I’m still confused…
Nobody ever explained to me how nearly 2-million people could get into Washington, DC, in freezing weather in one day, when 200,000 couldn’t get out of New Orleans at 80 degrees with four days notice?
Can you explain it?
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(89 votes, average: 4.93 out of 5)Tags: Katrina, Obama, priorities
January 31st, 2009 at 3:32 pm
It’s an Obama miracle!
January 31st, 2009 at 3:41 pm
It’s called laziness…pure and simple. They waited for the government to come help.
January 31st, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I wonder how easy it would be to have a 2-million person tax revolt march in D.C? Bet they’d close the roads and make it impossible if they knew it was coming.
Oh, and it’s coming.
January 31st, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Idiots more willing to run TO disaster than FROM it.
January 31st, 2009 at 4:33 pm
Liberal math.
January 31st, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Both events took place for the same reason. Remember, the Hurricane came ashore on ‘Welfare Weekend” when everyone was expecting
thier check in the mail. Obama promises more money to people that don’t want to work. They wouldn’t leave town because of thier ‘Gubment’ check, and they flocked to D.C. to get one.
January 31st, 2009 at 5:18 pm
R A C I S T!
January 31st, 2009 at 6:58 pm
That’s Beautiful…
January 31st, 2009 at 7:22 pm
It was a miracle. The second miracle is that 1.5 million liberal Democrats attended BHO’s inauguration, and only 14 missed a day of work.
(Note: Yes, I stole this 1-liner/factoid.)
January 31st, 2009 at 8:01 pm
To answer your question Basil: “Uhh, let’s see…. Sorry, no answer.”
Electronic funds transfers/direct deposits to debit cards would have eliminated the excess labor, and additional expense, of printing physical checks and mailing them via USPS. Finding a non-flooded ATM with power might have been another road block, but the whole thing was pathetic.
Before I ask southern Louisiana to get into the 21st century they should probably get into the 20th first.
January 31st, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Simple, Frank. ‘Genius Mayor’ Ray Nagin immobilized by executive order all dem buses that were brought in to actually evacuate people who weren’t going anywhere anyway, believing that the Emergency Braodcast System and endless weather alerts about an impending Cat 5 hurricane were just another prevarication by “The Man”.
Why Ray Nagin and his Chief of Police weren’t charged with criminal negligence is beyond me…
The again…Global Warming is beyond me too. I must be stoopit!
January 31st, 2009 at 8:13 pm
I don’t think #7, Boca Junior, likes us.
Actually, I think he/she is more Boca Grande.
Burp.
January 31st, 2009 at 8:47 pm
It’s obvious, isn’t it? They got on the buses this time.
January 31st, 2009 at 11:17 pm
What Frank J. Witt said. Sorry, but that’s the truth.
January 31st, 2009 at 11:22 pm
Oh my dear, it’s all about priorities. It’s the same idea that happens when people decide to go out, get drunk or worse, then the next morning they call into work because they’re “sick”. Oh and it’s about integrity, but then again that’s too hard and I’m too serious so……..
February 1st, 2009 at 4:11 am
obamagic
February 1st, 2009 at 5:25 am
The people who came to Washington are the “enlightened” ones! The people who stayed in Nawlins’ are the rest of us rubes who need the “enlightened” ones to protect us rubes from ourselves by passing laws! They take examples from classic stupidity (sticking around while a class V storm moves in) and they tell the rest of us that we are as stupid as those people and need the Nanny State to make sure “This Never Happens Again” so they pass laws that involve taking money out of our wallets and sending it to the “enlightened” people. We rubes then reward them by voting for more of the “enlightened” ones for office because we are just that…rubes!
February 1st, 2009 at 7:50 am
It’s Feb. 1st. Write something new.
[You didn't make the connection to the current story about those suffering because of the storms, huh? - B]
February 1st, 2009 at 7:50 am
I’m still baffled that they continue to live in a city next to the ocean, which is primarily built below sea level, prone to tropical storms and hurricanes… and yet they had no personal escape plans. What is even more disturbing is that many of them have returned! So we will get to see how things are handled “next time”… ugh.
February 1st, 2009 at 9:26 am
Many demanded pizza and beer, according to one volunteer, describing conditions in the stadium to a talk radio host…
Yup.
February 1st, 2009 at 10:13 am
Amphibious Waffle Vans. That’s the solution “next time.” Obama will have FEMA get right on it.
And #15 is either too serious or not serious enough.
February 1st, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Both events can be sumed up in with one word STUPIDITY / #4 innominatus said it best
February 1st, 2009 at 1:04 pm
The D.C. event was through the Blessed Power of The Dear Leader, All Praise and Glory be upon Him and the Blessed Change that He brings us, and is yet another miracle demonstrating His Devine Power.
February 1st, 2009 at 1:26 pm
Don’t you know that nobody could get out of New Orleans because when Bush summoned Katrina with his WEATHER MACHINE OV DOOM, he also put up a force field around all the exits to the city? He obviously wanted the black people all wiped out so that he could drill for oil under their houses!
…is what your average liberal would say.
February 1st, 2009 at 4:04 pm
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? They got on the buses this time.” The truth.
“Don’t you know that nobody could get out of New Orleans because when Bush summoned Katrina with his WEATHER MACHINE OV DOOM, he also put up a force field around all the exits to the city? He obviously wanted the black people all wiped out so that he could drill for oil under their houses!” – FOR THE WIN!
February 1st, 2009 at 4:42 pm
I dont remember the exact quote, but after Katrina, Bill O’Reilly said there are two kinds of people in this county; those who rely on the government and those who rely on themselves. Those who relied on government ended up on the roof of their houses waiting for a helicopter to rescue them. Those who relied on themselves, got the hell out of town. Most of New Orleans is on the public dole one way or the other so they are used to relying on government.
February 1st, 2009 at 8:50 pm
I dont remember the exact quote, but after Katrina, Bill O’Reilly said there are two kinds of people in this county; those who rely on the government
and those who rely on themselves.and those who really like to loot stuff.Here, fixed that for ya.
[I always noticed that those that depend on the government and those that loot are one and the same. You know, lazy liberals. - B]
February 1st, 2009 at 10:51 pm
It’s just like the Million Man March, but doubled. If 100,000 people can become a million, then 150,000 people can become two million.
February 1st, 2009 at 10:52 pm
The Inauguation was a certainty, a scheduled date set by the Constitution .
Katrina’s arrival was preceded by years of near misses
and incorrect predictions by weathermen.
I think that explains some of the lack of preparedness.
The prospect of certain death abeyed only by corrupt local levee boards probably caused most intellegent residents to move out over the years, leaving helpless folks who believed their thugocracy would take care of them.
Plus, as the storm’s course was certain to strike N.O.
Mayor Nagin and Gov. Blanco proved themselves to be feckless morons who resisted any help from the feds till it was obvious they had no clue what they were doing.
They as much as told them that line from Animal House,
” Hey , you f—ed up. You trusted us!
February 2nd, 2009 at 12:23 am
Well, the 2 million people had a thing called Hope. See, Hope is known to be the most powerful thing in the world; it can fix economies, end terrorism, turn blood-thirsty dictators into America-loving sweethearts – just generally fix every problem in the world, as well as generate even more Hope.
February 2nd, 2009 at 6:21 am
And as I remember it…there was a major gay thing scheduled for the weekend in Nawlin’s. A buggerin’ a plenty had to cause some smotin’ from on high…
February 2nd, 2009 at 8:53 am
They came because they were getting something. A whole flipping government, there for their incompetent use and abuse. There was no payoff for Katrina. Stay or leave, they weren’t getting anything. Yes I realize they got looted stuff, but it was payback for what they lost…….that’s how it works in “Tribemerica”
Priorities, there’s the motivator.
February 2nd, 2009 at 9:29 am
Having seen first hand, and babysat the people of which you speak.They would die rather than lift a finger to help themselves. My first impression was why let my family die on the side of the interstate highway, I’m gonna gather enough water for myself and my family and hump the 8 miles to the next town. Unless you’ve lived amongst them, do not try to understand their mentality…..you cant.
February 2nd, 2009 at 10:15 am
I heard a report on IRN, that a satelite expert from, of all places berkeley, estimated the crowd between 600 and 800,000. Well short of the 2 million reported by thats one press corp. so it sounds a lot like the typical public education obtained by thier kind, 2+2 = 6 million.
February 2nd, 2009 at 3:59 pm
So when do I get to start thinning the herd?
February 2nd, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Oh, God, please do. Now! Now would be a good time.
February 2nd, 2009 at 8:36 pm
Y’all better watch out what you ask for. God has a habit of answering prayers differently than we hoped. As in, if you ask for patience He gives you things to practice patience on. I’m alway circumspect in what I ask for. He (God) has an infinite and awesome sense of humor as well as irony.
February 3rd, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Basil,
I just got one of those chain emails with this quoted, but your name wasn’t to been seen. Looks like you need to bring the hurt. Thought you should know
[Where do you think I stole it? - B]
February 3rd, 2009 at 9:10 pm
All they needed was some encouragement dudes! Lay off you big boys! Haven’t you heard, no more bills since Obama”s in charge. No gas, no rent, crap, all they have to pay for is bullets and beer. They gots it made now, sit down slow and pretty and collect the checks!
February 4th, 2009 at 2:31 am
okay… anyone who blames the residents of New Orleans for being killed by hurricane Katrina is an ignorant dumb fu@k ! I mean come on! It was NOT because they were lazy, it’s because the damn levies broke because the same government that refused to maintain/repair those levies were incompetent in putting forth an adequate response to this horrific tragedy.
#6:“They wouldn’t leave town because of thier ‘Gubment’ check, and they flocked to D.C. to get one.” ….That is one of the most insensitive, and yes RACIST, remarks I’ve ever heard. Nearly 2,000 PEOPLE died YOU A$$ HOLES!!!
February 4th, 2009 at 2:45 am
Who the hell are “the people” who”would rather die than lift a finger to help themselves” and “unless you’ve lived amongst them, [you can not] understand their mentality” that #33 is talking about?
February 4th, 2009 at 3:09 am
…I may have come off a little strong. My point is simple: this is extremely insensitive and at all funny.
[There was outrage at the federal government over the situation as a result of Katrina. However, just across the state line, in Mississippi, folks handled it different. They didn't wait on the government to bus them out.
The difference is that because of the ethic of most of the people in Mississippi (black, white, brown, purple, whatever), they took action themselves. Most people in Mississippi (which has a much higher minority population than Louisiana) got off their asses and did something about the situation. The positive: fewer people died. The negative: Louisiana got more federal assistance.
Here's the thing: if another Katrina hit, we'd have a repeat.
It's called personal responsibility. Mississippi has it. New Orleans, not so much. - B]
February 4th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Seriously, it took that hurricane four days to reach New Orleans. There were busses parked in the school bus lot. Evacuation for people who wanted to leave was made available. The Federal Government told people to leave. What else do they have to do, come by with an engraved invitation, haul them out in handcuffs, or bribe them with more federal tax dollars/
I like most Americans abhor the loss of life, but I am frankly sick and tired of people making bad decisions and blaming everyone else for them.
Let’s not talk about the looting, assault of police, firemen and EMT’s that went on both before and after. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. New Orleans has alway been somewhat lawless, mired in corruption, decadence and depravity. If the levy system was flawed who’s really to blame, some government bureaucrat who comes out once a year or the corrupt officials and workers who were responsible for seeing to the upkeep of the levies every day.
There are ALWAYS consequences for bad behavior, either at the time or in the future and most of them don’t come from God. They are the results of choices. Stick you hand in fire often enough and it will burn, no divine retribution there. Why is it that most people in the world today can’t see that actions have consequences……everytime, everyday, everywhere.
February 4th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Basil and mostly everyone else is still missing an important point: the residents of New Orleans were accustom to hurricanes and extreme weather But in this case, THE LEVIES BROKE! That is why the number of casualties was so high. Sure if everyone had left the city the number of casualties would have been much, much lower, but it was simply not foreseen that the levies would give way. Now the question arises: who is responsible for the levies giving way? I know this much: NOT the poor folks who were the victims of this horrific catastrophe.
February 5th, 2009 at 7:52 am
Frank, you just got someone fired:
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politics/local/article973513.ece
February 5th, 2009 at 7:54 am
I should add, before anyone flames, the above was said kind of tongue in cheek. A Republican should know better than to send an e-mail like that out in a work environment. It’s completely her fault. Would have been nice to see it tie back here for some free press though.
[See comment #38 above. - B]