Katrina Aftermath - whatever happened to personal responsibility?

by EscapedLifer1 54 Replies latest social current

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  startingover

  I agree wih you Brandon. If I was in that situation and had to stay and ride it out, I would definitely have put something together just in case, It wouldn't have had to be much. I'd be on the roof with you. Especially if I lived in an area like that.
  

  And if I ran out of supplies I for sure wouldn't be sitting around, I'd be walking. It seems to me that alot of those complaining are used to the government taking care of them through all the programs available and are now demanding what they are used to. To be honest, the groups I see hanging around the streets on the news look like the ones that populate our local welfare office.
• 

  EscapedLifer1

  DevonMcBride,

  Rather than blame the people for not taking responsibility, I think the blame goes to the local governments for being ill-prepared for a diseaster that was bound to happen

  I just saw on CNN that a series of NOLA newspaper articles a few years ago accurately predicted exactly what has happened. Their projections and research were right on. It is beginning to appear that, at least at the local level, the government did know ahead of time just how bad a direct strike like this would be. The big decisions requiring long term thinking and long term investment to mitigate such enormous damage apparently weren't made. After the rush of emergency rescue efforts has subsided, it appears that those in positions of authority will have a lot of explaining to do.

  However, I still believe that there are scores of folks who should have taken responsibility for themselves and prepared, rather than sit back and wait on the government to take care of them.

  Brandon
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  doodle-v

  Why don't they start walking? It's a fair question. One of the reporters got out of town very easily. I would think they could start walking at least.

  I think many of them probably did. However many seem to forget the fact that it in 90 degree heat with 100 percent humidity, no food, no water and perhaps several children and small babies with you, that it can be pretty difficult to say the least to just "start walking".
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  doodle-v

  To be honest, the groups I see hanging around the streets on the news look like the ones that populate our local welfare office.

  That doesn't even deserve a response. You should be ashamed of yourself.
• 

  katiekitten

  I feel totally sorry for all those poor people who have lost everything and have no food and water, no sanitation, no change of clothes. I cant imagine what it must be like to have a job and a home and a car one day, and the next day to be sat in the rubble that was your life.

  However, there are some people we are beginning to see on English TV who are sat in more or less intact houses, sat in their yards on chairs bitching about how the government hasnt reached them yet. I think at least those people should have had an emergency box put away.

  On the other hand, many may well have had an emergency box, and it got washed away with the house and the car and everything else.

  There are no easy answers. We try to reassure ourselves that if we were in that position we would be better prepared, but the truth is we could so easily end up looking like we were straight from a welfare queue, no matter how posh our knickers used to be.
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  Abaddon

  And now some facts from someone who is actually there;
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  nilfun

  Thanks so much for posting that, (Abaddon))
• 

  sonnyboy

  I would definitely have put something together just in case, It wouldn't have had to be much.

  Who's to say that many of them didn't have a stash of food in preparation for the storm? I'm sure their cupboards weren't completely bare before Katrina struck.

  Did you see their homes? How were they supposed to get to their food, scuba dive? Most of them were completely flooded all the way up to the rooftops. And other homes were completely washed away, or at least the contents were washed out. Obviously the food went downstream along with everything else.

  It's easy for us to sit here behind our computers and say what people should have done when we really have no idea what's going on.
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  sixsixsixtynine

  It seems to me that alot of those complaining are used to the government taking care of them through all the programs available and are now demanding what they are used to.

  I believe this is absolutely true. There are thousands of people in New Orleans living in extreme poverty, who have been on government assistance for generations. Who is to blame for the situation (the government or idividual) is beside the point. It's the reality.
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  upside/down

  OMG

  It seems to me that alot of those complaining are used to the government taking care of them through all the programs available and are now demanding what they are used to. To be honest, the groups I see hanging around the streets on the news look like the ones that populate our local welfare office

  Someone had the balls to say it! I'm impressed.

  Why is the "truth" so hard for some to swallow....? And don't even start up with any racist shit...Where the hell is Jesse Jackson anyways?

  u/d(of the carry your own weight, or at least try to...class)