Judge Orders Bush Administration to Resume Paying for Katrina Housing

[2sisters]

lol--That test was so dumb--what a waste of time

I agree, mine said I am intolerant, but I can assure you I am not racisit. i am intolerant of stupidity, but of other races, no.

 

[2sisters]

lol--That test was so dumb--what a waste of time

I agree, mine said I am intolerant, but I can assure you I am not racist. i am intolerant of stupidity, but of other races, no.

 

[2sisters]

http://www.wdsu.com/news/10426929/detail.html
not really relevant to this thread but relevant to Katrina.

 

[Marthatex]

As a very smart poster pointed out maybe on another thread, I'm not sure everyone is not at least a little bit racist or prejudiced against some group or another, usually people we are not completely familiar with, from backgrounds that were not ours, often it is based on FEAR.

I'll be the first to say I am racist or prejudiced under certain conditions. There ain't no way I'm going to walk down the streets of the East part of my town at night.

I have to fight myself when I hear of an illegal immigrant from Mexico that drove drunk the wrong way down the highway and killed an entire family. I have to tell myself, OK, this is surely not reminiscent of all immigrants, but I can't help but feel prejudiced against illegal ones.

I don't like certain religions and what they believe; but I usually keep that to myself.

I'm very prejudiced against men with beer bellies.

But this really isn't about racism, actually, this thread, it's about a judge's decision. The decision was that FEMA was not clear in it's directions and there was no way the "victims" could dicipher this red tape, and their constitutional rights were violated.

It's not a judgment that they can live on the dole; it's the PROCESS was wrong and FEMA is not doing things properly.

I read the decision in my paper today; and I'm sure it's in most papers. In addition, there has been another court decision previously that also favored the NO victims.

So ban me moderators, I'm a bit prejudiced I fear; especially in a dark alley.

 

[Straitfan]

Well if one it to take a look at government first and foremost, that would start with the Mayor/Louisanna Governor as I myself did not live there but knew the sense of urgency to leave.. I grew up in Houston, hurricane's were common but the threat overall was not what New Orleans would experience.. I myself left Houston twice (way back, not recently) when warned of a hurricane..

The Mayor had transportation to take individuals out that did not have other means, (buses which in returen ended up flooded as well, he could have saved people and public transportation at the same time) so that being said the answer lies with the local/state level , they did not do what they should have BEFORE the hurricane arrived, cannot blame a President for that, the military arrived when they were able to and safe...So, BLAME (if you will) the state government for the results cause they could have handled it different and the outcome would have been different..

 

[Peter Hamilton]

Well, the fault originally for the levee breaks goes back all the way to the 1960's--It was known then that they would not hold if a Category 4 or 5 hurricane hit--so, on the Federal Level, every president from Johnson to Bush Jr bears some responsibility for the failure to pony up the billions needed to shore them up to protect the city--but when the levees finally did break ,there was the additional total failure of Nagin and Blanco that exacerbated the situation--indeed, some people were calling for Mayor Nagin to be put on trial for criminal negligent homicide

 

[Marthatex]

Well, the fault originally for the levee breaks goes back all the way to the 1960's--It was known then that they would not hold if a Category 4 or 5 hurricane hit--so, on the Federal Level, every president from Johnson to Bush Jr bears some responsibility for the failure to pony up the billions needed to shore them up to protect the city--but when the levees finally did break ,there was the additional total failure of Nagin and Blanco that exacerbated the situation--indeed, some people were calling for Mayor Nagin to be put on trial for criminal negligent homicide

Absolutely true; but what difference does it make now who's to blame?

The hurricane did happen, it's costing us monumental dollars because of the failure of the levees, they weren't ready for it and we and the victims are paying the consequences. It's the perfect example of pork barrell projects spent "elsewhere", negligence and "playing with fire"; just like the huge 1900 Hurricane, Isaac's storm, in Galveston was met with negligence and ignorance; but there shouldn't be an excuse in 2004 IMO.

Once again, this is about a particular court decision, and Gonzo posted it somewhere up there.

 

[czechmate7]

Well if one it to take a look at government first and foremost, that would start with the Mayor/Louisanna Governor as I myself did not live there but knew the sense of urgency to leave.. I grew up in Houston, hurricane's were common but the threat overall was not what New Orleans would experience.. I myself left Houston twice (way back, not recently) when warned of a hurricane..

The Mayor had transportation to take individuals out that did not have other means, (buses which in returen ended up flooded as well, he could have saved people and public transportation at the same time) so that being said the answer lies with the local/state level , they did not do what they should have BEFORE the hurricane arrived, cannot blame a President for that, the military arrived when they were able to and safe...So, BLAME (if you will) the state government for the results cause they could have handled it different and the outcome would have been different..

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

 

[czechmate7]

Well, the fault originally for the levee breaks goes back all the way to the 1960's--It was known then that they would not hold if a Category 4 or 5 hurricane hit--so, on the Federal Level, every president from Johnson to Bush Jr bears some responsibility for the failure to pony up the billions needed to shore them up to protect the city--but when the levees finally did break ,there was the additional total failure of Nagin and Blanco that exacerbated the situation--indeed, some people were calling for Mayor Nagin to be put on trial for criminal negligent homicide

Excellent points!!!!!!I can remember growing up talks about the levees being fixed...but when you had governors like Edwin Edwards I don't need to tell you where most of LA's Federal funding went!!
The way I see it, it's like the President is the CEO of a company and everyone below him (appointed by we the people) are like dept managers, vp, what have you...(Sentate, Reps, Governors, Mayors...etc..)
The CEO counts on the managers, vp's to do their jobs...no one likes to be micro managed. But the CEO in this case doesn't hire/fire his managers...we the people do...
It was one of the managers duties (GOV) to send the LA Natl' Guard until further help could arrive safely and that didn't happen.
If fingers need to be pointed, lets start in the right place!!

 

[Marthatex]

I'd like to say one more thing about Louisiana since I lived there, and My family's from there.

Louisiana has always been poor, and there has always been corruption since the days of Huey Long and probably before.

Now from what I recall the govt. did not give the funds needed to fix the Levees; the Corps of Engineers knew they were a disaster waiting to happen. IN the mean time, our legislators bounce off to golf courses in Scotland, some travel 40 times around the world on junkets and we're building the "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska.

Louisiana has never been a priority, period, even though New Orleans has been a major port and cultural center that people want to go to to visit. New Orleans deserves to be cleaned up, crime wise and otherwise, the same as Chicago, New York City, any other place. I was never aware that any federal funds were given to New Orleans for this purpose, but maybe I'm wrong.

President Bush has pledged funds to New Orleans, but I'd be interested to know how much of that they're really getting.

Louisiana is a wonderful state, with wonderful people, huge cultural history - the Acadians, french, spanish, and others all blending in. The antebellum homes and museums are part of our history. The opportunity for cultural blend is tremendous, as in say San Antonio. Or Chicago.

The music in New Orleans was some of the best in the world; I'm so glad some projects are building homes for musicians so they can get that going again. If they can get the music, restaurants, etc going; that will help - I think they have to some extent. New Orleans is a major port that gets us alot of our products and our oil.

Just how is Louisiana supposed to get tax revenue now? From people who have no jobs, or moved elsewhere? From property tax on property that is ruined?

I think it was shown, wasn't there an "investigation", that it was a multi-layered failure. So what? The question is, are we going to rebuild New Orleans, and are we going to do it right. Tulane is a great University, which had to cut their faculty in half. Good professors had to leave. All of this hurts the entire community.

Unfortunately our country can't borrow much more money now. Oh, now I remember, that other court case was that insurance companies need to pay up more money for the houses. So that will help some, who had insurance.

It's a slow process, but New Orleans deserves to be rebuilt.

 

[julianne]

Thanks Martha, Wind, & Nova....

Ya know, the whole situation is just a damn shame. Through and through.
It's a painful stab that won't be going away anytime soon for many, many people.

I hate that our priorities are so screwed up.

 

[reb]

why can't they get it together..? because you have a city largely made up of housing project-livin', poor welfare-dependant folk who are addicted to the government teat and don't know the first thing about how to get on their feet, even before the hurricane.
new orleans has been one of the top (and sometimes the #1) crime rate of any city in the US. that's tells you right there it's a disaster area unable to get it together. then to add an incompetent leader like nagin, and so much corruption.... sheesh,, just let the sea carry it away already!! "we're gonna rebuild"--- yeah, RIGHT!! well what happens when you get another category 5?? wait for the govt to tell you what to do, and expect them to save your ass yet again?? how many times does everyone expect this to happen??
logic tells me, that if the odds are very high that a place is dangerous to live and mother nature is intent on wiping it out,, then GET OUT and find a new place to make your home in. the fact is that the american govt doesn't have the funds or the desire or both- to make a perfectly fool-proof new orleans. the iraq war is going to bankrupt us at the rate we're going.. never mind the govt having enough to take care of their own people! but as for NO,, the signs are all there... it's just a losing battle.

 

[2sisters]

why can't they get it together..? because you have a city largely made up of housing project-livin', poor welfare-dependant folk who are addicted to the government teat and don't know the first thing about how to get on their feet, even before the hurricane.
new orleans has been one of the top (and sometimes the #1) crime rate of any city in the US. that's tells you right there it's a disaster area unable to get it together. then to add an incompetent leader like nagin, and so much corruption.... sheesh,, just let the sea carry it away already!! "we're gonna rebuild"--- yeah, RIGHT!! well what happens when you get another category 5?? wait for the govt to tell you what to do, and expect them to save your ass yet again?? how many times does everyone expect this to happen??
logic tells me, that if the odds are very high that a place is dangerous to live and mother nature is intent on wiping it out,, then GET OUT and find a new place to make your home in. the fact is that the american govt doesn't have the funds or the desire or both- to make a perfectly fool-proof new orleans. the iraq war is going to bankrupt us at the rate we're going.. never mind the govt having enough to take care of their own people! but as for NO,, the signs are all there... it's just a losing battle.

excellent post.

 

[NaNaRosebud]

The French QUarter is in business....that's all that matters. THe rest of the city was a dirty crime ridden dump.

 

[Marthatex]

The French QUarter is in business....that's all that matters. THe rest of the city was a dirty crime ridden dump.

That's WAS. What IS it going to be now... what COULD it be?

I'm sure the folks at Tulane, the residents of the Garden District, residents of Metairie and Lake Ponchertrain might not have agreed with you on above statement. I visited the city many times, it if it was a dump it was a pretty happy one and certainly lovely in many areas.

 

[2sisters]

Reb made and interesting point about the governmet assitance problem. Alot in NO are addicted to welfare, nobody does anything to help them off of it. None of them want to go to work, they may lose some of the government benefits. Our government has gotten them so addicted to public assistance that when it didn't come the residents were mad and crying racism and the residents didn't know what to do when it came down to taking care of themselves, but the fact is even "white" and mixed race areas in MS didn't recieve asistance right away and they sure as hell didn't get 1000 dollar gift cards and checks from FEMA. I know where I live we saw church groups before government and regular people cleared the roads with chainsaws, axes, lawnmowers, tractors, whatever they could use for the job before the county and FEMA did it.

 

[czechmate7]

The French QUarter is in business....that's all that matters. THe rest of the city was a dirty crime ridden dump.

Nana...that was a bit harsh.... Before Katrina there were nice areas of NO other than the FQ that have since bein ruined.
However, I understand how you can feel that the city is becoming a crime ridden dump. EVERYDAY there is a drug related murder in NO. Unfortunately, (everyone can burn me at the stake for this comment) it seems to be young African Americans boys killing each other. I'm no racist...but the truth is the truth..open the Times Picyaune obits and it will speak for itself. I don't know what the solution is, but it has become a HUGE problem, once again, in NO.

 

[czechmate7]

Reb made and interesting point about the governmet assitance problem. Alot in NO are addicted to welfare, nobody does anything to help them off of it. None of them want to go to work, they may lose some of the government benefits. Our government has gotten them so addicted to public assistance that when it didn't come the residents were mad and crying racism and the residents didn;'t know what to do when it came sown to taking care of thenselves, but the fact is even "white" and mixed race areas in MS didn't recieve asistance right away and they sure as hell didn't get 1000 dollar gift cards and checks from FEMA. I know where I live we saw church groups before government and regular people cleared the roads with chainsaws, axes, lawnmowers, tractors, whatever they could use for the job before the county and FEMA did it.

It was $2,000 gift cards.

It's funny how we blame the gov when they assist people and blame the gov when they don't assist people....I think your statements are right on...I just think it's interesting...

Here in the FL Panhandle everyone got together and helped, rebuilt, did what we had to do after Ivan...you didn't see anyone crying about gov assistance and FEMA here either...

 

[2sisters]

It was $2,000 gift cards.

It's funny how we blame the gov when they assist people and blame the gov when they don't assist people....I think your statements are right on...I just think it's interesting...

Here in the FL Panhandle everyone got together and helped, rebuilt, did what we had to do after Ivan...you didn't see anyone crying about gov assistance and FEMA here either...

Exactly, b/c anyone with common sense knows the government will not help you. they will help you when it really comes down to serious desisions and getting their hands dirty. I know it is their job to do it but the will be inept at every turn. In life you have to be dependent on yourself, nobody else.

 

[Marthatex]

Exactly, b/c anyone with common sense knows the government will not help you. they will help you when it really comes down to serious desisions and getting their hands dirty. I know it is their job to do it but the will be inept at every turn. In life you have to be dependent on yourself, nobody else.

Will you turn down your Social Security payments and Medicare health care when you're old?

Did you build the roads you drive on, do you never rush to an ER at night and expect service, regardless of your ability to pay right now?

Do you expect the government to set up no emergency plan and training for workers in case a massive Avian Flu Epidemic?

Do you have no State Troopers on your roads to watch for drunk drivers, give tickets?

That's interesting; I enjoy many government services, depend on them and I also pay tons of taxes for them. We we retire, which is soon, Social Security will be part of our retirement, and we will hopefully have Medicare as soon as we turn 65. Our property taxes will be frozen at a certain age because of the GOVERNMENT helping seniors.

The government, yep, there's lots of problems to work out, but I'll take them.

We are the government OF the people, and FOR the people, so help us God, and that's the way our forefathers set it up. They didn't mean extended service on the dole, Ii don't think, unless you have disability, etc.

I was of the understanding that welfare was reformed under Clinton; that you can't stay on the dole for ever.

The people murdering each other are likely robbing and on drugs; that's how they get alot of their money. The crime problem and its sources need to be addressed, not the Welfare program.