I think we now must admit that our government has utterly failed us.
1. The flooding of New Orleans was preventable. The governmental leaders have known for decades that what has just happened was possible. And they knew it could be engineered to prevent it. Yet they failed to do so and instead tried to get by on the cheap and rely on luck. Now we have a major American city that is dead. This didn't have to happen. It was preventable.
2. We have had no rational energy policy in this country. We haven't increased the CAFE standards to better our gas mileage but instead have allowed them to be eased so people could basically drive "tanks" that guzzle gasoline. We haven't allowed drilling in places rich with oil and gas in this country. We haven't built new refineries because of environmental restriction and the Not-In-My-Back-Yard(NIMBY) attitude. We haven't enacted a common sense energy plan such as http://www.setamericafree.org/blueprint.pdf . Now we are having gasoline and natural gas and heating oil prices go up, up, up and up. This didn't have to happen. It was preventable.
This cuts across party lines. This cuts across all levels of government. Frankly, I think it's time to throw ideology out the window. I think the Democrat and Republican Parties are the responsible parties in this. And the minor parties are too narrowly based ideologically to save the day. What we need is a political movement that is practical in its orientation. I wish a leader would arise that would be a true problem solver instead of merely looking toward the next election, next political contribution, and rewarding his political friends. Both of the major political parties are guilty of this in spades.
Therefore, we can all keep debating each other over our ideologies and continue to see things deteriorate by arguing over who gets to sit in the deck chairs while the ship goes down, or we can dump our ideologies and get to building America and working to solve our problems.
I choose to do the latter. I am optimistic that other people will do the same once they realize the gravity of the situation.
A Failure of Government in These United States
Discussion in 'Political Debate & Discussion' started by KenH, Aug 31, 2005.
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I find it incredible that with Rescue Operations going on, there are two hospitals sitting in 6 feet of water in New Orleans that have been without any power since Sunday night & this is Wednesday, and no rescue operation has thought to evacuate the hospital staffs and patients - there are 1000 in one hospital alone. One hospital has called in several times to MSNBC, but still no word on evacuation from authorities. I just find it beyond belief.
I find it incredible that the Navy ships weren't dispatched until today.
I find it incredible that no one really seems to know how to organize the evacuation process and plan for these things ahead of time, for the worst case scenario, with all the millions of tax dollars being thrown at different agencies.
The NOLA experience and heart break we are seeing now is the result of government failure, not heeding the possible scenario that was predicted by experts for a long time. Sadly, innocent lives are ruined because of the apathy of politicians.
One would think our leaders at all levels would have their ducks in a row in planning for catastrophic events of all types, but it is quite evident they do not. -
I agree with both of you.
I thought Bill O'Reilly made a lot of sense tonight in his talking points about where we should go from here to handle this disaster which could have been prevented (but now that we are there, let's deal with it). Check out his talking points on the website on Fox News.
He also illustrated the truth of your point in his interview with a retired General from the Army corps of Engineers tonight when he asked him why, when they knew they could have got a cat. 5 hurricane, did they build the levies to only withstand a cat. 3 hurricane. The guy just sat there with a deer in the headlights look on his face.
Joseph Botwinick -
Here's at least some explanation:
[ August 31, 2005, 10:17 PM: Message edited by: LadyEagle ] -
Makes you wonder what else we're dropping the ball on...
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More Bush bashing won't solve the problem. There is guilt all over the hands of both major political parties. Their interest is only about who is in power and gets to call the shots. Period.
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Levees built by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers guide the Mississippi River and its silt through a narrow shipping channel to the Gulf of Mexico. Now, when the wetlands are eroded by storms, there's no dirt to rebuild them. "We now have a levee system to nearly the edge of the continental shelf, so the sediment gets dumped off ... into the deep part of the Gulf, and it doesn't build land any more," says Stephen Nelson, a professor of geology at Tulane University, so the barrier wetlands are disappearing. "We're losing our protection from hurricanes, and the biggest worry about flooding around [New Orleans] comes from hurricanes."
Source: http://whyfiles.org/107flood/4.html
They were talking about this on the news the other night, and saying how by building the levees they have caused the city to "sink" below sea level which has made it more of a danger zone during hurricanes. -
Joseph Botwinick -
A reporter on MSNBC just said that there is "no one in charge" at the Super Dome and it is a very unsafe place.
Who is supposed to be in charge? The Mayor? The Governor?
This is NOT supposed to be happening in America, Folks! The military was deployed IMMEDIATELY to the tsunami victims. -
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The incompetence cuts across both major party lines. We need a new political movement in this country that cares about solving problems.
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Here is the O'Reilly strategy:
1. Looters and other exploiters should be prosecuted to the fullest extent.
2. All Americans should immediately limit gas and oil consumption.
3. The Energy Secretary should warn oil companies not to profiteer. Profits should be cut 20%. Any oil company which doesn't voluntarily comply with that should be exposed and publicly shamed.
4. President Bush should ask OPEC to drop the price of oil and stop gouging. According to Bill, it cost OPEC $4 a barrel to produce the crude, and they are charging $70 a barrell.
5. Americans should help the Red Cross and other legitimate charities.
6. Southern hotel owners should inform authorities of vacancies. And no price gouging!
7. Over the next few weeks, the Factor will watch the powerful. We'll tell you who's helping Katrina's victims and who's hurting them. That includes you oil company CEO's. You're on notice. -
The retired commander of the Army COE said this:
We wish we would have invested the money into stronger levees.
That was his answer.
Joseph Botwinick -
From what I understand, it's the levees that have caused the dangerzone by destroying the wetlands.
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So why are they shipping the evacuees to Houston? Wouldn't it make more sense to put up temporary lodging, etc., in an abandoned military base?
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Of course, it would, LE. But remember, this is the government calling the shots. And the government has proven, in spades, that it is incompetent.
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LE,
Where would you suggest? It seems as if Houston and the Astrodome is prepared and set up to take care of these folks. What's the problem with that?
Joseph Botwinick -
For how long? These 1 million who are now homeless and jobless will have to stay away for at least a month, are they going to live in the Astrodome for a month? I'm not complaining, I am glad to see that Houston is trying to help, I am just curious as to what a long-term solution for 1 million people will be, they are all in my prayers!
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It'll take at least a month to pump out all the water according to government officials(not that I would put any stock in their words). Then everything will have to be cleaned up to a certain extent before houses and businesses are livable and usable.
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