Re: katrina aftermath

David,

Our infrastructure has been badly neglected through many administrations and
many eras, including the Dot-Com boom of the last decade. Infrastructure is
just not sexy, and it doesn't get the votes that hand-outs do.

d


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Franzman" <dfranzma@pacbell.net>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Friday, September 02, 2005 4:10 PM
Subject: [CHAT] katrina aftermath


> Hi Cathy and all
>
> I agree with you Cathy!  The logistics of rescuing all of those folks is
> daunting.  I also agree that we live where we do regardless of the risks.
> We choose to live there even though we know something horrible can happen.
> On the other hand virtually every part of the country is in one kind of
risk
> zone or another.  I live in earthquake country.  If you live in the
> northwest they live next to volcanoes.  The south has hurricanes and the
> Midwest tornadoes.  The east has it's issues.  So really there are few
> places that one can go that has a zero chance of some kind of natural
> disaster.  The only thing we can do is try and be as prepared as our
economy
> will allow.
>
> Which leads us to this point:  What is happening in New Orleans is an
> interesting example of what happens when we ignore our infrastructure.  We
> are concurrently fighting two foreign wars, cut taxes that primarily
> benefits the wealthiest 10% of the population and exporting good jobs
> oversees to make investors happy.  New Orleans is a taste of the result of
> this negligence.  Our roads are crumbling, bridges dangerous, levees
> dissolving not to mention a school system that is overcrowded and begging
> for money and a health care system that is on life support.
>
> Our infrastructure (including schools, hospitals etc) is what made this
> country the economic powerhouse that it is/was.  Yet we have been ignoring
> it for several administrations and has been accelerated over the last few
> years.  In my opinion we can't continue this and remain a world power.  We
> have to stop this excuse that making a few ultra rich individuals even
> richer or multi-national corporations (who by the way have no allegiance
to
> any nation) even more powerful is somehow good economic policy.  They are
> jeopardizing our health, future and ability to make a decent living for
our
> families.  We are being sold a bill of goods that these policies are good
> for the country.  It's a lie!  Next time you shop at a Wal-Mart remember
> that those goods you purchased were made by Chinese workers making pennies
a
> day and ask yourself how many businesses have had to shut down because of
> these superstores.  Under the Reagan Administration we first heard of the
> term "Me Generation!"  It's past time that we turn the "M" upside down and
> consider what we have to do to make this a better country not just for the
> 10% but for all of us.
>
> As far as the response to this disaster, you are right Cathy this is an
> unbelievable logistic nightmare.  However, there were many things that
could
> have and should have been done immediately.  Things like airlifting in
> supplies, including water, food, troops etc.  That's what the National
Guard
> is for.  Why did it take five days for those things to begin on a federal
> level?  We should have had helicopters going over with loudspeakers
> reassuring people that help was on the way.  Instead we got the same deer
in
> the headlights look that we saw in 2001.  Now today, we see the President
> going around at the same time as we see troops going to the rescue.  This
> action should have begun days ago.  The task is daunting but with the
proper
> response initially those in power could have alleviated much of the
> uncertainty, fear and hopelessness.  Lets pray that they now grasp the
> magnitude of the disaster.
>
> David.
> http://www.atouchofthetropics.net

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