When is it not the Governments Fault?

Published on September 4, 2005 By greywar In Current Events

Just a quick follow-up here.... When do my personal choices absolve the Federal and State governments of responsibility for my plight?

Katrina is a tragedy no doubt and the Government is rushing in to help these folks as best they can. I take serious issue with folks who are bitching that it is not enouigh or that it is too slow.

If you live in the Red River Valley's flood plain and it floods I don't mind my tax dollars going to help you out. It is just neighborly. I do get a bit heated when you the flood plain resident start griping that the Government (and *me* your neighbor by proxy (we are the Government)) are not doing enough to bail you out of a situation that you put yourself into.

Live on the San Andreas fault? Guess what... there is an earthquake in your future. Don't wan't to live through and earthquake? Don't live there.

Beach house in Malibu? Guess what... Mudslide is a guarantee.

Gulf coaster? Hurricanes.

Mid-west? Well Tornadoes, but they have a pretty tiny impact area compared to the other ones I just mentioned.

My mother and I just spoke on the phone and she had this remark :

"You could see the light-bulb come on in some of these people. They won't be moving back."

She's right of course. When you live on the effluvial delta of the Mississippi River right on the Gulf Coast it is simply a matter of time before you are wiped out by a storm. Hell even the Discovery Channel has been running some it's programs from years ago about how N.O. was doomed and how it was simply a matter of time before this happened.

Don't act surprised that this disater occurred. Don't bitch that we don't do enough about it. You live there and we will help but don't even pretend that it is *our* fault or that somehow I, your mayor, or the President are responsible for your poor choice of area.

Your decision. Own it.

Comments (Page 2)

pseudosoldier

on Sep 05, 2005

If Bush had sent the active military Monday after the storm

Not Monday, but Link and Link. That's just from my neck of the woods.

grey - You remember Jennifer P. , right? GAY/GAP? He's down there, along with most of his Battalion.

Spc Nobody Special

on Sep 05, 2005

He refused to deal with the needed of that area even though he had two studies that told him what needed to be done and what would happen if they were NOT DONE. What did Bush do? Cut the funding to make the levees stronger!

First of all, colon gene, you're a f---ng moron. Don't you have anything to do in life besides bash Bush? If we really wanted non-stop anti-Bush rantathons, I'd have bought your lousy book. Do you have ANYTHING to say that doesn't involve criticizing the current administration? Something about your life? A hobby? Perhaps you've got a fluffy kitten or a puppy you'd like to let us know about.

Second, if you're going to blame anyone, blame the State of Louisiana. Federal authorities have been withholding federal funding for at least three decades in order to attempt to force Louisiana to fix the levees. They actually refused for awhile to let them continue building I-10 in the sixties. Louisiana's response?

Squirm out of it wherever possible. Too expensive. All this time later, the original planned improvements were only 80% complete, much less any new innovations or construction.

Expensive, yes. But when you've known for damned near 40 years that the levees wouldn't take more than a level two hurricane, or maybe a level three with a cheery disposition? They've been stalling ever since the last big one, and if Jesus himself had been elected in 2000, the levees wouldn't have been fixed in time.

Why not blame Lyndon B. Johnson or Nixon? If you're going after presidents, they're as guilty as anyone, plus it gives you that nice Vietnam connection that I know you've been looking for.

Spc Nobody Special

on Sep 05, 2005

Correction on the dates, refused funding for I-10 for awhile in the 70's. Thirty years, and you should blame Nixon and Ford, LBJ's probably clear.

Dr Guy

on Sep 05, 2005

Reply By: Spc Nobody Special

Insightful!

Dr Guy

on Sep 05, 2005

Thirty years, and you should blame Nixon and Ford, LBJ's probably clear.

Leave Ford out of it. He was probably tripping down stairs and did not realize it.

maciej

on Sep 05, 2005

great article...i completely agree

ParaTed2k

on Sep 05, 2005

If Bush had sent the active military Monday after the storm, there would have been less suffering and less dead. He sat on his ass just like after 9/11 in the school just longer! He refused to deal with the needed of that area even though he had two studies that told him what needed to be done and what would happen if they were NOT DONE. What did Bush do? Cut the funding to make the levees stronger!

COLON GENE, when are you going to get it through your peabrain that the federal government CANNOT legally do what you demand of them!!!!

Is there no end to your ignorance? You swore to uphold and defend the Constitution, but because of your childish hatred for Prs. Bush you are wiling to use it as toilet paper.

Give it up idiot, you are clueless!!!

dharmagrl

on Sep 05, 2005

Give it up idiot, you are clueless!!!

You are getting a bit one-track broken-record-ish, Gene.

We all know that you don't like Bush. We all know that you think he's an idiot. What you fail to see is that most of us think you're a bit of an idiot too, and are very, very tired of your blaming all of society's ills on Bush.

Can you sing a new song for a bit, d'you think? Please?

CG5Addict

on Sep 05, 2005

That was a BS post, US help was so slow, so slow to act compaired to the actions that where taken for the victums of the tsunami over sea's. Don't give the you live there deal with it bullshit. I guess I won't look for a donation to help those victums because they should learn to deal with it because they choose to there.

CG5Addict

on Sep 05, 2005

live* there.

Spc Nobody Special

on Sep 05, 2005

Reply By: CG5Addict(Anonymous User)

First of all, may I point out that one, it wasn't quicker than tsunami aid. While some aid did arrive quickly, the majority of the aid to Indonesia and the other affected areas took days and in some cases weeks to arrive. Total time since Katrina thus far? One week.

Second, the article's not merely saying don't complain about the firefighters when your house is burning. It's more like don't build your house out of flash paper, then say that it's the firefighters are damned slow and why didn't they build a house for you out of asbestos and make you live there.

Third, yes we will render aid. In terms of money and otherwise. But nobody likes to give aid while getting cussed out, shot at, and otherwise blamed for their rescuees foolish choices.

Fourth, your grammar and spelling suck.

Fifth, if you're going to enter someone's blog to bash them, at least have the minimal comittment necessary to get an account and log in. Grow some balls for crying outloud. Anonymous = chickenshit.

greywar

on Sep 06, 2005

Anonymous = chickenshit.

Insightful once again.

CG5Addict

on Sep 06, 2005

1)Would not waste my time to get a account. Because I only ran into this site while surfing Blog Explosion.

2)My Grammers bad according to who? you? Your point of view sucks.

3)Everyone here to a degree is anonymous... even if I got a account anybody can give a junk e-mail address. So bite me, the only Chickenshit is pencil neck POS like you (Spc Nobody Special) wanting to talk shit behind the safety of their keyboard.

Dr Guy

on Sep 06, 2005

2)My Grammers bad according to who? you? Your point of view sucks.

Your grammar sucks. And you are the chickenshit. You cannot get an account with a bogus email address, and it would only take you about 2 minutes to get an account.

Liar.

RRF

on Sep 06, 2005

You're blaming the victims for where they live? Are you serious?

I remember when Sam Kinnison (comedian) did his whole schtick on starving Ethiopians, urging them to "move where the food" was. As if it were that simple.

You must live in a different country and have totally different values than the vast majority of people I know. Your post is insensitive AT BEST. I can only hope that when YOU need help, someone lets you know that you can't have it because you put yourself in the situation which created the requirement.

Shame on you.

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