entitlement people have regarding this situation. I have a problem that people living in government housing are demanding that their houses be rebuilt. It confuses me that people point to the faster cleanup from other hurricanes, but also fail to mention that much of that relief was the result of first party insurance claims. Obviously FEMA could have been better, but so could Nagin and Louisiana. The citizens of New Orleans should not depend on the government for their complete safety. At some point you must take responsibility for yourself, your family, and your property, as so many others in Mississippi and LA did do. Of my three friends who had their homes completely destroyed (2 in NO, one on Bay St. Louis), all have received insurance pay outs and have either rebuilt or bought property elsewhere. They are equally tired of hearing people complain about the governments inaction. I believe the city at some point will approach its original stature. Until then, I think people need to take personal responsibility and have some measure of patience with the process. Questioning the government is fine (especially when it is the city or state government, seeing as they'll make most of the decisions), but when you begin demanding compassion and charity, people begin to have a problem with it. It may be that we just have completely different views on what the government should do. However, I'm one who believes it is not the government's responsibility to look after my affairs.