An article in the New Orleans Times Picayune titled “Wounded Piece of the Nation” should be required reading for all Americans.
We’re all busy with our own lives, of course, and so it is easy to forget about how severely impacted the people of New Orleans were by flooding that was the Bush administration’s fault. Forgetting about it becomes easier thanks to the Bush administration’s strategic move of keeping news about New Orleans as much on the down low as possible.
I can hear already the Bush supporters’ counterargument of “You can’t blame Bush for a storm.” But the thing is, I’m not blaming Bush for a storm. I’m blaming him for the flooding. He had full knowledge of the environmental impact of not protecting the wetlands, but he did not protect the wetlands. He had full knowledge in early 2001 that the levee system needed to be upgraded but he did not upgrade it. He made decisions known to lead to perilous conditions vis-à-vis storms and thus he is responsible for the floods. The floods were his fault.
There was a proposed land buy-out program of which Louisianans were hopeful; Bush allowed the plan to be scotched. Meanwhile, there are people who were promised FEMA trailers but have not gotten them and so are sleeping in tents.
We should all keep in mind that the fathomless Bush incompetence combined with lack of caring could land any one of us in a similar predicament, and we should insist that our government take proper care of those people in the south.