PRESIDENT BUSH vs KATRINA

[CichlidPharmer]

Oh yah I forgot Bush planned the hurricane and this was a republican made disaster. Kinna like the 9/11 conspiracy. =)

You are absolutely right!

They were warned way ahead of time. They decided to do nothing so their supporters will profit from it! Follow the money.....

 

[fish head )'>]

fanatic Bush haters....Your right, Bush did it, it's all his fault for everything. Stop hating and blaming. It only gives makes the "left" a bad word.
BTW: I realize that we have the freedom of speech in country. God bless the great men and women who died to guarantee you that right. But can we not turn the greatest fish forum in the world into a political soap box?

 

[courtneem]

You are absolutely right!

They were warned way ahead of time. They decided to do nothing so their supporters will profit from it! Follow the money.....

omg that is lame.

 

[courtneem]

fanatic Bush haters....Your right, Bush did it, it's all his fault for everything. Stop hating and blaming. It only gives makes the "left" a bad word.
BTW: I realize that we have the freedom of speech in country. God bless the great men and women who died to guarantee you that right. But can we not turn the greatest fish forum in the world into a political soap box?

Isnt that why this is the Lounge area? and out of the fish talk?

 

[andregurov]

You are absolutely right!

They were warned way ahead of time. They decided to do nothing so their supporters will profit from it! Follow the money.....

I think most educated people will concur that the only "money" changing hands is going to people attempting to rebuild their homes and lives, and private companies that landed large contracts with FEMA. I'm fairly certain this quote is a dig at those in the path of Katrina, but I can't help but hope perhaps your veiled message is that "they" IS the federal government. I sadly doubt your witty was meant as irony, however.

Good luck this hurricane season in Miami. It seems south FL gets hit with a lot more hurricanes than south LA, but I'm sure you guys have never been warned about it ...

J

 

[courtneem]

I think one can not avoid the below listed issues. It is not the root of the problem but it didnt help and it is swept under the carpet so to say because people dont want to really talk about how much of a mess NO was before Katrina and helped aide in the mess after Katrina. How in the heck is the fed gov suppose to deal with these issues? I blame Mayor Nagin hardcore and he is my eyes is more to blame then Bush. Here is why.

1) 80% of the population of New Orleans was on some sort of welfare before Katrina hit. With that much of a poverty level one has to ask how many had the resources to get out when told to leave. What did the wonderful Mayor do to help them get out? He did nothing really. He gave them places to go hide in that turned into war zones themselves and were horrible conditions to find refuge. The stadium was not set up to hold that many people and resources were not put in place BEFORE the storm hit. They had time. If you are going to tell your people to go to these places for refuge you best have them ready to help those people. Because the city of New Orleans FAILED in this task it became FEMA's fault and President Bush's fault. Did they take slow action? Sure they did as well, I mean they were overwhelmed with the entire situation.

The Mayor did little to help his people get out and did not even come close to using all the resources to help them get out. I know he is a great guy.

2) The police department was another issue. Want to talk about corruption. The pride of a police force of 1700 uniformed police officers. Katrina washed out that mess. How many were there really? Only 900-1000. Those other 700 cops that NO could of USED were phantom cops that someone else was collecting the pay checks for. Why was this done? NO didnt qualify for federal money with a low force number and the fed gov was about to move in on the NOPD when the "books were cooked" and the numbers started to rise to build the police force. However, these were not real cops hired, instead they were phantom cops.

Glad to have a police force to help quell the violence after Katrina!

How about Nagin sending several police officers to Las Vegas for "rest and relaxation" when the military showed up in NO, when asked who he sent he couldn't even come up with names.

3) The fraud by some of the residents. The fraud that took place and the "free loading" that took place post Katrina hurt EVERYONE including everyone that pays taxes and all those that donated. It made me sick to hear about it. Reports of people upset after well over a year the free rent in hotel rooms being cut off and they can't manage? WTF? I dont care how much you lose. In a year you should be able to put a roof over your head even if it is a cheap apartment. I have been there and done that as far as losing everything I owned and having zero money. I did it with out assistance. There is no excuse but laziness. Call me rude, but I am a realistic.

The problem is "lazy people" who will refuse to help themselves. It hurts those who really need the help. Just like welfare.

4) The race card was being thrown about in NO that because the city was mostly black that is why help was not given in time. These accusations were completely out there. It put a bad taste in Americans mouths that gave money, rushed down there to help and busted their butts. The race card gets old.

To push it along even further Nagin had his "Chocolate City" comments and it doesn't take much to get the real meaning. My daughter at the age of 6 heard the comment and said "Mommy he means he doesnt want white people in his city right?" even she got it.

I could add more..but this just brings about some of the major issues. Is it all his fault? Nope but he sure loved to blame the feds and not look at himself.

 

[johnptc]

I think one can not avoid the below listed issues. It is not the root of the problem but it didnt help and it is swept under the carpet so to say because people dont want to really talk about how much of a mess NO was before Katrina and helped aide in the mess after Katrina. How in the heck is the fed gov suppose to deal with these issues? I blame Mayor Nagin hardcore and he is my eyes is more to blame then Bush. Here is why.

1) 80% of the population of New Orleans was on some sort of welfare before Katrina hit. With that much of a poverty level one has to ask how many had the resources to get out when told to leave. What did the wonderful Mayor do to help them get out? He did nothing really. He gave them places to go hide in that turned into war zones themselves and were horrible conditions to find refuge. The stadium was not set up to hold that many people and resources were not put in place BEFORE the storm hit. They had time. If you are going to tell your people to go to these places for refuge you best have them ready to help those people. Because the city of New Orleans FAILED in this task it became FEMA's fault and President Bush's fault. Did they take slow action? Sure they did as well, I mean they were overwhelmed with the entire situation.

The Mayor did little to help his people get out and did not even come close to using all the resources to help them get out. I know he is a great guy.

2) The police department was another issue. Want to talk about corruption. The pride of a police force of 1700 uniformed police officers. Katrina washed out that mess. How many were there really? Only 900-1000. Those other 700 cops that NO could of USED were phantom cops that someone else was collecting the pay checks for. Why was this done? NO didnt qualify for federal money with a low force number and the fed gov was about to move in on the NOPD when the "books were cooked" and the numbers started to rise to build the police force. However, these were not real cops hired, instead they were phantom cops.

Glad to have a police force to help quell the violence after Katrina!

How about Nagin sending several police officers to Las Vegas for "rest and relaxation" when the military showed up in NO, when asked who he sent he couldn't even come up with names.

3) The fraud by some of the residents. The fraud that took place and the "free loading" that took place post Katrina hurt EVERYONE including everyone that pays taxes and all those that donated. It made me sick to hear about it. Reports of people upset after well over a year the free rent in hotel rooms being cut off and they can't manage? WTF? I dont care how much you lose. In a year you should be able to put a roof over your head even if it is a cheap apartment. I have been there and done that as far as losing everything I owned and having zero money. I did it with out assistance. There is no excuse but laziness. Call me rude, but I am a realistic.

The problem is "lazy people" who will refuse to help themselves. It hurts those who really need the help. Just like welfare.

4) The race card was being thrown about in NO that because the city was mostly black that is why help was not given in time. These accusations were completely out there. It put a bad taste in Americans mouths that gave money, rushed down there to help and busted their butts. The race card gets old.

To push it along even further Nagin had his "Chocolate City" comments and it doesn't take much to get the real meaning. My daughter at the age of 6 heard the comment and said "Mommy he means he doesnt want white people in his city right?" even she got it.

I could add more..but this just brings about some of the major issues. Is it all his fault? Nope but he sure loved to blame the feds and not look at himself.

you sound like a grown up and not a whinning teenager

 

[andregurov]

1) 80% of the population of New Orleans was on some sort of welfare before Katrina hit.

2) The police department was another issue.

3) The fraud by some of the residents.

4) The race card was being thrown about in NO that because the city was mostly black that is why help was not given in time. .

Interesting points, to be sure. I'd like to see your documentation of 80% of New Orleans being on welfare, as well as your definition of "welfare". For the record, the latest census data indicates that 19% of Louisiana's population lives under the poverty line, and 1/3 of New Orleans pre-Katrina existed under that line too.

If Miami had to evacuate tomorrow, does anyone here have any idea what percentage of its inhabitants would be unable to leave? Do you have any idea what the mass transit system of Miami-Dade could transport out in 24 hours? And where would these evacuees go? Better yet, imagine New York city under mandatory evacuation. The point most of this would reinforce: emptying cities -where poverty is concentrated, like it or not - is a task far beyond any urban planning and indeed a city AND state to complete. I have family members within the state boundaries of Louisiana. Many impoverished residents have no family members outside of the city of New Orleans to stay with, no way to get anywhere, and no funds to stay someplace anyways. Perhaps such statements are indictments about the nature of poverty and the working poor - which ALMOST ALL WELFARE RECIPIENTS ARE, by the way - rather than poor planning. Poor planning compounded the effects of this disaster. The disaster was broken levees.

Your police force statistics are wrong. If you could (again) cite some tangible report that shares these merry #s I'd be happy to discuss it further. Did NOPD officers leave? Yes, some 250 were reprimanded, fired, terminated, and suspended. Somewhere around 5 times that # were not.

Fraud by residents!? I would worry much more about blue tarp temporary roofs costing the federal government $200 a square. Which, by the way, is slightly less than my new roof - architectural shingles - cost per square. If you desire to supply anecdotal evidence as the crux of your argument about waste and thievery, go ahead. Perhaps I'll counter with a breakdown of what a single wide trailer cost the federal government installed. Or the surprising percentage of them that had faulty wiring, improperly connected propane tanks, and generally shoddy construction. Trust me, fraud may be more loudly proclaimed about our poverty-stricken thieves (your insinuation, not mine) but we can't hold a candle to the federal government and its minions.

I don't think race played a predominant part in the disaster. I've met hundreds of wonderful Americans who came here to help a wrecked community out, regardless of whether it was black or white. Or both. You might be surprised to see how mixed our population is. But it is hard to not be touched when you see a dead person covered with a sheet on the corner of the Convention Center. Death, like love, sees no color.

J

 

[CichlidPharmer]

I think most educated people will concur that the only "money" changing hands is going to people attempting to rebuild their homes and lives, and private companies that landed large contracts with FEMA. I'm fairly certain this quote is a dig at those in the path of Katrina, but I can't help but hope perhaps your veiled message is that "they" IS the federal government. I sadly doubt your witty was meant as irony, however.

Good luck this hurricane season in Miami. It seems south FL gets hit with a lot more hurricanes than south LA, but I'm sure you guys have never been warned about it ...

J

You are right I'm not witty, just accurate. If you read my original statement it referenced another statement putting the blame squarely on the current administration, seemingly.

I simply agreed with that post and the "They" in my statement is the federal government headed by a fella that claims to talk with God. "They" "talked" and were warned for both katrina and 911. They chose to pay Halliburton Billions and the "Katrina" contractors more billions. The dig wasn't meant against the sufferers of the disaster.

Most of us here in South Fl are veterans of Hurricanes. Any advance warnings are always appreciated but we do not appreciate advance ill will, as detected in your statement oozing with wit.

 

[andregurov]

You are right I'm not witty, just accurate. If you read my original statement it referenced another statement putting the blame squarely on the current administration, seemingly.

I simply agreed with that post and the "They" in my statement is the federal government headed by a fella that claims to talk with God. "They" "talked" and were warned for both katrina and 911. They chose to pay Halliburton Billions and the "Katrina" contractors more billions. The dig wasn't meant against the sufferers of the disaster.

Most of us here in South Fl are veterans of Hurricanes. Any advance warnings are always appreciated but we do not appreciate advance ill will, as detected in your statement oozing with wit.

In which case I humbly apologize for mistaking the meaning of your post, and for being quite non-funny while insulting you. Being unfunny is my burden, and I have no right to be so touchy AND incorrect about your intentions and post. I am sorry. Particularly as I agree with you.

I honestly meant no ill will regarding hurricanes. I simply see many people carry opinions about life in the "bowl" whilst failing to realize we all live at nature's (and the fed's ) tender mercy. All of us who live in hurricane-infested waters realize this, and I personally appreciate all the help Floridians so graciously gave us after Katrina. Hopefully, we are never in a position to reciprocate - but I hope we perform up to the standard the individual citizens of this nation have so freely and wonderfully shown us.

J