Laid-back town needs an attitude adjustment(Catholic hammers Chocolate City)

Times Picayune ^ | 2/20/2006 | The Rev. Anthony McGinn

[Neville72]

For decades New Orleans has suffered from attitudes that have contributed to the malaise that has kept it from prospering. After Katrina, New Orleans needs to rebuild its homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and other institutions. But we also need a new way of thinking, an attitude adjustment, for a rebuilt New Orleans.

I told our reunited student body on the first day back at Jesuit High School that each of them had a special calling to contribute to rebuilding our great city. All New Orleanians are called upon to change. A great event such as this hurricane should not leave us unchanged, especially in our attitudes. We can never solve our problems with the same level of thinking that got us here in the first place.

[ArtyFO]

I think they need an altitude adjustment. Build on high ground, not a hole in the ground.

[caryatid]

This is an excellent, insightful article [further excerpted below]:

Blaming others and refusing to take responsibility for our development led to our [New Orleans] being surpassed, first by Dallas, Houston and Atlanta, and then by Birmingham, Austin and Memphis. How long will it take us to fall behind Gainesville, Pascagoula and Macon?

Self-pity destroys confidence and ambition. The rebuilding of New Orleans demands that we have a realistically optimistic attitude and confidence in our ability to restore the greatness of our city. Focusing on what was lost makes it difficult for us to have the strength to rebuild.

God has blessed New Orleans. He has blessed us with the gifts we need to come back strong. He has blessed us with the opportunity to make the changes that will restore that greatness. Let us remove those attitudes that keep us helpless, focused on the past and comfortably mediocre.

Before we condemn our elected leaders for their mistakes, let us look to ourselves, and change our thinking, our passivity and our way of blaming.

. . . . . . .

The Rev. Anthony McGinn, S.J., is principal of Jesuit High School in New Orleans.

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The Jesuits have a long history of providing superior education within a faith based framework. They teach their students to think logically, to reason, to know themselves and, "encourage a life long openness to keep growing". The young men who come out of Jesuit High School in New Orleans are generally self-aware, self-disciplined and well prepared for higher education.

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[JimRed]

Forbidding public housing projects would be a good start, and enforcing standards on the tenants of absentee landlords would help.

[Lancer_N3502A]

End welfare, public housing, and elect conservative city officials.

[RobbyS]

However, I would bet that the Jebbies have never condemned the NOLA habit of living on the dole.

[iowamark]

God has blessed New Orleans. He has blessed us with the gifts we need to come back strong. He has blessed us with the opportunity to make the changes that will restore that greatness. Let us remove those attitudes that keep us helpless, focused on the past and comfortably mediocre.

We could say the same about the entire US, not just New Orleans.

[caryatid]

Amen to that!

[Leo Carpathian]

New Orleans needs to rebuild its homes, businesses, schools, hospitals and other institutions.

While they wait in the hotels, drink beeeeer, and bitch, bitch that gonevermind does nothing for them.

[Lorianne]

"The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them." ___ A. Einstein

There. Properly attributed.

[TexasCajun]

It would be interesting to see the tonage for the Port of Houston (Trinity River) versus the Port of New Orleans (Mississippi River) pre Katrina.

[CajunConservative]

The one's being spoken to are already back. They are the backbone of the community, state and nation. They aren't whining and complaining, they are picking up the pieces and rebuilding their lives. The whiners are just the loud mouths that gets all of the publicity.

[Search4Truth]

I haven't seen more impertinent, rambling, insulting, tripe on a single page in a long time. It only affirms in my mind why I wont be returning to Lakeview.

What about justice, Reverend? What about holding those responsible for this cataclysm accountable for their actions? What about building confidence in those who would rebuild, that they wont be in exactly the same situation next year, or the year after that, by giving justice to those who have lost friends, family and property, because of the ruthless greed of little men. I guess that would be too radical a concept for the Reverend. Might upset the powers that be and rattle too may cages in the congregation.

What New Orleans needs now is more men with the courage to stand up against the corruption that caused this disaster. And less men like the Reverend preaching guilt sermons to the choir.

Those with the wherewithal to rebuild have already done so elsewhere. They are not coming back. I love it where I am now. And I have no intention of returning. At least not until all of those responsible for this disaster have been punished for what they have done.

Perhaps the Reverend can use this lecture again next year, when the 17th street canal levee breaks on the other side and utterly destroys Jefferson parish as well. I wonder if the reverend will feel any responsibility for that or any shame for having soft soaped the real problems.

I am so glad to be out of that city and away from the cowardly attitudes of men like this Reverend. He is indicative of the problems that have existed there for a long time, and not part of the solution. The solution will require bold, courageous men who are willing to fight the status quo tooth and nail.

The turn out of absentee voters in the next election will be a good indication whether New Orleans will ever be coming back.

When your home has been flooded, it is a good time to clean house.

[bigeasy_70118]

One of the reasons I came back was to vote these m----- f----ers out of office. I worked on the lawsuit that forced Blank-o to hold the election in Orleans Parish.

By leaving, you won't be able to hold these people accountable. But I don't blame you. I was ambivalent about returning as late as October. I am glad I did though.

[caryatid]

That's what Google is for:

THE PORT OF HOUSTON:
A total of 6,539 vessel calls were recorded at the Port of Houston during the year 2004, and approximately 200 million tons of cargo moved through the Port in 2004. ========================================================

THE PORTS OF NEW ORLEANS AND SOUTH LOUISIANA:

The "Port of New Orleans", is actually a vast complex of port facilities, with the Port of New Orleans running south of the city, downriver, and the Port of South Louisiana [POSL] running north of the city, upriver, for 54-miles [from Milepost 114 to Milepost 168 along the Mississippi. The POSL is the largest tonnage port district in the western hemisphere, shipping, among other things, 60 percent of the world’s grain

The Port of New Orleans handles about 84 million short tons of cargo a year.

About 5,000 ships from nearly 60 nations dock at the Port of New Orleans annually. The chief exports are grain and other foods from the Midwestern United States and petroleum products. The leading imports include chemicals, cocoa beans, coffee, and petroleum. The port handles more trade with Latin America than does any other U.S. gateway, including Miami.

New Orleans is also a busy port for barges. The barges use the nation's two main inland waterways, the Mississippi River and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, which meet at New Orleans. The port of New Orleans handles about 50,000 barges yearly.

The Port of South Louisiana, which stretches 54 miles along the Mississippi River, is the largest tonnage port district (comprised of facilities in St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, and St. James Parishes) in the Western Hemisphere and ranks fourth in the world. It handled over 248 million tons of cargo in 2004 brought to its terminals by vessel, barge, rail, and truck.

Over 50,000 barges and 4,000 ocean-going vessels call at the port each year, making it the top ranked in the country for export tonnage and total tonnage.

The two ports, combined, would be the 4th largest port in the world.

[Search4Truth]

It is my understanding that those who were registered to vote there, will be able to vote absentee in the coming election. It is the only hope for the city to rid itself of the scourge of corruption that helped to bring this tragedy about.

I wish you Godspeed in your efforts there. But make sure you keep your pirogue near and plenty of MRE's.

[TexasCajun]

Thank you for the info.

(I've been shopping on-line for a new Dell system for home)

decisions decisions

Was Houston or New Orleans on the list for muslim control?

[caryatid]

Those with the wherewithal to rebuild have already done so elsewhere. They are not coming back. I love it where I am now. And I have no intention of returning.

S4T, I view New Orleans from a less immediate perspective than you do. We left nearly 20 years ago. The events that caused us to leave were an irretrievably broken and corrupt government, an imicable business climate, rampant crime/homicide rate, the imposition of a gross receipts tax [LA], the imposition of a city inheritance tax [N.O.] and many more personal things.

Speaking as an ex-pat, I can understand your disillusionment and anger. We did not lose our home ... so I can only empathize with your loss through my experience supporting and housing friends who did.

All of that said, I can only admire those stalwart, brave souls who see New Orleans as an opportunity and who are not only willing, but also eager, to be part of its resurrection.

In time, your anger will subside. I hope you will find peace of mind wherever you are now. We did ... and it is worth a great deal. Good luck to you. Please keep posting to these threads. We value your insight and opinions.

[caryatid]

You're very welcome. Your question piqued my curiosity.

I have had only good luck and happy times with my two Dell computers. My first ... a 380 purchased in 1991 still sits on my desk and is still used for word processing. My second an Inspiron 8600 laptop is one of the great joys of my life ... it travels around the house with me and has given me enormous pleasure. I have never had to have anyone come out to do anything to the 380. My laptop is only two years old ... so, of course, I have never had any problems here, either. I hope never to have to own anything other than a Dell.

I will let you Google muslim control ... and you can get back to me on that ... LOL

[caryatid]

Proof reading is my friend.
Proof reading is my friend.
Proof reading is my friend.

Perhaps if I write it a hundred times ...

imicable business climate = inimical business climate