I have been a bit overwhelmed by all of the blaming and finger-pointing going on in the aftermath of one of the worst natural disasters in American history. The pictures coming out of New Orleans are heart-breaking. One wouldn't be human if she didn't feel for those good people who were trapped in an unwinnable battle with Mother Nature. However, for some reason that completely perplexes me, the human drama of survival and the human desire to come to the aid of others has been overlooked in favor of the deadly political sport known as "finger-pointing." Even on local discussion boards here in Louisville, it has become the sport of Libs and other ill-informed "moderates" to blame the federal government and, more specifically, the President for not doing enough soon enough for the people of New Orleans.
I would like to remind all of those folks who are so quick to blame the feds for the chaos that ensued that it is up to the Governor of the state to request federal assistance in these situations. From what I've read, the Governor of Louisiana may indeed have made that request on the same day that evacuations were ordered; however, it is clear that the emergency planning in New Orleans, specifically, was poor at best. Regardless of how much any federal government official might have wanted to roll into town and forcefully evacuate those citizens, the state's right to manage its own operations are respected. Like it or not, that's as it should be.
If the National Guard troops and federal agents had forcefully removed/evacuated all of the residents who chose not to (or could not) leave their homes, would there be cries of "racism" as there are today? Maybe, but I'll guarantee you there would also be cries of "fascism" from the Left. This was a no win situation for the federal government regardless of who is at the helm. If the state-level officials don't adequate emergency planning and communicate quickly and clearly to the federal government agencies, what shall we have the feds do?
The Mayor of New Orleans is now notorious for his expletive-riddled rant about the federal government. Own up to it, please. There is an element of personal responsibility here that is being sorely overlooked by so many. Did the mayor think that his title was honorary? Was he not responsible, in part, for the poor emergency planning and first response that his constituents suffered? Did he not realize that he held much of the responsibility for emergency operations and evacuations? Read the link under "request federal assistance" in the earlier part of this post to understand what it means to request assistance from FEMA, what they are responsible for, and what the state and local government is responsible for. This should clear up the incessant misunderstandings.
At any rate, I was pleased to see this bit of information surface in a Gallup Poll on the aftermath of Katrina:
"Asked who was MOST responsible for the post-hurricane problems, 13% picked Bush, 18% said federal agencies, 25% selected state/local officials and 38% said no one was to blame. "
Hallelujah! Score one for the common sense of the American people. Thank God there are some people left in this country (specifically those polled by Gallup this time) who still understand personal responsibility, our inability to control Mother Nature, and the need for local governments to do what they were intended to do for their citizens.
I would like to remind all of those folks who are so quick to blame the feds for the chaos that ensued that it is up to the Governor of the state to request federal assistance in these situations. From what I've read, the Governor of Louisiana may indeed have made that request on the same day that evacuations were ordered; however, it is clear that the emergency planning in New Orleans, specifically, was poor at best. Regardless of how much any federal government official might have wanted to roll into town and forcefully evacuate those citizens, the state's right to manage its own operations are respected. Like it or not, that's as it should be.
If the National Guard troops and federal agents had forcefully removed/evacuated all of the residents who chose not to (or could not) leave their homes, would there be cries of "racism" as there are today? Maybe, but I'll guarantee you there would also be cries of "fascism" from the Left. This was a no win situation for the federal government regardless of who is at the helm. If the state-level officials don't adequate emergency planning and communicate quickly and clearly to the federal government agencies, what shall we have the feds do?
The Mayor of New Orleans is now notorious for his expletive-riddled rant about the federal government. Own up to it, please. There is an element of personal responsibility here that is being sorely overlooked by so many. Did the mayor think that his title was honorary? Was he not responsible, in part, for the poor emergency planning and first response that his constituents suffered? Did he not realize that he held much of the responsibility for emergency operations and evacuations? Read the link under "request federal assistance" in the earlier part of this post to understand what it means to request assistance from FEMA, what they are responsible for, and what the state and local government is responsible for. This should clear up the incessant misunderstandings.
At any rate, I was pleased to see this bit of information surface in a Gallup Poll on the aftermath of Katrina:
"Asked who was MOST responsible for the post-hurricane problems, 13% picked Bush, 18% said federal agencies, 25% selected state/local officials and 38% said no one was to blame. "
Hallelujah! Score one for the common sense of the American people. Thank God there are some people left in this country (specifically those polled by Gallup this time) who still understand personal responsibility, our inability to control Mother Nature, and the need for local governments to do what they were intended to do for their citizens.
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