Texas vs Louisiana

[9 ER]

2 States, 22 Observations

Things noticed while watching media coverage of the recent
hurricanes.

1. Texas: Productive industrious state run by Republicans.

Louisiana: Government dependent welfare state run by Democrats.



2. Texas: Residents take responsibility to protect and evacuate themselves.

Louisiana: Residents wait for government to protect and evacuate them.



3. Texas: Local and state officials take responsibility for protecting their
citizens and property.

Louisiana: Local and state officials blame federal government for not
protecting their citizens and property.



4. Texas: Command and control remains in place to preserve order.

Louisiana: Command and control collapses allowing lawlessness.



5. Texas: Law enforcement officers remain on duty to protect city.

Louisiana: Law enforcement officers desert their posts to protect
themselves.



6. Texas: Local police watch for looting.

Louisiana: Local police participate in looting.



7. Texas: Law and order remains in control, 8 looters tried it, 8 looters
arrested.

Louisiana: Anarchy and lawlessness breaks out, looters take over city, no
arrests, criminals with guns have to be shot by federal troops.



8. Texas: Considerable damage caused by hurricane.

Louisiana: Considerable damage caused by looters.



9. Texas: Flood barriers hold preventing cities from flooding.

Lo uisiana: Flood barriers fail due to lack of maintenance allowing city
to flood.



10. Texas: Orderly evacuation away from threatened areas, few remain.

Louisiana: 25,000 fail to evacuate, are relocated to another flooded
area.



11. Texas: Citizens evacuate with personal 3 day supply of food and water.

Louisiana: Citizens fail to evacuate with 3 day supply of food and
water, do without it for the next 4 days.



12. Texas: FEMA brings in tons of food and water for evacuees. State
officials provide accessible distribution points.

Louisiana: FEMA brings in tons of food and water for evacuees. State
officials prevent citizens from reaching distribution points and vice versa.



13. Louisiana: Media focuses on poor blacks in need of assistance, blames
Bush.

Texas: Media can't find poor blacks in need of assistance, looking for
something else to blame on Bush.



14. Texas: Coastal cities suffer some infrastructure damage, Mayors tell
residents to stay away until ready for repopulation, no interference from
federal officials.

Louisiana: New Orleans is destroyed, Mayor asks residents to return home as
another hurricane approaches, has to be overruled by federal officials.



15. Louisiana: Over 400 killed by storm, flooding and crime.

Texas: 24 killed in bus accident on highway during evacuation, no
storm related deaths.



16. Texas: Jailed prisoners are relocated to other detention facilities
outside the storm area.

Louisiana: Jailed prisoners are set free to prey on city shops,
residents, and homes.



17. Texas: Local and state officials work with FEMA and Red Cross in
recovery operations.

Louisiana: Local and state officials obstruct FEMA and Red Cross from
aiding in recovery operations.



18. Texas: Local and state officials demonstrate lead ership in managing
disaster areas.

Louisiana: Local and state officials fail to demonstrate leadership, require
federal government to manage disaster areas.



19. Texas: Fuel deliveries can't keep up with demand, some run out of gas on
highway, need help from fuel tankers before storm arrives.

Louisiana: Motorists wait till storm hits and electrical power fails. Cars
run out of gas at gas stations that can't pump gas. Gas in underground tanks
mixes with flood waters.



20 Texas: Mayors move citizens out of danger.

Louisiana: Mayor moves himself and family to Dallas.



21. Texas: Mayors continue public service announcements and updates on
television with Governor's backing and support.

Louisiana: Mayor cusses, governor cries, senator threatens president with
violence on television, none of them have a clue what went wrong or who's
responsible.



22. Louisiana: Democratic Senato r says FEMA was slow in responding to 911
calls from Louisiana citizens.

Texas: Republican Senator says "when you call 911, the phone doesn't ring in
Washington, it rings here at the local responders".

 

[J]

AMEN TO THAT!!!!!!

 

[Parkerson Cattle Co.]

..God bless Texas
We are blessed down here

 

[whatabull]

..God bless Texas
We are blessed down here

God bless Texas, in everyway

 

[cajun critter]

Well, much as I hate to admit it, most of these statements are right on the money.

However, I must take exception to the broad use of "residents" - most of the people you are refering to are residents of New Orleans, a completely different class of people than most residents of Louisiana ;-)

Most of the rest of us had food, water, gas, and cash available and have bypassed our state government and found Red Cross and FEMA on our own

 

[RainMan]

Don't have a dog in this fight, but you can run the media out of both states and you'd be better off. Pack of wolves looking for the first sign of blood. CW

 

[Anonymous]

I agree Rainman 100%.

 

[D.R. Cattle]

Texans really have a way of bragging about themselves and then jumping up and saying "God bless Texas". I've got friends in dang near every state and I wouldn't call Texans any better than any other decent Americans. Fact it seems like the most hospitable people I've ever met were from North Carolina.

 

[Crowderfarms]

Texans really have a way of bragging about themselves and then jumping up and saying "God bless Texas". I've got friends in dang near every state and I wouldn't call Texans any better than any other decent Americans. Fact it seems like the most hospitable people I've ever met were from North Carolina.

That's a fact, but overall, IMHO, you wont find a more hospitable person, than a TRUE Southerner.It's just the way we are, at least most of us!It's just in our Blood.

 

[Dusty Britches]

If it's the truth, it ain't braggin'. :cboy:

We have a lot of pride in our state and fellow Texans. When I was in high school, we took a required 2 years of Texas History and 2 years of American History. Does Florida require students to study Florida History?

 

[certherfbeef]

If it's the truth, it ain't braggin'. :cboy:

We have a lot of pride in our state and fellow Texans. When I was in high school, we took a required 2 years of Texas History and 2 years of American History. Does Florida require students to study Florida History?

Ohio requires 2 years of ohio studies.

 

[D.R. Cattle]

If it's the truth, it ain't braggin'. :cboy:

We have a lot of pride in our state and fellow Texans. When I was in high school, we took a required 2 years of Texas History and 2 years of American History. Does Florida require students to study Florida History?

Yes. Both teenage students taking Florida history right now. Nothing wrong with pride in your state, but you don't hear others running around comparing themselves to someone else's disaster. I've come to the conclusion that although New Orleans seems like an exceptional scourge, the media only plastered that scum on Tv and basically didn't show any of the real Southerners gettin er done. Hardly heard anything about ALA or MISS. Unfortunate that all Louisianans have been represented by that group we saw on TV and their poor choices in Mayor and Governor. You get 4 hurricanes in one season like Florida last year?
Charley=CAT4, new worst for the area. Top ten most expensive.
IVAN= CAT3, new worst for the area. Top ten most expensive.
FRANCIS=CAT2, new worst since records kept. Wide area damage, massive flooding. Moved through at 4 MPH. Top ten most expensive.
JEANNE=CAT3, hit same spot as FRANCIS (my town) exactly 3 weeks to the day. New record worst winds for the area. Can't calculate expense. Don't know what was done by FRANCIS and what was done by JEANNE.
Still wanna brag?

Heck we've gotten two this year and they were pretty much forgotten as quick as they happened. My guess is Rita would have shown a different side of Texas had it hit a major metropolitan area. Don't get me wrong, nothing makes my blood boil more than a whining baby holding out his hand for a freebie instead of picking himself up and dusting off. This we did not see in Texas. But what could be expected? Rita hit an area full of farmers and country folk just like ourselves.