Katrina: Two Years Later

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Have you seen the Wild Shrimp commercials? it's a bunch LA shrimpers talking about why you should buy wild American shrimp versus farm-raised shrimp overseas.

Liked it and the sentiment, but is anyone really going to ask for wild American shrimp at the grocery store or a restaurant?

[scottmandue]

Are you sure it is wild American shrimp or American shrimp gone wild?

[Mule]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

I damn sure wouldn't still be sitting on my God damned A$$ 2 years later whining that the Government hasn't fixed everything for me yet!!! I'm sorry, my father taught my to rely on my self, and most of those affected were already unable to take care of themselves. I mean, we are talking TWO YEARS later and they are still not made any progress??? Hell, with all the rebuilding needed, one would learn the building trade

Glad you got that off your chest. You must have missed the part about me riding down streets that were piled 10 feet high in debris from torn out houses and are now clean. The families are back in their houses and in many ways back to normal. No that's not everywhere down here. There are still places that are largely abandoned. Just so you don't misunderstand what I'm saying, I don't think that the govt should re-install deadbeats in their former govt housing. I do think that the ass raping that was done by many insurance companies here should be corrected. I do think that a helping hand from the govt should be offered to hard working people who endured the greatest natural disaster in American history. Your opinion may differ.


I have ridden that coaster, and when down, reevaluate and do what ever it takes (not waiting for someone to do it for me) to get back ahead!! Most in the 9th ward didn't have to much to lose, so it really should be too hard other than family pictures. The reson there are so many people down there still doing nothing is people like you, enable them by making exuses for them and taking more tax payers $$$ and give it to them

Here is someone who did it,

The people down here who have nothing have it for 2 reasons. The most common reason is they haven't earned anything. The next most common reason is they endured a horrible tragedy and were hammered 1st by their insurance company & 2nd by the govt. I hope that doesn't upset your uninformed picture of what's really happening here.

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by Mule

The people down here who have nothing have it for 2 reasons. The most common reason is they haven't earned anything. The next most common reason is they endured a horrible tragedy and were hammered 1st by their insurance company & 2nd by the govt. I hope that doesn't upset your uninformed picture of what's really happening here.

You answered it!!! The most common reason is they haven't earned anything

And why haven't they, because as long as a nanny government and other enablers keep taking care of them, they won't. They will just keep making bad decisions, and people like you won't hold them responsible for "why" they have nothing. Funny, someone can immigrate to this country (legally) speaking very little English with just the cloths on their back, but in just a few years, have a proper command of the English language and own not only a home, but a business too, while the same old losers in NOLA keep crying because Uncle Sam hasn't build them a new house yet or sent them another check!!! Their local & state Government are the ones who hammered them, but what do you expect from a liberal demacrook local & state government, but of course you blame the feds. Look, I don't feel sorry for someone who fails to plan ahead other than having the government take care of them

[Mule]

I hate to break it to ya dude but most of those people had left. Now the socialist type politicians who duped those people into electing them are trying their dead level best to get 'em back. They know that the people here now won't re-elect them. So if you want to blame someone for the conditions, the hard working folks trying to rebuild their lives here deserve none. Low life, socialist minded politicians are the biggest problem this area faces. Bigger than the levees. But guess what me boy? That same statement fits NYC, Boston, Philly, DC, Atlanta, San Francisco, LA and just about any other major city you can name.

And before you get too far gone on your high horse, federal money fowed into Florida like a storm surge after Irene, Ivan, Katrina, Andrew and all the others. Remember, he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.

[KFC911]

I'm done with this thread too... Too much ignorance from folks who have no clue about NOLA, and I suspect have never been there (or maybe they have, and never got out of the FQ). For successful and supposedly intelligent folks, some of you are either grossly misinformed (not surprising, considering the media), or have no compassion whatsoever.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Mule

I hate to break it to ya dude but most of those people had left. Now the socialist type politicians who duped those people into electing them are trying their dead level best to get 'em back. They know that the people here now won't re-elect them. So if you want to blame someone for the conditions, the hard working folks trying to rebuild their lives here deserve none. Low life, socialist minded politicians are the biggest problem this area faces. Bigger than the levees. But guess what me boy? That same statement fits NYC, Boston, Philly, DC, Atlanta, San Francisco, LA and just about any other major city you can name.

And before you get too far gone on your high horse, federal money fowed into Florida like a storm surge after Irene, Ivan, Katrina, Andrew and all the others. Remember, he who lives by the sword, dies by the sword.

Nagin was re-elected because the former New Orleans residents were allowed to vote. New Orleans provided busses for voters to travel from Houston and other cities, back to New Orleans, to vote. These people, based on time in place, are no longer residents of New Orleans.

They have not integrated into Houston either. They put these people on local TV and they say they want to go home to New Orleans. But none of them are doing anything to rebuild New Orleans. They do like to complain when the government assistance is cut off.

My Company is hiring. We need many more workers. But most of these people are unwilling or "unable" to take the jobs. They recently had a woman on TV who claimed she looked for jobs, but couldn't find one. When asked what her skills were, she said she could answer the phone. Except, it came out as "Will, ahh cann ansuh da phone." Yup, full of skills.

"Mustag En-GA-neeng, wha choo wan?"

[Red Baron]

Not exactly. Nagin carried the white vote in both elections. That's what put him in, and kept him in office.

[Red Baron]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

Look, I don't feel sorry for someone who fails to plan ahead other than having the government take care of them

So how about my 90 year old grandparents that worked, paid taxes, bought their home and paid for flood insurance perhaps for longer than you've been alive? They paid taxes to the Federal Gov. who is responsible for funding the Army Corp. Eng. projects such as the levees. They paid their flood insurance for over 40 years and have not received the money owed to them. And to add insult to that, the government sides with the insurance companies by allowing this to happen. The Gov. continues to log jam the progress with bureaucratic BS that keeps them from getting the funds. They clog the process of rezoning areas for flood insurance etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.

A lot of people there simply want the Gov. to work with and for them rather than against them. Is that really to much to ask?

[GDSOB]

Originally Posted by Mo_Gearhead

By God, its GREAT to see an individual that (in the midst of the "greatest natural disaster in U.S. history") ...had his priorities in order!

Beer is food - not a bad idea to have some around in an emergency.

[Mule]

Well said Abby. Lets see how many rugged individualists take issue with that story.

[Mule]

OK, so everybody wants to know what looter dude's been up to. I'll show you. And when I do you'll see that this lazy good for nothing image was a complete lie fabricated by racists in the media! As this man was bringing back some nutritious, refreshing beverage for his family during the worst of the flood, this happened

But lootie was not a man to give up. He escaped from the flooded city.

He used what he had learned in the tragedy to help people along the way

Fought to help the downtrodden

Met with political heavyweights to explain the plight of New Orleans.

Found work as corporate spokesperson

[Moneyguy1]

Making fun of human tragedy is a real hoot until the tragedy involves you or your loved ones.

Total disassociation from reality is one of the underpinnings of our modern communications driven society.

Just like war. In the past, war was up front and personal; one-on-one. Now it is killing at a distance.....Clean, neat, impersonal.

[Mule]

Got a makeover

Was offered work in Hollywood. God bless those Californians!


Received recognition from the scientific community

Opened a resteraunt chain

Had a sex change

Was seen as the embodiment of all things democrat

And was blessed by God

Let Lootie serve as as an inspiration to us all, from the Californians who carry the whole USA to the Tornado wranglers in KS to the Floridians throwing rocks from the comfort of their glass houses, let us all lift up a stolen Heiniken & say God bless you Lootie!

[frogger]

Roflmao! :d

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by Red Baron

Not exactly. Nagin carried the white vote in both elections. That's what put him in, and kept him in office.

This isn't about black & white people, but the type (color doesn't matter) that kept the poverty & crime rate high.

So how about my 90 year old grandparents that worked, paid taxes, bought their home and paid for flood insurance perhaps for longer than you've been alive? They paid taxes to the Federal Gov. who is responsible for funding the Army Corp. Eng. projects such as the levees. They paid their flood insurance for over 40 years and have not received the money owed to them. And to add insult to that, the government sides with the insurance companies by allowing this to happen. The Gov. continues to log jam the progress with bureaucratic BS that keeps them from getting the funds. They clog the process of rezoning areas for flood insurance etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc

If you read, I stated that the people who owned, paid taxes ect, are the ones who should be funded. The state & local government used the Levy funds for other things. I hope that you are helping your 90 year old Grandmother, that is what families do, I lost mine a few years ago to cancer, and took time off from my work to take her to her cancer treatments, ect.

[Mule]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

This isn't about black & white people, but the type (color doesn't matter) that kept the poverty & crime rate high. If you read, I stated that the people who owned, paid taxes ect, are the ones who should be funded.
[
Then who are you arguing with Ace? Nobody here is saying the lowlifes should be brought back & re-attached to the government tit!

The state & local government used the Levy funds for other things.

You're showing your ignorance. The US Army Corp of Engineers built and maintained the levees.

[Overpaid Slacker]

Some fuel for the fire:

The Big Easy's Billion Dollar Boondoggle
By Lawrence Kudlow

So, the president and Mrs. Bush went down to New Orleans to commemorate the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Who knows? Maybe over a latte with leading Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, they discussed spending even more money down there. After all, everyone seems to be saying New Orleans needs more cash.

Here's a pop quiz: How much money has Uncle Sam spent on New Orleans and the Gulf region since Hurricane Katrina ripped the place apart?

I'll give you the answer because you'll never guess it. The grand total is $127 billion (including tax relief).

That's right: a monstrous $127 billion. Of course, not a single media story has highlighted this gargantuan government-spending figure. But that number came straight from the White House in a fact sheet subtitled, "The Federal Government Is Fulfilling Its Commitment to Help the People of the Gulf Coast Rebuild." Huh?

This is an outrage. The entire GDP of the state of Louisiana is only $141 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. So the cash spent there nearly matches the entire state gross GDP. That's simply unbelievable. And to make matters worse, by all accounts New Orleans ain't even fixed!

You might be asking: Where in the hell did all this money go? Well, the White House fact sheet says $24 billion has been used to build houses and schools, repair damaged infrastructure and provide victims with a place to live. But isn't everyone complaining about the lack of housing?

Perhaps all this money should've been directly deposited in the bank accounts of the 300,000 people living in New Orleans. All divvied up, that $127 billion would come to $425,000 per person! After thanking Uncle Sam for their sudden windfall, residents could head to Southern California and buy homes that are now on sale thanks to the sub-prime mortgage crisis and bid up the sagging house prices in the state.

The fact sheet goes on to say that $7.1 billion went to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild the levees; that the U.S. Department of Education spent $2 billion on local schools; and that the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries has awarded more than $2.5 million (the pikers). The administration also provided $16.7 billion as part of the largest housing-recovery program in U.S. history.

So the billion-dollar question becomes: Where did the rest of that money go?

Meanwhile, according to an article by Nicole Gelinas at the Manhattan Institute, New Orleans has earned the distinct honor of becoming the murder capital of the world. The murder rate is 40 percent higher than before Katrina, and twice as high as other dangerous cities like Detroit, Newark, N.J., and Washington, D.C.

Think of this: The idea of using federal money to rebuild cities is the quintessential liberal vision. And given the dreadful results in New Orleans, we can say that the government's $127 billion check represents the quintessential failure of that liberal vision. Hillary Clinton calls this sort of reckless spending "government investment." And that's just what's in store for America if she wins the White House next year.

Remember President Reagan's line during the 1980 campaign about how LBJ fought a big-government spending war against poverty, and poverty won? Well think of all this Katrina spending as the Great Society Redux. And it failed. I suppose the current Bush administration would like to label this "compassionate conservatism." But guess what? That failed, too.

Right from the start, New Orleans should have been turned into a tax-free enterprise zone. No income taxes, no corporate taxes, no capital-gains taxes. The only tax would have been a sales tax paid on direct transactions. A tax-free New Orleans would have attracted tens of billions of dollars in business and real-estate investment. This in turn would have helped rebuild the cities, schools and hospitals. Private-sector entrepreneurs would have succeeded where big-government bureaucrats and regulators have so abysmally failed.

This is the real New Orleans Katrina story. It's a pity that the mainstream media isn't writing about it. Call it one of the greatest stories never told.

Lawrence Kudlow is a former Reagan economic advisor, a syndicated columnist, and the host of CNBC's Kudlow & Company.

[Mule]

Close but no cigar. That money has been promised, not spent. Big difference. The last part is dead on target.

[scottmandue]

Anyone see the timely PBS documentary on Katrina last night?

It was very enlightening.

Much more so that the childish (and pointless) name calling going on here.