An Editorial: It's time for a nation to return the favor

The Times Picayune [New Orleans, LA] ^ | Sunday, November 20, 2005

[caryatid]

The federal government wrapped levees around greater New Orleans so that the rest of the country could share in our bounty.

Americans wanted the oil and gas that flow freely off our shores .... the oysters and shrimp and flaky Gulf fish that live in abundance in our waters ...[the use of our ports ...coffee and steel.

They wanted more than that, though. They wanted to share in our spirit. They wanted to sample the joyous beauty of our jazz and our food. And we were happy to oblige them.

...

Great cities are made by their place and their people, their beauty and their risk. Water flows around and through most of them. And one of the greatest bodies of water in the land flows through this one: the Mississippi.

...

Some people in Washington ...seem to ... act as if we are a burden. They act as if we wore our skirts too short and invited trouble.

We can't put up with that. We have to stand up for ourselves. Whether you are back at home or still in exile waiting to return, let Congress know that this metro area must be made safe from future storms. Call and write the leaders who are deciding our fate. Get your family and friends in other states to do the same. Start with members of the Environment and Public Works and Appropriations committees in the Senate, and Transportation and Appropriations in the House. Flood them with mail the way we were flooded by Katrina.

Remind them that this is a singular American city and that this nation still needs what we can give it.

[caryatid]

Editorial comment from The Times Picayune [New Orleans LA] ....

These folks have not come to grips with the fact that their demands and inflated sense of entitlement are not getting them anywhere with the rest of the country.

Instead of acting like the folks who lost everything and yet have been feeding troops ... these folks are sitting back and waiting and demanding and whining.

Sadly, the beaucoup good folks in Louisiana are not getting the attention they need ... and are being damaged by their politicians and newspapers.

[caryatid]

* Louisiana PING *

[Lancey Howard]

Yeah okay, we'll repay you. The folks at the Times Picayune can come on up to Philly and get the clap for free.

[PhiKapMom]

I live in an oil and gas state so that argument for me is bogus. When they throw out their corrupt politicians, I might listen but not until then.

Did they ever hear of rebuilding their own city with their own hard work instead of expecting handouts?

[IronJack]

The federal government wrapped levees around greater New Orleans so that the rest of the country could share in our bounty.

Sounds to me like New Orleans shared in the country's bounty, not the other way around.

I suspect most of New Orleans' "bounty" is available a dozen other places, cheaper, cleaner, and safer.

[caryatid]

I read this editorial a number of times before I posted it.

I was so put off by the unmitigated arrogance, sense of entitlement and aberrant thought processes that produced the editorial that I almost did not post it.

I do not seek to further alienate FReepers from a City that I once loved.

But, if the Times Picayune is wantonly reckless enough to publilsh something like this ... well, perhaps they deserve whatever reaction they generate.

I will await the first posting of Schadenfreude....

[river rat]

I still favor blowing the rest of the levees, and reduce New Orleans to whatever remains above sea level....

The locals and their choice of corrupt politicians at EVERY level -- have proved themselves incapable of affordable self government....
I for one, am NOT interested in seeing Federal tax dollars go to sustain a population and corrupt feckless political infrastructure that conducted themselves in a disgusting manner.....

Then, dedicate all the high ground to PRODUCTIVE commercial uses: Oil, gas, fisheries, docks, airfields, etc.....

Move the bars, honky tonks, Jazz spots, leaches, pimps, and welfare brood mares --- inland far enough to be above sea level..

Semper Fi

[DLfromthedesert]

They should be writing to the Sierra Club and the judges who stopped the beefing up of the levies.

[ark_girl]

Well...clearly the people of New Orleans never took vacations in Florida or purchased cars made in Detroit. The probably also wore clothes made of cotton, clearly grown in the New Orleans city limits. Furthermore, they gave the country oil for free.

The author doesn't appear to be someone who ever participated in events involving teamwork. Otherwise, they would understand that the country works TOGETHER to get by on a day to day basis. The ankle bone is connected to the shin bone. The shin bone is connected to the...thigh bone....yadda yadda.

Furthermore, I live in Arkansas. I didn't get to vote on who their mayors were. I also didn't get any input when they mis-appropriated funds to fortify the levee.

[FlingWingFlyer]

My President has taken a total clobbering in the Liberal MSM because of the stupidity of the morons living in New Orleans. Because the N'Awlins morons refused to evacute when they were told to do so, President Bush has been accused of everything from racism to murder. You porkers in N'Awlins can KMA.

[CFC__VRWC]

Screw you, Times Picayune. It was because of your whining and screeching and stamping your feet with your hands out, demanding that we just give you and your elected criminals a blank check and then look away while you spent it as you pleased, that I donated only to charities that would keep my money in Alabama and Mississippi.

And as for the people in Texas and Florida and other states that did open their hearts, homes and wallets to you, you've given them nothing but the back of your hand, wailing that they haven't done enough and accusing them of "capitalizing" on the catastrophe. As if they really thought they were improving their communities by taking in the gang-bangers, juicers, dope fiends and welfare scum that made up 90 percent of that putrid shithole you call a city. Even now, all you care about is how you're going to round up and ship back enough of the human debris to ensure that the same crooks whose graft and incompetence largely caused the disaster that was the Katrina aftermath get to keep their little fiefdoms.

Just keep on squealing about how we don't care and about how it's all Bush's fault. Keep pitching your little fits and spreading more lies about how we turned our backs on you and doing nothing but holding your hands out whhile the rest of the Gulf Coast just quietly goes about getting their communities put back together again. Just keep it up and maybe you'll even manage to piss off a solid majority of us outside of Louisiana.

[sgtbono2002]

I went to new Orleans once. That was enough for me, The streets were filthy , homo's and drunks were everywhere,. the food was overpriced and the slot machines hadnt been hit since before the war. They served iced alcoholic drinks from slurpee machines,I dont know why they have an age limit on drinking these drinks there isnt enough alcohol in there to make a bird drunk.The whole town was one big rip off.

[RobbyS]

Wait a minute, what a minute! Please tell us why those levees weren't fixed right in the first place. La gets more money each year for such stuff than any other state. If the Federal money had been well-spent, you wouldn't have this problem.

[H. Paul Pressler IV]

Good luck next time a hurricane wipes you out in Florida.

[caryatid]

The whole town was one big rip off.

LOL ... Sarge, one of dearest relatives could have posted this.

[RobbyS]

Don't hold back. let it all out!

[kingu]

Oil and gas off the shores? Sorry, New Orleans has nothing to do with that. That has to do with the southern parishes that are still getting the shaft because of the money pit that is the metro area there.

Shrimp and other bounties? Again, that has to do with areas outside the metro area, including Mississippi and Alabama that are also getting the shaft because of the money pit.

The Times Picayune needs to remove the blinders and realize that there are far more people affected outside the metro area who have legitimate needs whereas the metro area needs to handle their problems themselves. We owe them nothing; they owe us if they wish to continue living there. Issue bonds, pay for the upgrades and handle the problem. Stop looking towards the federal government for your desires because no one HAS to live in that metro area.

If this is unclear to the Times Picayune, they should look around and realize how much industry continued on while New Orleans was shut down completely. For a month, it was an abandoned city, and the world hardly noticed.

[ark_girl]

Your forgetting the fact that their brat kids aren't behaving in the schools in the communities hosting them. Also, your street scum are trashing the housing that is being provided. In shorting, they're continually biting the hand trying to feed them. They're DARN lucky they're largely in Bible belt states. They're being helped by people who believe in turning the other cheek. They're also being helped by people taught to help each other for love of God, not of the people you're helping. They'd be having issues if not for that because the private Christian groups have been a MAJOR reason they're not in a world of hurt waiting on the government to do stuff for them.