All of these events are tragic. Mother Nature, (dare I say God?) unpredictable, weather occurances. When the power went out in the fall, was it the govts fault that I lost everything in my refridgerator and freezer? When the power went out this past week, was it the governments fault that I stayed in a freezing home to ensure my home was safe and not robbed? I was freezing cold for 4 days. Put all of my food on the patio so I did not lose it this time. Dug out the battery stash sat around in the dark listening to my ipod.

 

Who is to blame for my discomfort? The government? Me? NO ONE! It happened.

 

I would find it hard to believe that if I follow the 60,000 math of an earlier posteer and after 4 years I cannot get anyone to build me a home in the ninth ward, I would not be moving back there! Go some place else. Move. Get Out.

 

I do feel for everyone that has been negatively effected by any of these catastrophies, but at some point we need to look inside ourselves and take action.

Wow:confused:

 

Highly educated?

 

Having been to the Ninth Ward a few times before and four times since Katrina I think I have at least a hands on perspective. Were there run down streets and parts of the ninth? Sure. I can find the same kind of poor, declining houses in virtually every city. For your friend to say there was no homes worth around 100K is simply ignorant. The area between the levy break (where the barge ended on the street) to the retail area of that particular part of town, sat 100's of full brick, 2 to 3 bedroom patio homes with detached garages. Matter of fact, the specific street I personally walked I recall a very nice home, solid wood floors, inground swimming pool and a late model Corvette - all destroyed.

 

Home ownership, I will find the exact figures and I was surprised when I reviewed them. It was below the average but nothing to suggest this was a total slum area. You do realize this area had a very high, commercial business district? Ever hear of Fats Domino? The Steamboat House? (not worth a 100K?).

 

You know I can travel to a few sections of Louisville and take a snapshot of that part and consider the whole neighborhood to be like that snapshot. That would not be telling the whole story. Your friend is thankfully wrong and perhaps a little resentful or biased. Not sure which, don't really care.

 

Lastly, I did not condemn anyone. I suggest you reread what was posted. I pointed out several factors that is standing in the way of many who want to restart and renew. That part is to be encouraged not condemned.

 

I will stick with my post. It was and is factual. Your reply is full of spin and selective cherry picking. Corvette? I don't doubt it. Was it titled to a local resident or stolen? How many old cars on blocks were there? The Ninth Ward was and is overwhelmingly a slum area inhabited with "entitlement" recipients. You know it and I know it. These people deserve our compassion but they also should be required to show a little backbone, help themselves, and not expect to eternally live on handouts.

 

Houston extended its arms and spent millions to help these people. How did they repay Houston? Houston's crime rate went out the roof. Sadly, that is fact- not spin.

You do understand this storm traveled inland over 300 miles and was over 250 miles wide, right?

 

You do understand that with a week's notice, you can move OVER 500 miles away....

Wow:confused:

 

Highly educated?

 

Having been to the Ninth Ward a few times before and four times since Katrina I think I have at least a hands on perspective. Were there run down streets and parts of the ninth? Sure. I can find the same kind of poor, declining houses in virtually every city. For your friend to say there was no homes worth around 100K is simply ignorant. The area between the levy break (where the barge ended on the street) to the retail area of that particular part of town, sat 100's of full brick, 2 to 3 bedroom patio homes with detached garages. Matter of fact, the specific street I personally walked I recall a very nice home, solid wood floors, inground swimming pool and a late model Corvette - all destroyed.

 

Home ownership, I will find the exact figures and I was surprised when I reviewed them. It was below the average but nothing to suggest this was a total slum area. You do realize this area had a very high, commercial business district? Ever hear of Fats Domino? The Steamboat House? (not worth a 100K?).

 

You know I can travel to a few sections of Louisville and take a snapshot of that part and consider the whole neighborhood to be like that snapshot. That would not be telling the whole story. Your friend is thankfully wrong and perhaps a little resentful or biased. Not sure which, don't really care.

 

Lastly, I did not condemn anyone. I suggest you reread what was posted. I pointed out several factors that is standing in the way of many who want to restart and renew. That part is to be encouraged not condemned.

 

 

Boy, Stayinline. I should have consulted with my source, a 28 year NO resident, before responding to your Corvette statement. He said that it was probably owned by a Ninth Ward resident and that it was probably paid for with cash. He explained that most of the drug dealers who lived in that area drove nice vehicles and. likely, this car belonged to one of them.

 

He also mentioned East NO which he says is low income but inhabited largely by the Vietnamese. He says that this area of town has been built back up by its residents who, rather than continually crying for handouts, took some personal responsibility and initiative. Personal responsibility is a rare commodity in modern day America.

You do understand that with a week's notice, you can move OVER 500 miles away....

 

If you have a vehicle. Many people that live in large cities rely on public transportation. Ask Rockmom.

 

Who really knew ahead of time how devastating that Katrina would be? Who knew exactly where it would hit?

If you have a vehicle. Many people that live in large cities rely on public transportation. Ask Rockmom.

 

Who really knew ahead of time how devastating that Katrina would be? Who knew exactly where it would hit?

 

Pesonal responsibility and assumption of the risk should both be applied here.

If you have a vehicle. Many people that live in large cities rely on public transportation. Ask Rockmom.

 

Who really knew ahead of time how devastating that Katrina would be? Who knew exactly where it would hit?

 

Didn't Mayor Nagin refuse to put "his people" on school buses (which were offered to help evacuate), as mentioned before? I am asking because I do not know.

If you have a vehicle. Many people that live in large cities rely on public transportation. Ask Rockmom.

 

Who really knew ahead of time how devastating that Katrina would be? Who knew exactly where it would hit?

 

In regards to the last question, W sure gets the blame for knowing and not doing anything about it.

If you have a vehicle. Many people that live in large cities rely on public transportation. Ask Rockmom.

 

Who really knew ahead of time how devastating that Katrina would be? Who knew exactly where it would hit?

It was widely reported that there were over 200 functional school buses in N.O. Parish, there were another 250 or so public transit buses available in N.O. prior to Katrina.

 

Seating two to a seat, and allowing for a handful of obese individuals who may require a whole seat to themselves, it is still possible to fit 50 people on a standard school bus. We'll allow for 40 per transit bus. That's 20,000 people that could have been transported out of harm's way... and 20,000 less people placing a strain on resources at the Superdome. With even a minimum of planning and preparation on a LOCAL LEVEL these buses could have made several round trips before things got really bad.

 

Any citizen living in a city sitting 20 feet below sea level should be prepared and responsible for what proved to be inevitable. Any city government of such a city should be prepared and trained for exactly what happened.

 

Instead, over 200 school buses sat in floodwaters up to their roofs. At $65,000 a copy, that's at least $13 million dollars that could have been used far more wisely. But who cares when it's not their money? Why, when you can spin it and blame others and use it as a political football?

Nice!!!!

 

:taz::thumb:

How about a little refresher course in the facts?

 

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin failed to execute any evacuation plan that was or should have been in place. It is his job first and foremost, the buck must start and stop with him. The Mayor and his staff were well aware of the potential disaster a storm of this type could cause.

 

This storm didn’t just pop up and slam New Orleans, there was plenty of warning. When there was still time to evacuate those who'd been unable to leave earlier because they didn’t have their own transportation, Nagin had the ability to transport thousands by using school buses. He declined to do so, asking instead that comfortable Greyhounds be provided… as if riding a school bus to potentially save their lives was beneath the dignity of anyone??? The school buses stayed parked and were destroyed by rising flood waters.

 

Nagin spent a lot of time on national television whining about how the federal "cavalry" was slow to arrive… completely ignoring the indecisiveness of Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco.

 

The Red Cross was poised to enter the city with a convoy to the Superdome but the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security refused them admittance. The logic of this decision was LDHS was afraid people wouldn't be as anxious to leave if their needs were met.

 

That brilliant strategy might have worked if Mayor Nagin wasn’t so busy making certain there was no way for those in need to leave.

 

Nagin later blamed Governor Blanco after it was learned that some federal resources were ready to go even before the hurricane struck, but a pesky little legal requirement preventing the federal government from steamrolling an individual state's authority kept Nagin’s “cavalry” from riding in time. The proper “legal” process requires that a state governor call and ask for help. Blanco didn't... not until it was too late. As the events unfolded, the president offered immediate aid, but the governor requested "24 hours to make a decision."

 

The combined incompetence of Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco literally cost untold lives.

 

But hey, let's all blame Bush... as if Kerry would have done any better. :lol:

I, personally, did not (and am not) condemning Bush, nor relieving Nagin of responsibility. My posts have all been about how the indivviduals might have difficultly making it out of the city if they do not own vehicles.

I, personally, did not (and am not) condemning Bush, nor relieving Nagin of responsibility. My posts have all been about how the indivviduals might have difficultly making it out of the city if they do not own vehicles.

I don't mean to pick on you directly TB&G. The fact is, Bush has been hammered over Katrina for years while Fiddling (Nero) Nagin and Stymie Blanco were the root of the problem in terms of government response.

 

Anyone who could get on a bus, could have and should have been evacuated.

I don't mean to pick on you directly TB&G. The fact is, Bush has been hammered over Katrina for years while Fiddling (Nero) Nagin and Stymie Blanco were the root of the problem in terms of government response.

 

Anyone who could get on a bus, could have and should have been evacuated.

 

Right. The buses could have been used to evacute people. However, since they weren't, those that relied on public transit could do very little to leave, unless they could purchase a vehicle or had friends willing to transport them.

I don't mean to pick on you directly TB&G. The fact is, Bush has been hammered over Katrina for years while Fiddling (Nero) Nagin and Stymie Blanco were the root of the problem in terms of government response.

 

Anyone who could get on a bus, could have and should have been evacuated.

 

FWIW, Amtrak offered Nagin free transportation for anyone to evacuate the city, but for some reason it never happened. Nagin told Tim Russert that the call never happened.