Motorcycle Cop: Do you know what the penalty for animal cruelty is in this state?
Clark: No, sir, I don't.
Motorcycle Cop: Well... it's probably pretty stiff.

I grew up in N.O. also, and had family (9) people living in my house in ATL for over 16 weeks while going back and forth on the weekends and such to fix their houses just enough so they could move back into them. (ever watched your mother cry herself to sleep everynight for weeks?) I was just there last week again and there are several places where it looks like the storm happened a day ago. I'm talking about overturned cars, buildings with only shells remaining, roads that you need a 4WD to navigate, etc. Let alone all the businesses that are empty and schools that arent reopened yet. (My nephews are having to platoon to school. One set of kids goes from 6-1, another set goes from 2-9.) There is plenty more I could go on about.

Its easy to say, I wouldnt take a handout, or I would do it myself, or etc. Really? when my family was here we damn sure took the FEMA payments they got. We were fortunate enough to buy supplies up here and bring them down there because there was not a place to buy ANY supplies down there for months. You simply couldnt go live with a friend or neighbor because nobody is there. Everybody was affected. Many of those people there had/have NO WAY of rebuilding themselves even if they could afford it.

Just how do you rebuild if you're living in HOU (or wherever)? OK, you're 80 years old, do you call up Jim's repair service and tell him to rebuild your house for you? Hmmm, wait, I have no insurance and no money.. Now what?

I am not applauding the people who are simply 'waiting on the goverment', but alot of these people (black or white) are simply not in a position to rebuild without help.

I have several friends who are still waiting on insurance checks. Oh, and the new building code for houses on the lake??? it has to be 16 feet above sea level. BUT, insurance companies cap the rise at 4 feet. So many people there now have two options, rebuild with no chance of getting insurance, which means they have to pay cash, or not rebuild there. SO 90% of those people will simply lose the value of their land because nobody will ever buy it.

oh, I could go on and on,.......

But for any of you that have not been in this kind of situation firsthand, you all need to S.T.F.U.!

Yeah, it's a little different up close & personal huh Snake?

I left this thread for a while, I got tired of reading made up BS and trying to correct it.
Reminded me of wrestling with a pig.
So.... I leave for a while and take a peak just out of curiosity. Muke and red baron have not missed a beat, name calling, threatening, profanity, insults, excuses, misinformation and double talk. Going after Byron and Rick, all the while demonstrating EXACTLY why so many think the majority of people from NO don't deserve any more handouts.

If all the people from NO think and act like you two then that place should not be rebuilt ever.

The money and hand outs should stop now and the government should start prosecuting all those who used the hand outs fraudulently.

Well instead of the puke issuing forth from your mouth currently, why don't you enlighten up with some facts oh wizard of Orange County? 'Cause you been short on those oh enlightened one.

Thank you for that fine example reinforcing my point.
All you have to do now is throw in a couple of profanity laced insults and get red baron to threaten me with violence and your work will be done for the day.

Sammy, why not enlighten us with your up close experience with this subject? What grass roots knowledge do you have that overturns their direct experiences?

The only thing I'm threatening you with is making you look more stupid than you already do. Now if you have some information that would prove more valid than the first hand experiences expressed here, (as Flex put so well) nows's the time to make like a prom queen & spit it out big boy. Otherwise you'll be considered as just one more buffoon from the land of fruits & nuts.

The majority of folks down there are not looking for a handout. The media has a #3 hook set in your lip, and has you believing Shaliequa represents the majority of victims down there. And that the only existing issue is for the Gov. to hand out checks to fix it, and that we need to move the city. You may want to look into a new PR person because you have bankrupt your credibility account with anyone that reads this thread that has a clue of what is going on down there. You obviously have no clue except for what Katie Couric passes on to you nightly.

I never threatened anyone. And if you or anyone else felt threatened by me, you likely have to much estrogen in your hormone mix. BTW, there are doctors who can help you with that issue but perhaps first you should visit the Gulf Coast and go see for yourself what you don't know . SmileWavy

Red said:
But evidently he was too busy panhandling to remember that he had previously posted in this same thread:

So by your own posts you have proven that you are a liar.

Whatever, Sammy.

If that's a threat in your eyes after being personally insulted and being called worthless among other things, then your blind. In addition my statement was in regards to someone else posting that they would "tell me to my face"
Obviously you do not know what standing up for yourself is just like you don't know squat about the topic of the thread.

I have nothing to lie about. What are you trying to prove?

What do I have to prove? To summarize:
My original point was that too many people from New Orleans would rather have a hand out than a hand up.
Too many have been sitting around for two years waiting for the next check instead of getting out there and taking care of themselves.

Too many are lazy, morally bankrupt and lacking of character and have given the good people of NO (IMO a minority) a bad name.
I suggest that you and mule are perfect examples of that.

IMO the federal support has run it's course and will never end unless something is done to change that. Too many people are more than willing to spend the rest of their lives complaining while living in federally funded housing, eating food paid for with federal funds, and living off the government that they have not contributed squat to. There are privately funded and saponsored programs that are providing help and will continue to do so, I just hope they are selective enough to help those first who deserve it the most.

Two years is long enough for federal funding. Two years is long enough to see that NO is perfectly happy to blame the federal government, the army corp of engineers, and anyone else who comes along but as a group is not willing to take personal responsibity.

You've proven nothing other than a few things about yourself. The main one being is you're an arrogant fool. It's outright hilarious to even think for a second you have the bearing of my moral compass.

No use in discussing anything with you because other than a foolish opinion, you have nothing else to add.

See I told ya. All I threatened to do was make you look more stupid than you already did. And you walked right into it wearing an Alfred E. Newman grin (& spelling to match). You might as well be telling us about conditions on Mars. And I have no doubt you could. Your statements show you to be a cold, ignorant, small individual hoping to make yourself look better by making someone else look worse.

While I'm not going to get into the personal attacks that seem to be going on, and there are quite a few people who are all of which you mention above, but my question is What about the people who truly want to help themselves? How do you suppose they do that? Aside from starting over in another city, How do they go about rebuilding their lives in N.O.? They now live in another city with no way to rebuild. You are mainly talking about uneducated, unskilled people, many of whom have never worked, or were working 2-3 jobs trying to make ends meet. You simply can't change past history by saying things like, Well, they should have been working, or if they wouldn't have been on welfare for so long they would be self sufficient if they would go out and find a job, or things like that. EVERY city has a population like this.

My thoughts?, Maybe the people who were displaced need to make a commitment (or realize) to start over in their new city if the resources arent there for them to rebuild in N.O. It seems they are living day by day, or being stringed along, by the Gov in thinking they may have a chance to move back. Of course nobody wants to think they can never go back, but hey, it's reality at this point. I have no problem with people who were on gov assistance before the storm to continue getting it, but I think the money needs to go to helping them start over where they are now, not chasing a pipe dream of going back to N.O.

It is always easy to critize a situation when you have no first-hand experience. A lack of empathy says much about a person's character.

"Cold, ignorant, small person"....THAT is a hoot...............

Someone needs a mirror.......

Interesting perspective on the issue:

My neighbor is a retired civil engineer, who spent his career specializing in wastewater treatment and freshwater systems. He has spent the last few months in NO, working on getting the pumping stations back in operation. According to him, what is shown on the news is nothing.

His exact words: "Everyone down there is looking for a handout. They want new, now, and they don't want to pay for it." He told me that at first he wondered why all of the city workers carried large Maglite flashlights with them everywhere. He quickly realized it was to ward off citizens that threatened them, and claimed that he's never wanted so badly to carry a gun for protection. "It's amazing, there's houses with junk from the water everywhere in their yards. And big strong men sitting on the porch, yelling at you to come clean up their lot."

To put it in perspective, he's one of the most peaceful guys I have ever met. He and his wife just helped to found a new church here in town, and absolutely live for their family and grandkids. He does not want to go back, but doesn't want to leave the job unfinished.

I hate to break it to your friend but after the storm the area's that flooded were empty for many months. No people, no cars, no dogs, no cats, no birds, no nothing. I don't know where your friend was but I never got panhandled or mooched on once. PS I did have my gun, and a flashlight!

Sure that's true to the very last word....... :rolleyes:

I'm sure your friend is a nice guy, however

EVERYONE THERE IS WAITING FOR A HANDOUT? BULL-*****ING-CHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!

C'mon Mule, I mean people sit on the porch all day IN ABANDON NEIGHBORHOODS WITH NO ELECTRICTY OR RUNNING WATER and wait for people to come clean it up. And if you don't, better have your flashlight!