Some Economic Issues From Katrina

[Texan]

Had the boot on my foot more than once last year. Might have it again this year. Doesn't change the fact that a bunch of whining unresourceful crybabies are standing around holding out their hand again. Personally if I was one of them I'd be too ashamed to show my face on TV for my ignorant lack of preparation and heeding of warnings. I feel for the elderly that noone bothered to take care of. Just goes to show how tight knit they are.

We didn't wait for Uncle Sam. We stocked up with food and water. We got out the saws. We helped each other. And that means helping everyone else while your own house needed help. Helping the worst off first and not expecting society to do it for us. We helped the firefighters and lawmen with their homes because they were on duty and could not. Can't even count how many people I helped move trees off their house and hook up temp power from generators. Some I didn't even know. They just looked like they needed help. We even gave away some of our own food and water to neighbors who ran out. We tarped roofs and fixed things that kept folks from inhabiting their homes before any aid showed. We took in the folks who lost it all. And most importantly we didn't shoot, loot, rape and murder each other and the very people who did come to our aid. This is what real Americans do. It's simply a different group of people we're talking about and no other explanation is required.

That is a great post, D.R.! You're right---just a different bunch of people. Too many of them are accustomed to standing around waiting for the government to bail them out or pay them off.

And we all know that they're not all like that, SF. All of us need a little help from time to time. There's just too many of these that don't know what it's like to be self-sufficient. If they can't do it in their everyday lives, they don't stand a chance during hard times.

 

[Texan]

Just curious folks, am I the only one that is tired of seeing the folks in New Orleans be nice......Give me some imput am I being too hard on some of these lazy people?

Nope, you're not the only one. And I don't think you're being too hard on them. And you know I don't like agreeing with you. ;-)

 

[Campground Cattle]

Amazing how some of you on here are so proud, indignant, and completely lacking compassion. Guess you've probably never been broke. I'm all for small government, less welfare, etc..., but this is a catastrophic condition. Many of these people (in NO) did not have any money or resources to leave, nowhere to go, etc... Many probably just made a bad decision to try and ride out the storm. Where is your compassion? Where is your thoughts towards human kindness? If you cannot find compassion in your heart and a willingness to help these people, many of which are children, then please don't ever refer to yourself as a christian or God Fearing person.

Many of these folks live day to day, because that is all they have. For those of you who were able to re-build out of previouse crisis, that's terrific. Why throw stones at those who are unable to rebuild on their own. Many of these who had no insurance, can't afford insurance.

Love that last statement you made Bill. The Gov of LA, and the mayor of NO, should not be re-elected anywhere. They really let their constituents down.

The people need help.

Should New Orleans be rebuilt? Why? The city is below sea level. Not a question of whether this will happen to it again. Question is when.

I have seen the destruction of Carla and Alica and both cost plenty as loss of life to my family and money to boot. I have also had my house burn to the ground we dusted ourselves off and rebuilt. You get out of this life what you put in it, you can build and grow or whine and look for a handout. I don't feel sorrow for the people of New Orlleans that chose to stay.....
Why wasn't there better planning at the local and state level those are the ones responsible. Did you see the police chief on TV talking about the looters as they are desprite people as they were stealing flat screen tv's and Nike shoes. La government has been corrupt ever since Huey Long.

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

People tend to locate in places that they like for environment and leisure opportunities. They know (or should know) the risks of any area:

1. Earthquake Regions
2. Flood Regions
3. Hurricane Regions
4. Tornado Regions
5. Extremely Cold Regions
6. Extremely Hot Regions
7. Dry, Arid Regions
8. Wet Regions
9. Flatland Regions
10. Mountain Regions

All have the potential for a natural disaster...some just more prone to (recurring) disasters.

I'll take the chances of an isolated tornado anyday over a widespread hurricane, earthquake, cold, hot, etc. area anyday. Few tornados are over a mile wide...can't say same for hurricanes and earthquakes and other forms of "bad" weather.

Everyone can't live in Paradise...wherever that is... ;-)

 

[SF]

I have seen the destruction of Carla and Alica and both cost plenty as loss of life to my family and money to boot. I have also had my house burn to the ground we dusted ourselves off and rebuilt. You get out of this life what you put in it, you can build and grow or whine and look for a handout.

Glad you were able to rebuild. Most of the folks in southern LA, MS, FL, and AL want to rebuild and most of them will.

I don't feel sorrow for the people of New Orlleans that chose to stay.....

That's sad. No room for compassion. Have you never made a bad choice. How many hurricanes have been destined to hit, but never did. It is easy to look at it now and say what we think we would have done. I'm glad I don't live on the coast. With all of my livestock, I would probably choose to stay and ride it out.

Why wasn't there better planning at the local and state level those are the ones responsible. Did you see the police chief on TV talking about the looters as they are desprite people as they were stealing flat screen tv's and Nike shoes. La government has been corrupt ever since Huey Long.

Just because the LA govt is corrupt does not make the people of LA bad or any different from the people of Texas or any other state. We have our fair share of crooked and worthless politicians here too. I do agree that the people of LA have one of the weakest governers I've ever witnessed, and New Orleans would be better off without a mayor.

I agree with you most of the time, but not on this one. I think the majority of the people in the devasted areas are working as best they can to rebuild. Those that were trapped at the Superdome and the convention center were sent there by the the local authorities. Then local authorities became overwhelmed and were in over their heads. They were then either too proud or too ignorant to call for help.

 

[Campground Cattle]

Wrong SF what you have seen on TV for the last week is the bowels of our society in NO what liberals have created.
And you are right in you don't know what you are talking about for nearly fifty years I lived, worked and ranched on the Gulf Coast by choice.
You have to be prepared for the storms it's on every local TV in every paper the minimum requirements.
If you choose to ignore it your fault. Maybe some of these people will wake up and be prepared next time and will demand the local government to have a working plan in place. You don't see this crap in Ms or Al. What kinda of fool would stay in NO when the levees were built for a Cat 3 and a Cat 5 bearing down on you. This is not like a tornado NOAA is giving you 72+ hours of the probabilty of landfall. The local government of NO and La failed miserablly here.
Unless you have lived through a hurricane you have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[SF]

Wrong SF what you have seen on TV for the last week is the bowels of our society in NO what liberals have created.

Actually you're wrong Camp. What I see on TV is what the press wants us to see. There are some good folks down there too. We are simply seeing the worst. We'll just disagree on this one.

And you are right in you don't know what you are talking about for nearly fifty years I lived, worked and ranched on the Gulf Coast by choice.

Just because we disagree doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about. I used to live on the gulf coast myself. Chose not to stay there for 50 years.

You have to be prepared for the storms it's on every local TV in every paper the minimum requirements. If you choose to ignore it your fault.

Not leaving is ignoring it? Not necessarily. We have tornado watches and warnings here all the time. If I ran out to a storm cellar (which I don't have) every time we had a warning, I'd spend most of my spring in the cellar.

Maybe some of these people will wake up and be prepared next time and will demand the local government to have a working plan in place. You don't see this crap in Ms or Al.

You're right, LA definitely needs some different leaders.

What kinda of fool would stay in NO when the levees were built for a Cat 3 and a Cat 5 bearing down on you.

Sure is foolish when looking at in hindsight. Easy for us all to be a genius on this subject today.

This is not like a tornado NOAA is giving you 72+ hours of the probabilty of landfall. The local government of NO and La failed miserablly here.

No arguement from me on this one. We completely agree.

Unless you have lived through a hurricane you have no idea what you are talking about.

For the record, I can say I've survived one. A very little on though. Only a Category 1. June 26, 1986. Bonnie. I was stuck in a motel in Beaumont. Working as a contractor for the power company.

 

[cowgirl580]

Just curious folks, am I the only one that is tired of seeing the folks in New Orleans be nice. You see pics of the other areas that were wiped out and you see the locals rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. In New Orleans I see some welfare queen sitting on her porch saying," I aint had no food or water for days". Makes me wonder what the hell she was doing when they told her to get her ass outa town. Most folks know that if the storm doesnt blow your house away, that you stock up on lots of water and can goods. Give me some imput am I being too hard on some of these lazy people?

i was thinking pretty much the same. only i'm going more along the lines of i'm tired of seeing it everytime i turn around period. yes, we all know it was hit bad and that there are ppl still waiting to be rescued and there are ppl working on it. was the tsunami coverage like this too? either way, we need to move on. i'm glad there are ppl helping and that efforts are being made for those ppl, but today is a new today, find some other news to report on and please stop being redundant.

This post has got to be one of the worst I've EVER read on the boards.This great Country has just suffered the worst natural disaster, we've ever witnessed.If you dont care about what happened, or are tired of the coverage, simply turn the channel.Why dont you put the Boot on your foot? What if it was your State? Your Community? Maybe because it happened in the South, some of you may not care.Maybe because most shown on the media are Coloreds? What about the folks in the Great States of Mississippii? Alabama?If it happened in Colorado, you'd sure want the rest of the world to see what's happening.Yep, there's a lot of bad thugs, and scum bags in the cities. BUT there are plenty of other GOOD folks down there, that deserve being rescued. Just be damned glad it was'nt you, was'nt your home being under 10 foot of water, that are complaining about it being on TV all the time.Houstoncutter I'm throwing the BS flag on you and Cowgirl580, both of Ya'll need to go find a place to hang out.Like the Astrodome.Or any other shelter, go help someone.I hope Ryder sees, this post.You two ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

how is what i/we wrote the worst when other ppl have said near the same thing as us only i didn't bother to sugar coat it? yes i feel pity and sorrow for those ppl, but like someone else pointed out, florida has been hit many times and they just buck up and rebuild without all the fuss and bother. so has california with the quakes. what about along the eastern seaboard? there has to be some disasters there, besides 9/11, that don't get coverage and they just get to it and not go to the media to whine. i'll get off my box now.

 

[Campground Cattle]

SF ask yourself a few questions, about what you see in the Astrodome. Do you really think that those are leading citizens of the community. Bet everyone has already applied for a Lone Star card. The liberals have created a race that can not survive unless fed and sheltered , no different than a caged animal. I still say you get out of life what you put into it.
I own 3 houses and housing people, the storm has effected. I offered it to several on the board that might have family in La.These people want to get back to a life and rebuild not looking for someone to give me I deserve it.

 

[Crowderfarms]

Just curious folks, am I the only one that is tired of seeing the folks in New Orleans be nice. You see pics of the other areas that were wiped out and you see the locals rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. In New Orleans I see some welfare queen sitting on her porch saying," I aint had no food or water for days". Makes me wonder what the hell she was doing when they told her to get her ass outa town. Most folks know that if the storm doesnt blow your house away, that you stock up on lots of water and can goods. Give me some imput am I being too hard on some of these lazy people?

i was thinking pretty much the same. only i'm going more along the lines of i'm tired of seeing it everytime i turn around period. yes, we all know it was hit bad and that there are ppl still waiting to be rescued and there are ppl working on it. was the tsunami coverage like this too? either way, we need to move on. i'm glad there are ppl helping and that efforts are being made for those ppl, but today is a new today, find some other news to report on and please stop being redundant.

This post has got to be one of the worst I've EVER read on the boards.This great Country has just suffered the worst natural disaster, we've ever witnessed.If you dont care about what happened, or are tired of the coverage, simply turn the channel.Why dont you put the Boot on your foot? What if it was your State? Your Community? Maybe because it happened in the South, some of you may not care.Maybe because most shown on the media are Coloreds? What about the folks in the Great States of Mississippii? Alabama?If it happened in Colorado, you'd sure want the rest of the world to see what's happening.Yep, there's a lot of bad thugs, and scum bags in the cities. BUT there are plenty of other GOOD folks down there, that deserve being rescued. Just be damned glad it was'nt you, was'nt your home being under 10 foot of water, that are complaining about it being on TV all the time.Houstoncutter I'm throwing the BS flag on you and Cowgirl580, both of Ya'll need to go find a place to hang out.Like the Astrodome.Or any other shelter, go help someone.I hope Ryder sees, this post.You two ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

how is what i/we wrote the worst when other ppl have said near the same thing as us only i didn't bother to sugar coat it? yes i feel pity and sorrow for those ppl, but like someone else pointed out, florida has been hit many times and they just buck up and rebuild without all the fuss and bother. so has california with the quakes. what about along the eastern seaboard? there has to be some disasters there, besides 9/11, that don't get coverage and they just get to it and not go to the media to whine. i'll get off my box now.

9/11 was not a natural disaster, the Tsunami was not on U.S. Soil.I agree with the part of the inner city Coloreds making someone want to stop seeing coverage.This aint like no Hurricane with the loss of Life and total destruction of a major U.S. city, that any of us have ever seen before.If you're tired of watching it, simply put on HBO, or RFD, etc.Florida has not been hit this hard since way before most of us were born.And when it was hit hard it did not have the population it has today.

 

[Campground Cattle]

Crowder this was a bad storm I can't even imagine a mortality rate of the 1900 storm.
MORTALITY
How many lives were lost in the 1900 Storm will never been known. The census taken in June showed that Galveston had a population of 38,000. Outside the city limits, down the island, there were 1,600 persons living. The dead in the city exceeded 5000, and the dead living outside of the city limits mounted to 1200. This frightful mortality - 75% - outside the city is explained by the fact that most of the people there lived in frail structures and had no places of comparative safety to take refuge in. On the mainland district, across the bay, at least 100 person perished. It is safe, therefore, to state that at least 7,000 lives were lost.

In some cases, entire families were blotted out. In others, the strong perished and the weak survived. Of the various branches of one family, 42 were killed. In another household, 13 of fifteen family members were killed.
.

 

[msscamp]

Just curious folks, am I the only one that is tired of seeing the folks in New Orleans be nice. You see pics of the other areas that were wiped out and you see the locals rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. In New Orleans I see some welfare queen sitting on her porch saying," I aint had no food or water for days". Makes me wonder what the hell she was doing when they told her to get her ass outa town. Most folks know that if the storm doesnt blow your house away, that you stock up on lots of water and can goods. Give me some imput am I being too hard on some of these lazy people?

i was thinking pretty much the same. only i'm going more along the lines of i'm tired of seeing it everytime i turn around period. yes, we all know it was hit bad and that there are ppl still waiting to be rescued and there are ppl working on it. was the tsunami coverage like this too? either way, we need to move on. i'm glad there are ppl helping and that efforts are being made for those ppl, but today is a new today, find some other news to report on and please stop being redundant.

I cannot believe either of you said this, even though it's in front of me in black and white. I guess it's beyond your comprehension that maybe they had no where to go? Hurricaines have been hitting NO pretty much since recorded time began, perhaps they thought this would be no different than the last one? I don't suppose either of you have ever heard of previous experiences or a mistake of judgement. No, of course not, you are both perfect and make perfect judgements every time. How silly of me to even think, much less suggest, that you are mere humans. Cowgirl580 I sincerely hope you never experience a disaster even remotely proportionate to this one strike you, but if it does follow your own advice, shut up, stay off the news, and deal with it.

 

[Beefy]

Florida has not been hit this hard since way before most of us were born.And when it was hit hard it did not have the population it has today.

Whats your point? Florida is hit far more consistently. and has more surface area to hit. at least it isnt BELOW sealevel. in a bowl.

 

[Ryder]

The media is looking for the most dramatic to show for ratings.
They do play it over and over. But the hugeness of this catastrophe and its impact on lives is beyond my comprehension. It will not be something to get past for a long time.
Personally, I get a bit tired of football, so I exercise my right not to watch it.

I think a person should limit the time they spend watching. It can really get you down. At the same time, I am glad they show it. One reason being that I hope it makes more people in our complacent country realize how good we have had it, at least in the life time of most of the people that read these boards. But there is no guarantee that it will always be this good. Personally I think we as a country have been walking on a tight rope for a long time, not just N.O. and the Gulf Coast. But that's another subject.

Some friends from England have been very concerned and have called and e-mailed several times to make sure we are ok. They were most concerned with our physical safety. They are watching the news as they very much care. They were caught in the tsunami in Sri Lanka. The man thought he was going to be killed. He was badly injured. They ended up stranded on the side of a mountain for three days with only a little rice to eat. They went there to a wedding. They had money. After the tsunami, their money was gone. After they finally got to an airport, they were able to get a plane only because some lady walked up and handed them some money.

Another couple of our friends are Germans. They were finally able to get a call through, "Are you ok? Do you have water? Do you have food? If you don't have food, go to the airport and get on a plane to Germany. We have a guest room and can get food."
This lady was a small child during WWll. She has told us how scared she was and how hungry, and how happy they were when the American troops came in and gave them some food.

I think these experiences may have made them a little more compassionate than some of us are.

Local news is not perfect, but better than natonal. Radio stations are doing as best they can to help people find lost family and friends. Get them information about areas where they have homes or people and the like. This is not as sensational, but it is very kind.

The people that didn't leave-there are probably as many reasons as people. I have said before that I think a lot of them thought they would have an expense paid hurricane party in the dome. Many didn't believe it would be that bad. Some had evacuated before and nothing happened. Some couldn't for various reasons. Some aren't going to leave because they would rather risk dying at home than to be uprooted.
I have seen that traffic coming from the coast and from N.O. during evacuations, it is pure hell. I'm sure that some who had been through that before just couldn't face it again. A friend of mine in Pensacola when they were hit three storms back tried to leave, The traffic was so bad, he went back to Pensacola. It is easy for us to sit miles way and pass judgment on what people should have done. It is another to be in a state of confusion, faced with uncertainity and try to weigh all sides, and really know what is the best decision.

For me, I try to keep reminding myself, "Do unto others..."

 

[Ryder]

New Orleans
I certainly am not a sociology nor geography expert, but New Orleans is a seaport where the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River come together.
So, as I understand it, nobody planned to build a city in that location. It just happened. It kept growing over the years to become what it is, or was, today.

Louisiana has three distinct regions/cultures. The southwest is cajun country. North and southeast LA. is redneck (me, we have more in common with Mississippi than others in LA.). Then there is New Orleans.
I haven't been in N.O. in years and have to have a good reason to go. But to the people there, New Orleans is New Orleans. It is The City. It is their almost seperate world.
If some major castrophe hit this entire country, would you move to another country or rebuild, despite arguments against it?
That is the way they feel about New Orleans. They will rebuild.

 

[Beefy]

of course they will. That'll show them hurricanes alright! its still stupid though. at least from common sensical and financial standpoints. i could understand if the river and and gulf were still the primary means of transport. but they arent anymore.

great posts as always Ryder.

I wouldnt have left my home either though. For one i'm hardheaded like that. for two, i'm fascinated by bad weather. i would however I KNOW have done a few things differently. i would have food and water stocked up, and i would have an axe or sledge hammer or something in my attic with me if i had to get in there. also, after the fact i would be doing SOMETHING to help out.

 

[Crowderfarms]

Florida has not been hit this hard since way before most of us were born.And when it was hit hard it did not have the population it has today.

Whats your point? Florida is hit far more consistently. and has more surface area to hit. at least it isnt BELOW sealevel. in a bowl.

My Point? That's easy.With the exception of hurricane Andrew,(Very little loss of human life) Florida had not had a hit from a major hurricane that caused death and destruction in a magnitude as Katrina did, Since the Hurricane of 1926 and the hurricane that collapsed the levee in the 30's that killed thousands around Lake Okeechobee.There was no TV to carry the story back then.

 

[rwtherefords]

Two excellent points that i've been anxiously waiting to see show up.

1) You dont see the people of Florida (REGARDLESS of their income level) sitting around bitching after a hurricane. they are busy working. who cares if it was a category 5? big deal. do something.

2) Whos bright idea was it to build a city below sea level in a bowl?! whos bright idea is it to rebuild a city below sea level in a bowl?!

Having said all that I do feel for the people we never see on the news. if they showed more stories about those people i bet more compassion would be shown.

Good points Beefy.

Just a couple of additional points. First I'd say that I feel for those who have lost so much, and that I'm not cold, heartless and self-centered. My comments are statements that apply to the general attitude of the nation regarding these matters.

First, per the constitution, it is NOT the federal governments responsibility to provide the assistance in response to catastrophic events. It's the state and local governments.

Second, if I dont have the right to tell you that you cannot live on the coast 10' below sea level, (or in the mississippi flood plane, or below a volcano, etc.) I am not responsible (through my federal tax) to bail you out of whatever problems you experience as a result of your free choice. I may choose to do so out of compassion, but it is not right to force my assistance via tax revenues.

This nation seems to have evolved to the point that it insists that nobody has the right to tell you what to do (unless it's how to raise your kids, acceptance of gays, etc.) but everyone is responsible to bail you out of whatever stupid situation you've gotten yourself into. These people in N.O. should be grateful for any assistance they recieve and drop this attitude of entitlement. Nobody OWES them anything.

I saw one woman on the news last night who stated, "I'M AN AMERICAN CITIZEN. I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE BEING TREATED LIKE THIS!" That quote wasn't a statement of gratitude on her part.

 

[rwtherefords]

New Orleans
I certainly am not a sociology nor geography expert, but New Orleans is a seaport where the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River come together.
So, as I understand it, nobody planned to build a city in that location. It just happened. It kept growing over the years to become what it is, or was, today.

Louisiana has three distinct regions/cultures. The southwest is cajun country. North and southeast LA. is redneck (me, we have more in common with Mississippi than others in LA.). Then there is New Orleans.
I haven't been in N.O. in years and have to have a good reason to go. But to the people there, New Orleans is New Orleans. It is The City. It is their almost seperate world.
If some major castrophe hit this entire country, would you move to another country or rebuild, despite arguments against it?
That is the way they feel about New Orleans. They will rebuild.

Fine.

They have a right to make that choice, but not on my nickel!

 

[SF]

Two excellent points that i've been anxiously waiting to see show up.

1) You dont see the people of Florida (REGARDLESS of their income level) sitting around bitching after a hurricane. they are busy working. who cares if it was a category 5? big deal. do something.

2) Whos bright idea was it to build a city below sea level in a bowl?! whos bright idea is it to rebuild a city below sea level in a bowl?!

Having said all that I do feel for the people we never see on the news. if they showed more stories about those people i bet more compassion would be shown.

Good points Beefy.

Just a couple of additional points. First I'd say that I feel for those who have lost so much, and that I'm not cold, heartless and self-centered. My comments are statements that apply to the general attitude of the nation regarding these matters.

First, per the constitution, it is NOT the federal governments responsibility to provide the assistance in response to catastrophic events. It's the state and local governments.

Second, if I dont have the right to tell you that you cannot live on the coast 10' below sea level, (or in the mississippi flood plane, or below a volcano, etc.) I am not responsible (through my federal tax) to bail you out of whatever problems you experience as a result of your free choice. I may choose to do so out of compassion, but it is not right to force my assistance via tax revenues.

This nation seems to have evolved to the point that it insists that nobody has the right to tell you what to do (unless it's how to raise your kids, acceptance of gays, etc.) but everyone is responsible to bail you out of whatever stupid situation you've gotten yourself into. These people in N.O. should be grateful for any assistance they recieve and drop this attitude of entitlement. Nobody OWES them anything.

I saw one woman on the news last night who stated, "I'M AN AMERICAN CITIZEN. I CAN'T BELIEVE WE'RE BEING TREATED LIKE THIS!" That quote wasn't a statement of gratitude on her part.

I see a lot more of them on the news here in Dallas, saying "THANK YOU". More good than bad