Katrina Rebuilding Highlights Political Differences

Let’s start with CNS News

In the two years since Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005, the Bush administration has failed to restore the city because of its reliance on conservative policies, a liberal organization charged in a report released Tuesday.

"The failure we see in the rebuilding of New Orleans is without any question a failure of conservative governance," said Robert Borosage, co-director of the Campaign for America’s Future, during a telephone news conference announcing the group’s report, "Compounding Conservative Failure: Hurricane Katrina Two Years Later."

"Katrina was a natural disaster," the document states. "The failure of rescue, reconstruction, and recovery is a conservative failure. Conservatives tried to use the hurricane disaster to prove their theories and consolidate their power."

You know, Borosage is partially correct. Conservative theories of self reliance, empowerment, personal responsibility, and good old fashioned "can do!" attitudes failed, to some degree, in New Orleans. Mostly because too many of the effected people were liberals, who have no concept of any of those theories. In Liberal World, the government is supposed to take care of them for their entire lives, for almost everything. And it did not help that neither the mayor of New Orleans or the governor of Louisiana have done virtually nothing for the people they are responsible for.

Bush "promised an unprecedented response to an unprecedented crisis," Borosage said Tuesday. "He promised the rapid return of the survivors who were dispersed across the country," but one-third of the city’s population has yet to come back.

Why come back? Those people are ensconced in public housing in other cities, raising the crime rates, over-working the public infrastructure.

"In New Orleans, public hospitals are still closed; a significant number of the public schools are still closed; the sewage system is near collapse, leaking over 50 million gallons a day; public transport has been cut by two-thirds; and public housing is down," he added.

So, I wonder what the La. state and New Orleans governments have done with the billions allocated for reconstruction?

…"the fact that Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco and the Democratic senators in that state decided to take the money they got to build levees and spend it on other things is not a reflection on the idea of limited government, it’s a reflection on their judgment," said Grover Norquist,  president of the conservative Americans for Tax Reform.

Bill Lauderback, executive vice president of the American Conservative Union, agreed, telling Cybercast News Service that Nagin and Blanco have "demonstrated a level of incompetence beyond imagination both during the Katrina disaster and the two years following."

"The current level of cronyism and corrupt politics has been Louisiana’s stock in trade going back well before Katrina," said Lauderback. "When they have a problem pointing to their corruptness and incompetence, their response is to immediately blame someone else, and in this case, they have a convenient scapegoat in President Bush."

Bingo. Take corrupt and unresponsive government, add a dollop or government dependent people, sprinkle with money, and you do not get a nice meal: you get a mess.

Meanwhile, what about the folks that have not been captured by the liberal system of government reliance?

Entire strip malls remain shuttered in east New Orleans.

Apartment buildings are abandoned, and rows of utility poles still lean at precarious angles — a reminder of how viciously the area was battered by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the subsequent flooding — and how hard it’s been to rebuild.

But one enclave, the Vietnamese neighborhood known as Versailles, has rebuilt itself nearly to pre-Katrina conditions.

Homes in the community 12 miles east of downtown New Orleans have been gutted, rebuilt and repainted. Nearly all of its 7,000 residents have returned, and nearly every business has reopened.

While many projects across the Gulf Coast wait on billions of dollars in promised federal funds, Versailles residents have taken matters into their own hands. The rebuilding effort has centered around Vien The Nguyen, pastor of Mary Queen of Vietnam Catholic Church.

"We believe that when you rely on someone else, you’re at their mercy," Vien says. (emphasis mine)

Really, what else is there to add after that?

Well, Ogre has an interesting post up, so go read that one. He loves entitlement. To smack around, I mean.

More: The Good LT. at The Jawa Report finds a report on Katrina being the worst hurricane evah! But, not so fast.

You should check out Sister Toldjah’s post, as well, and this one from Wizbang.

Kinda surprised that so few bloggers, including those on the Left, mentioned it today.

Save $10 on purchases of $49.99 & up on our Fruit Bouquets at 1800flowers.com. Promo Code: FRUIT49
If you liked my post, feel free to subscribe to my rss feeds.

Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed

4 Responses to “Katrina Rebuilding Highlights Political Differences”

  1. Paul says:

    If you think either side -either party- came off looking good in the last 24 months, you’re an idiot.

    Contrary to your moronic comment above, Blanco and Nagin can’t divert flood protection money to any other project… They never even get the money, it’s Federal money… Heck The city and state need to provide matching funds. Whoever said that was a moron. They can’t redirect that money any more that you can.

    If you think either side “won” the political battle of Katrina, you havn’t been paying attention.

    And if you’re so proud of the Vietnamese for the progress in Versailles Gardens. (the proper name if the village BTW) you’ve never been there… It was a slum before Katrina.

    I lived less than 2 miles away for 20 years of my life. In 1984 the house was valued at $121,000. 4 years later (when the slum grew into my neighborhood) we sold for $74,000 and where glad to get it. You have no clue what you are talking about.

    And as far as the dumb assed liberal at the top of your post… Katraina was a MAN MADE disaster, not a natural disaster. The Federal Government flooded the place thru their complete incompetence then “big government” walked away… I can’t wait until they run healthcare.

    I’ll say it again. (sorry but…) If you think there was a political victory for either side after Katraina, you’re an idiot.

  2. Well, Paul, when it comes to NO, neither party looked well, I won’t disagree.

    But you miss my main point: people taking responsibility for themselves, rather then relying on the government, which so many have been taught to do.

    Whether it was a slum or not, the Vietnamese took responsibility.

    However, notice that it is pretty much Bush who takes the heat. Nagin and Blanco are left mostly out of the mix. Where is the money from the State? Why is it only federal money?

    Also, why do we not hear about these issues coming from other areas affected by Katrina? Mississippi seems to be doing OK.

    Listen, I understand the issues with huge floods. Back in 1999, we in NC had large swaths of the eastern part of the state flooded, after Dennis and Floyd. I know people who lost their homes or places to live. Property values went down. A town was even wiped out. But, with some help from the feds, and mostly from the State and their neighbors, they rebuilt. I do not want to sound unsympathetic or uncaring: I do care. I think what happened was horrible and tragic. But people have to take some responsibility.

  3. joated says:

    I’m not surprised at the lack of attention by bloggers of the second anniversary. You get tired of hearing people whine while sitting on their *sses and doing nothing. The areas east and west of the city have made some remarkable progress at rebuilding because they didn’t sit around twiddling their thumbs.

    As to why people aren’t returning..as you said they are in public housing elsewhere and doing just fine (even if many are still on the public teat). Why should they go back to a place that couldn’t even get the public school busses out of the parking lot to carry out an evacuation?

  4. Heck of a good point, joated. They are comfortable ensconced. Why move back under the water level?

Pirate's Cove