I blame the Louisiana Governor

[CUBUCK]

I had a long response but decided to delete it and leave you with a tip. You usually get white sheets cheap by talking to the cleaning staff of a hotel.

You really have no class. To infer that someone who posts a peice and at no point says he agrees or disagrees with belongs with the Klan is awful. You really need to think about what you are saying before you post.

[Grange]

You really have no class. To infer that someone who posts a peice and at no point says he agrees or disagrees with belongs with the Klan is awful. You really need to think about what you are saying before you post.

He said

This is less about reaction and more about root cause of behavior during the crisis. Now fixing that will be the real challenge

If he doesn't agree with the article why did he refer to the article's content, which likens people on wefare to parasites and lumps them in with criminals, as the "root cause" and then say we need to fix it?

If you'd prefer I'll restate my comment. If you agree with the article I'll leave you with a tip. You usually get white sheets cheap by talking to the cleaning staff of a hotel.

[dbp]

Grange

People on welfare aren't always African American, and the article had little to do with Katrina. For future reference, whenever you see this type of rhetoric from economic conservatives, their goal isn't to put down the poor (or I guess you would say blacks). It is to demonstrate their belief that many of the problems in poor communities are rooted in the "welfare state". They believe that having the state take care of people because they can't take care of themselves only makes things worse for them (kind of a vicious cycle). They will also say that the "welfare state" is anti-community/family/individual. The compassionate ones don't think the poor should be abandoned, but they do think the current solution to poverty is broken. Now, I can understand not agreeing with this, but I don't think it is inherently racist. Indeed, some of them will say that "bleeding heart liberals" are in a way racist by promoting the cycle of dependence on the state.

I wouldn't say that I agree with everything in the article, and a natural disaster where many people are desperate and in need of assistance from the government doesn't seem like a great time to make a point against welfare. However, I do think that the system has some undesirable consequences for some of those who it is supposed to help (of all races).

[Grange]

I know that all people on welfare aren't African-Americans. The point of my post was that the article is racist. I used the KKK example because they were at one time the most high profile racist group in the south where this disaster is taking place not because I think all people on welfare are African-Americans.

I do agree that many conservatives are not racist, but when an article makes a blanket statement that all people on welfare are parasites that is wrong. There are people on welfare that are decent and hardworking and not just out to take advantage of the system. This article makes no distinction between people on welfare and criminals. How can that not be taken as racist against poor people regardless of their skin color?

If the author truely only means to discuss people that are taking advantage of the welfare system as being the real problem behind the slow reaction of the government he could have distinguished that group in just a couple of sentances. He didn't, why?

[dbp]

Grange

I am understanding more where you are coming from now. I would agree that welfare and other social programs have helped many.

One last point though. Although a lot of economic conservatives will show disgust for people who "take advantage of the system", some actually have more of a problem with the system itself. They would claim that this type of behavior (or in this article's case much worse) is something that the system actually encourages. Not sure how much I buy that, but...

and to finish off, a stupid quote from Mr. DeLay:

Blogged live from the Astrodome, a charming photo-op exchange between Tom DeLay and three young boys evacuated from New Orleans: The congressman likened their stay to being at camp and asked, "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?" They nodded yes, but looked perplexed

[CUBUCK]

How can that not be taken as racist against poor people regardless of their skin color?

maybe you should take a look at what the definition of racism is...... If a specific race isn't mentioned than maybe what you are inferring says alot about yourself not the article. its dangerous and disturbing that you would assume that all people on welfare are minorities. You should probably do your research before making such blanket ignorant statements

[Grange]

maybe you should take a look at what the definition of racism is...... If a specific race isn't mentioned than maybe what you are inferring says alot about yourself not the article. its dangerous and disturbing that you would assume that all people on welfare are minorities. You should probably do your research before making such blanket ignorant statements

Your arguing about the definition of racism? So by your reasoning someone making a blanket statement about a group of people being less than human because they are poor isn't racist because not all poor people are minorities (which isn't a race either). Then what would you call the person? How about prejudice? That still doesn't make the authors beliefs any more reasonable.

[Bunion 2020]

Just hold on there Gyptian,

the right doesn't hold the record for pork!!!!! There has been enough bacon grubbing over the last 10 years to choke a redneck.... both sides of the aisle have equally greasy hands.....

[Core Shot]

Among the poorest of the poor--single mothers, living below the poverty line with minor children to support 39.7 percent of AFDC clients are Black single mothers and 38.1 percent are White women with children. Food stamp recipients are 37.2 percent Black and 46.2 percent White. Medicaid benefits are paid to 27.5 percent Black recipients compared to 48.5 percent White clients.

[Woodsy]

Core shot.
1) what did she have top do with the disasterous respons in AL and Mississippi?
2) some FEMA emails:
Excerpts from e-mails among Federal Emergency Management officials during Hurricane Katrina: (Note: All times CDT)
___

_Marty Bahamonde, regional director for New England to David Passey, regional director for the Gulf Coast, Aug. 28, 4:46 p.m.

"Issues developing at the Superdome. 2000 already in and more standing in line. ...The medical staff at the dome says they will run out of oxygen in about 2 hours and are looking for alternative oxygen."

_Bahamonde to Deborah Wing, FEMA response specialist, Aug 28, 5:28 p.m.

"Everyone is soaked. This is going to get ugly real fast."

_Passey to group, Aug 28, 7:16 p.m.

"The current population at the Superdome in New Orleans is 25,000. That's a large crowd during a normal event. Among the shelter population are 400 special needs evacuees and 45-50 sick individuals who require hospitalization. The on-hand oxygen supply will likely run out in the next few hours. According to the ESF8 folks, the local health officials have struggled to put meaningful resource requests together."

_Passey to Bahamonde, Aug. 28, 9:58 p.m.

"Our intel is that neither the OK-1 DMAT nor the public health officers staged in Memphis will make it to the Superdome tonight. Oxygen supply issue has not been solved yet either."

_Bahamonde to Michael Heath, FEMA official, Aug. 29, 7:33 a.m.

"Some pumping stations failed but no widespread flooding yet. The reall (sic) worry will be in the next 3 hours when he (sic) storm passes and we get the northerly winds blowing thwe (sic) lake into the city

_Bahamonde to Nicole Andrews, FEMA spokeswoman, Aug. 30, 7:02 a.m.

"What is happening with the US travel this morning. When is he coming to New Orleans. The area around the Superdome is filling up with water, now waist deep. The US can land and do a presser but then have to leave, there will be no ground tour, only flyover," referring to planned visit by Brown.

_Bahamonde to FEMA Director Michael Brown, Aug. 31, 11:20 a.m.

"Sir, I know that you know the situation is past critical. Here some things you might not know.

Hotels are kicking people out, thousands gathering in the streets with no food or water. Hundreds still being rescued from homes.

The dying patients at the DMAT tent being medivac. Estimates are many will die within hours. Evacuation in process. Plans developing for dome evacuation but hotel situation adding to problem. We are out of food and running out of water at the dome, plans in works to address the critical need.

_Sharon Worthy, Brown's press secretary, to Cindy Taylor, FEMA deputy director of public affairs, and others, Aug. 31, 2 p.m.

"Also, it is very important that time is allowed for Mr. Brown to eat dinner. Gievn (sic) that Baton Rouge is back to normal, restaurants are getting busy. He needs much more that (sic) 20 or 30 minutes. We now have traffic to encounter to get to and from a location of his choise (sic), followed by wait service from the restaurant staff, eating, etc.

_Bahamonde to Taylor and Michael Widomski, public affairs, Aug. 31, 2:44 p.m.

"OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! No won't go any further, too easy of a target. Just tell her that I just ate an MRE and crapped in the hallway of the Superdome along with 30,000 other close friends so I understand her concern about busy restaurants. Maybe tonight I will have time to move my pebbles on the parking garage floor so they don't stab me in the back while I try to sleep.

_Bahamonde to Taylor, Sept. 3, 1:06 a.m.

"The leadership from top down in our agency is unprepared and out of touch. ... But while I am horrified at some of the cluelessness and self concern that persists, I try to focus on those that have put their lives on hold to help people that they have never met and never will. And while I sometimes think that I can't work in this arena, I can't get out of my head the visions of children and babies I saw sitting there, helpless, looking at me and hoping I could make a difference and so I will and you must to."

[Blurred]

responding to threads that have been inactive for 40 days....so hot right now.

[Core Shot]

I take it back.

It was really the crab people after all.