Katrina - Has America Forgotten?

[Audrey2Katrina]

However, I feel the rebuilding effort should go to the hands of the states and local governments / taxpayers. Personally, I don’t believe that North Dakotans should help in the process (in terms of tax money) to rebuild New Orleans (as an example), just as Louisianans shouldn’t help in the process to rebuild Bismark after a tornado or blizzard.

In principle, that seems an equitable scenario; however would you be equally willing to say that if a state contributes 1/3 the nation's energy resources, then it should get 1/3 the governmental revenues from energy?

I see your point, so please don't get me wrong. All we want is our fair share of what we contribute--which we haven't received in the past. Louisiana is a state with a wealth of resources the likes of which few states can match. The federal coffers have received an unbelievably larger amount of money FROM this state, than the miniscule, by comparison, amount we need to get our feet back on the ground.

A2K

I completely agree with you. If your state contributes X amount into something shared by a greater body (the whole country), then you should receive X amount in revenues.

Fair enough! Too bad that's not the way it's been done though, because if it were, we wouldn't be needing a dime of anyone's tax money.

A2K

[senorpepr]

I know that if I do flood... it's my own responsibility, not the governments.

But what if the reason you flooded was because of faulty government made levees?

CM, while I completely sympothize with those who were flooded because of faulty gov't leeves... all those people did know they were below sea-level. Nothing is made perfect. I remember growing up in Missouri watching programs on TV talking about how New Orleans was doomed if a major hurricane hit them.

Also, I understand the situation from another aspect. I lived in Missouri during the Great Floods of 1993. While this flood only created $15 billion dollars worth of damage (which would be just shy of $20B in today's currency), killed 50 people, destroyed hundreds of levees, and flooded entire towns for months, I still look at it from this point of view. Those who lost their home in the 93 floods due to a poorly maintained levee -- it should have been ultimately their responsibility for their lost. That is the risk of living a few feet above the water level... regardless of the protection of a levee. Levees and dams will break. You still have to take the responsibility in that, for your own goods.

Now... going back to your statement... yes, it is ultimately your responsibility for your loses. Should the government step up and help out? Sure, that would be the nice thing to do. I agree... the government should help out in that situation, but it shouldn't be mandatory.

[timNms]

the government should help out in that situation, but it shouldn't be mandatory.

Isn't one of the reasons we have a government is to protect the people? Wouldn't stepping in to "help" construct protective levees and rebuilding certain facilities (hospitals, etc) fall under that umbrella of "protection"?

I agree with you on some points that you make. I don't think it is my responsibility as a tax payer to fork out money to those who sit on their lazy butts and await handouts. But for those hardworking Americans--the single mother working 2 or 3 jobs to put food on the table for her kids, not having enough money left over at the end of the month to pay for insurance on her home or possessions, the elderly couple who worked all of their lives to pay for what they own, but illnesses have taken all they've saved--I think it's my responsibility as an American citizen to help them.

[Pearl River]

A2K, I wasn't fussing at you. I'm sorry. I was just explaining where it occurred.

Mike

[Pearl River]

I agree that the lazy ones need to get off the 6 o'clock and stop looking for handouts. There was an increase in welfare requests in south FL. recently reported because of Wilma.

The problem with insurance is, you pay the premiums for years and never receive a dime until you make a claim, and then they start depreciating the property that's lost. Then you have to argue with them over terminology, ie wind driven, tidal surge or whatever. Then there are those who lived in non-flood areas and did not need flood insurance and they flooded.

Oh well, lets breakout the crawfish and shrimp and have ourselves a good ol' boil.

[senorpepr]

Oh well, lets breakout the crawfish and shrimp and have ourselves a good ol' boil.

That sounds like an outstanding idea!

[Audrey2Katrina]

Oh well, lets breakout the crawfish and shrimp and have ourselves a good ol' boil.

That sounds like an outstanding idea!

mmmmmmmm live right around the corner from Dennis' Seafood, and smell those little buggers boilin' every day!

Think I'l go grab a few pounds, some 'tater salad, a stuffed artichoke, and some stuffed crabs while I'm there!

Dang... canNOT go on anything but a see food diet around here!

A2K

[Pearl River]

A2K wrote

senorpepr wrote:
Pearl River wrote:
Oh well, lets breakout the crawfish and shrimp and have ourselves a good ol' boil.


That sounds like an outstanding idea!


mmmmmmmm live right around the corner from Dennis' Seafood, and smell those little buggers boilin' every day!

Think I'l go grab a few pounds, some 'tater salad, a stuffed artichoke, and some stuffed crabs while I'm there!

Dang... canNOT go on anything but a see food diet around here!

A2K

I have that problem too....I see food...I eat it.

[MGC]

SEEFOOD! One of my favorite places to eat is reopening Saturday in Pass Christian. I'm ready to have me some boiled crabs.....MGC

[HurryKane]

I have to say after two straight weekends of eating Jazz Fest food I was simply dying for a burger. Every once in a while you can have too much crawfish

[arcticfire]

I don't see why big business operating in your port (in this case energy) "entitles" you to anything more then any other city with regards to sympathy and rebuilding money. The fact is that NOLA is below sea level. There will always be some form of city there simply because of the port. The great thing about a free market is the big business will inherently be forced to rebuild somewhat to use what it needs.

America will never forget , but it's not America's fault either that people refuse to move out of harms way in one of the only cities in this country that has a death sentence. If another Hurricain doesn't get it now the ocean will later.

I live in a Earthquake zone , I accept that risk. If my house falls down and takes everything I own into the ground with it then thats just the way it is. As long as me and mine are alive I would not be expecting someone in Florida to bend over backwards to hand me gobs of $$ to replace all my material crud.

Like I said to the powers of be that I wrote , use my tax money to help the people survive , not to rebuild their shack on the ocean front thats a pile of dirt away from swallowing it again.

I belive in helping people survive not their hutt they can't bring themselves not to live in. You insist on living on the side of a volcano despite warnings then you get what common sense dictates.

[TSmith274]

oops sorry

[Steve]

>>See, in my opinion, it's up to the individual people to take care of themselves. If person A had the coverage to take care of their home... they paid the price, but they were rewarded in the end by having their stuff taken care of. If person B didn't have the coverage to take care of their home... sorry. We all have responsibilities.

I'm not disagreeing with that. I carried both flood and hazard insurance and had a high contents level on my belongings. But in reality, only some of the money is being used for block grants and aid to help those with housing. And much of that is in the form of loans.

The reality is it's much bigger than that - levees, streets, infrastructure, months and months of front end loaders picking up debris, levee fixes, relief workers, etc. Then there are industries which are wiped out. Many insurance companies have denied "loss of use" claims on personal policies and "business interruption" on business claims based solely on technicalities. It's really not about a bunch of lazy welfare kings and queens looking for handouts who get bussed to D.C. from Houston to protest that they can't vote when they could have been bussed to Lake Charles. There's some of that, but again, that's really chump change in this whole thing.

Steve

[Dionne]

arcticfire..... forgot to tell folks that Alaska has an oil royalty permanent fund.....every year Alaskans recieve money from this fund. They get the money even if there has not been a natural disaster.

Alaska was my home for more than 20 years. I still consider Anchorage my hometown.

After the March 27, 1964 earthquake and resulting tsunamis in south central Alaska.....there was desperation......just like we experienced after Katrina.

Do not be mislead. After the Good Friday temblor we needed help bad. It was the strong military presence from Elmendorf and Ft Rich that came to our aid.

arcticfire....you might change your opinion someday.....especially if mother nature deals you a swift blow and all that remains is the clothing on your back.

Regarding rebuilding in dangerous areas.......have you forgotten what the C street slide zone looked like? And what has been rebuilt there......?


HAHAHAHAHAHAHA......your busted.

[Pearl River]

Artic. It has nothing to do with "big business" operating in the port. It has to do with offshore drilling royalties. By the way it's Hurricane, not Hurricain. I also believe that the state of New Mexico receives more oil revenue than Louisiana does. It was also more than shacks on a pile of dirt, as you put it, that washed away.

Thanks Dionne for your input.

[sunny]

I don't see why big business operating in your port (in this case energy) "entitles" you to anything more then any other city with regards to sympathy and rebuilding money.

Hold on here - I do not want nor I have asked for anyone's sympathy! Nor have I asked anyone to "bend over backwards" to help me. Let me tell you something, I have stood on my own two feet my entire life. Everything I have I have gotten on my own - I have worked my butt of to get it. I have paid state and FEDERAL taxes for over 25 years. In that 25 years I collected all of two unemployment checks. Other than that, I have not relied of MY government for anything.

So fine, y'all just leave us to do this by ourselves. Thank you for your understanding. But when the next "Big One" hits in a place like Miami, I want to see what will be said then.

[zoeyann]

Amen Sunny.

arcticfire, I think what you failing to understand here is that oil companies have been tearing up our coast line making all of Southeast Louisiana more vunerable, but we get peanuts on oil revenues back into the public coffers. This area helps get oil and seafood throughout out the country, and the port is used to transport commodities to the north. Despite what you have seen on the news most people are hard working US citizens who pay their taxes. We have been appealing to the powers that be for protection that actually protects. So while you are pouting about your tax money going to help rebulid someone's "SHACK" why don't you find out where that shackowners taxes went and where the oil revenues went because I promise you those monies did not get put into hurricane protection. Our money goes into the system too, this region contributes alot to this country, and if nothing else as citizens I believe we are at least entitled to a portion of the type of assistence we would provide any foriegn country in need. As for you never asking for assitence if you were in need that's nice. But show a little pride in your country for crying out loud. How can we call ourselves a stong and compassionate country when there are people on the Mississipi gulf coast still living tents. And no honest person I know of is recieving or asking for "gobs" of money. All most people are asking is for reasonable shelter for themselves and their children while they get back on their feet. I pray that my tax money gets to those people

[Pearl River]

You go, Sunny. I'm right there with you. People that aren't from here think they know everything about New Orleans and Louisiana. They don't know jack. or bob, or sally for that matter:D

They think New Orleans is cajun, or that people here talk with a cajun or southern accent, wear a white suite with suspenders and a white straw hat, and all the male first names are Beau. Thanks Hollywood.

[Audrey2Katrina]

I don't see why big business operating in your port (in this case energy) "entitles" you to anything more then any other city with regards to sympathy and rebuilding money.

Non-sequitur... I don't think anyone said this "entitles" [sic] us to anything "more" than any other city would receive. Now in the 90,000 sq. miles of area devastated by this storm, estimates run as high as some 300,000 homes in that area having been completely, or mostly destroyed. This doesn't even begin to consider infrastructure and property. The fact is that there hasn't been this much damage done to such a large area in the history of the US. Given that fact, one might logically expect the price tag to be a tad higher than for past events. Now the odd thing about when we send in our "tax dollars" is that we are not allowed to check where we want the money to be spent. This would be a very nice thing, but quite impractical. Hence, a LOT of my tax dollars went to places I didn't want them spent--but I had to just deal with it--death and taxes ya know.

The point about proportionality you've taken completely out of context. Nobody mentioned that "just because" we happen to have this or that "company" located here that we were entitled to anything--we pointed out that we "supplied" a certain proportion of that energy. Truth be told, we have no more control as to where the energy we supply goes, than do you, OR I, over where those tax dollars go.

Now I believe it was Senorpepr who brought in some much more appropriately expressed views about the "rebuilding" dollars, and those are respected. The point being that as far as "sympathy" goes, we require neither more nor any, for that matter, of it, from you, or anyone else so disposed.

A2K

[Audrey2Katrina]

You insist on living on the side of a volcano despite warnings then you get what common sense dictates.

Faulty analogy... but it does sound nice, doesn't it?

A2K