Posted on 09/08/2005 8:07:54 AM PDT by Millee
The neglect of the nation's poor that has become so evident in New Orleans is happening in other major cities as well, the head of the United Way said Wednesday.
"This is a wake-up call for America," said Brian Gallagher, president and chief executive officer of United Way of America, which has taken a lead role in resettling tens of thousands of Hurricane Katrina survivors.
Gallagher and other leaders of charitable groups met with President Bush on Tuesday to plead for a long-term solution.
Gallagher said he told Bush a commitment to spend billions of dollars on flood walls, hotels and casinos must be met with billions more spent on human infrastructure such as mixed-income housing, community policing, green space and other needs.
"It would be a moral mistake to rebuild certain neighborhoods back the way they were, and economically it would be a mistake," Gallagher said.
"While New Orleans poverty numbers are extreme, they are not vastly different than the majority of major cities in America," he said.
Gallagher said Bush told the group the hurricane-damaged area would get long-term attention, not just a Band-Aid response.
United Way, the nation's largest privately funded nonprofit with $4 billion in annual fundraising, has received as much as $20 million in new donations since the hurricane hit, Gallagher said.
Maybe if we put our heads together we can figure out a way that you could turn it into a victory for the Salvation Army? And maybe even get that free lunch for those "sheer-ees" you work with!
There must be some way to force them to admit that unless they allow your personal donation to go to the Salvation Army, that they're not really in it for the charity of it, but for the appearance of charity.
(Standing up, applauding!) Great post!
Rush telling a different story about the lockdown. It was people NOT storm refugees trying to cash in and shake down the victims.
No. They just declared war on them.
You're reading my mind. In fact, when I dropped a receipt on them showing my $500.00 donation to the Salvation Army for Katrina and challenged them, I think I pissed off the boss. More in one shot than they give all year to United Way ( at 1% of weekly payroll.)
No "neglect," Mr. Reporter. Rather the opposite.
It is Lyndon Johnson's Great Society that has given us the "poor" we have today. Those programs taught the poor that if they were irresponsible, the government would reward them.
Marvin Olasky wrote a book about this with a great title: The Tragedy of American Compassion.
Maybe it was both (poor behavior on the part of people in line, AND non-evacuees trying to sneak in and shake down recipients -- or get a piece of the pie themselves).
In any case, the first FR thread on this topic got pulled for inappropriate posts, I'm told.
Hope some reporter at the Astrodome will have the courage to tell us the truth of what happened.
Woah! I bet that rocked them back on their heels!
I've heard so many posters here on FR with complaints about the United Way and the Red Cross. We should have a thread just to discuss what we like and don't like about a particular charity, where we can share what we have learned about each one, good or bad.
The bad I have beard about the United Way is that they support abortion, and the acceptance of homosexuality as normal behavior.
The bad I have heard about the Red Cross is mostly related to the announcement that they would take funds that had been specifically earmarked for 9-11 victims and redirect it towards other places. At least that's what I seem to recall about them.
I've heard only good about the Salvation Army, and I have donated my used personal belongings to their stores at least a dozen times over my life. Everything from clothes to beds to LazyBoys, couches, toys, games, kitchen utensils, blankets and sheets, computers, monitors, shoes, and money. Probably a couple of tons of stuff over the years. Everything but tools... I can't get rid of tools! :) They're always thankful to get it, I know they put it to good use, and it has kept me from having to have garage sales. :) They're my personal favorite.
You hit it on the head. Take two candidates:
Candidate A: Makes people's lives better, but doesn't tell people what they want to hear.
Candidate B: People's lives aren't better, but says what they want to hear.
The poor will vote for Candidate B every single time.
I don't know if McKinley had the full story, but she didn't say anything about non-evacuees trying to sneak in.
She said the Astrodome lockdown was because of "crowd control" problems -- that the crowd started amassing very early in the morning to wait for the debit cards, and that there weren't enough police, barriers etc. to keep them in control.
So according to McKinley, people were getting very angry at others cutting in line, etc. Also some were having asthma attacks.
She said that as of about 7am, more police moved in with metal barriers, and that the situation got better after that.
It's been a quagmire for 40 years.
Didn't Jesus say that the poor would always be among us?
It's not up to the government or whitey to take care of everyone. There has to be personal responsibility as well. Bill Cosby knows that, bless him! Why don't the rest of the black community know it? It seems like no matter what you do for some people, it's never enough!
Everyone has bills to pay and families to feed and I'm gonna take care of my own before I give handouts to someone else.
Sorry, but that's how I feel!
At the suggestion of writer Michelle Malkin last Friday, I have cobbled together a blogsite called Texas Clearinghouse for Katrina Aid to serve as a clearinghouse for refugee efforts in Texas.
Texas is getting more refugees than any other state -- that's fine, we'll take them all -- but we need help providing them with food, clothing, medicine, and shelter. We need help taking care of their pets, too.
If you are a refugee, you can information that will help you find relief. If you want to donate or volunteer, you can find someone who needs you. Believe me, there are a lot of organizations who need your help.
Right now the site mostly covers Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas but I'm adding more every night. My wife was down at Reunion Arena in Dallas Tuesday handing out care packages and spiritually ministering to the refugees as a representative of her employer. She says that the situation is tragic and that there's a lot of work to be done. There are so many children who don't know where their parents are or even if their parents are still alive.
There are a lot of churches and other organizations in Texas that need help in dealing with the problem and I would appreciate it if you would get the word out.
Many thanks,
Michael McCullough
Stingray blogsite
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