On The Way-- Mass., Other States Prepare For Katrina Refugees

Twenty-five hundred Katrina refugees are nearly on their way to Camp Edwards at Cape Cod's Massachusetts Military Reservation, according to the Cape Cod Times. Some thoughts and questions immediately come to mind:

--- It's fantastic to see Gov. Mitt Romney and other officials stepping up to the plate. Exceptionally generous Texans simply can't take everybody, so when other states willingly share the burden, it's great for America.

I have the following, including the image graphic, posted at my website (http://www.therobb7.blogspot.com)

"The value of liberty was thus enhanced in our estimation by
the difficulty of its attainment, and the worth of characters
appreciated by the trial of adversity." --George Washington

There have been several people, from politicians to pundits, that have opined about how to--or whether to--
rebuild the city of New Orleans.

Right here and now, I will take a stand:

REBUILD THE CITY.

In the wake of a natural disaster of epic proportions, we also now have an opportunity of epic proportions.

Not since the era of the Great Depression have we had an opportunity to reshape the landscape of the
American Future.

In much the same way that the New Deal changed American society, President Bush has the opportunity to change
the face of America and establish a true Ownership Society.

Now is not the time for caterwauling, arguing, hate speech, race baiting, or class envy.

Now is the time for action.

Now is the time for the Best and the Brightest of America's private sector to step forward with new ideas
to meet and overcome the new challenges that are before us.

One of the lessons we have learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is that the way that the city of New Orleans
was planned, laid-out and build was a prescription and invitation to disaster.

There are organizations in America RIGHT NOW that are capable of banding together to plan, re-design
and commit resources to rebuilding one of America's best cities.(http://www.greatrivereng.com/) (http://www.asce.org/)

History shows us the power of great minds backed by great efforts that can even change the course
of rivers (www.chipublib.org/004chicago/timeline/riverflow.html).

If the American Spirit was strong enough to reverse the flow of the Chicago River A CENTURY AGO, just imagine
what that same Spirit could do today with the resources at our disposal.

Re-designing and implementing a plan to rebuild New Orleans will put multiple thousands of people back to work.

Highway projects across the coutry can now be fully staffed, putting even more displaced New Orleanians to work.
(http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=highway+construction)

The time has come to stop playing political football with America's energy future.

Beginning the road to America's energy independence is imperative.

The Alaska National Wildlife Refuge must be opened to provide America with not just a fresh supply of oil,
but also jobs that will continue to boost our economy and bolster America's pre-eminence among the nations.

(link to President Bush's comments: http://www.anwr.com/archives/senate_supports_drilling_in_alaskan_refuge.html)

Even the housing industry can contribute to our immediate future by providing housing and jobs for Katrina survivors (www.nahb.org/) (http://katrinahousing.org/).

America, YOU CAN DO THIS!

THIS IS THE AMERICAN CENTURY.

STAND UP, BE COUNTED, AND PROVE TO THE WORLD WHO WE REALLY ARE.

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