Posted on 08/31/2005 4:24:31 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
The problems confronting a governor in the position of Louisiana's Kathleen Babineaux Blanco are overwhelming.
Since this space so frequently roasts Dems, fairness compels us to say that Blanco, a Democrat, comes across as about as reasonable and authentic as an elected official can be expected to be under the circumstances. Compare and contrast with Dem Sen. Mary Landrieux, who at every press conference seems to focus more on ostentatious emoting than on getting things done.
In any case, the Today show offered surprisingly extended video coverage of looting in New Orleans. Given that 100% of the looters shown were African-American, one might have thought that Today's PC instincts would have discouraged them from running the footage. But for whatever reason Today did, and when Matt Lauer interviewed Blanco, he asked her numerous pointed questions about the looting.
Blanco essentially deflected the questions, offering blandishments to the effect that "we certainly don't like looting," but also making clear that stopping it wasn't a priority.
Frankly, she might well be right: in a catastrophe like this, government must prioritize, and compared to stopping the levee breach and rescuing stranded people, stopping some guy from ripping off a pair of $150 Nikes could be trivial.
Speaking of the levees:
Louisiana and New Orleans are known as some of the most notoriously corrupt places in the USA. Over decades, the government should have had one overweening infrastructure priority: to ensure the levees worked.
They didn't, and now millions suffer and billions of dollars are lost. If the politicians had been honest and spending money on the right things, one must believe they could have created a levee system that would have worked the first time it was really called upon.
Yep.
Sad as all Hell, ain't it?
This is a point that needs to be driven home not just in New Orleans, but from one end of the U.S. to the other. Dating back to Lyndon Johnson's idiotic "Great Society" spending spree, this country has spent the last 40 years pissing away so much money on massive entitlement programs that we've failed to notice how so much of our infrastructure is so old -- and we really have no idea how to pay for upgrades/maintenance to it.
Well, as far as I'm concerned anyone who can get these people to shut up and sit down will be providing a public service.
Besides praying and donating to help immediately I am wondering why the levee's in New Orleans haven't been worked on in over 40 years?? I would like to see heads roll on that one.
He forgot the bag of pork rinds...
Matt: What about the looters?
Gov: They aren't looters. They are voters.
Katrina was an act of God. The design of New Orleans was an act of Man. NO was a disaster waiting to happen.
But I have been praying for NO and Miss.
Katrina was an act of God. The design of New Orleans was an act of Man. NO was a disaster waiting to happen.
But I have been praying for NO and Miss.
Look at the talent pool the Democrats have to draw from, shallower than the flood waters by far.
There were also a few women on tape looting diapers. We also are seeing the same footage over and over again, making it look like thousands are pillaging. It's bad, but it's not that bad. TV distorts reality.
Helping white folks to dance for 70 years...
Well, these pols are a menace. If I were the locals, I'd be praying for the DOD to somehow take charge.
Go ahead and cry for the cameras, make yourself feel better if you can. Those who prefer to learn from failure and suffering rather than wallow in it will gin up their classical American grit and Yank ingenuity, and rise to the challenge by God's grace.
Here's hoping that the cleanup includes the indispensable political element. Dims, vote fraud, and Oprah-ized figurehead leadership, bleah....
It really seems to be the only thing they know how to do.
** I see.
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