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September 13, 2005
Editorial: Where’s the help?
As we all know, many people are still homeless and hungry in Louisiana, two weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area. This should not be so and frankly I am ashamed for the country. The slow reaction by the government has worsened the image of America across the world. Just last Tuesday we started pumping water out of the devastated city.
America sent help faster to the tsunami victims in Southeast Asia than we did to the hurricane refugees in our own country. President Bush surveyed the damage from the sky aboard the comfortable, luxurious Air
Force One. The American people responded with donations of supplies and money before the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) arrived in the region. This shows wonderful things for the generosity of the American people, but it puts our government to shame. According to KSTP TV, $400 million were donated by the American people.
When multiple celebrities take part and get involved (other than Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins) you know it’s bad. Rapper Kanye West spoke out against the media coverage of white versus black people. He brought up the point that the media has shown white families looking for food and black families looting.
Through our various campaigns to liberate Iraq, the president left himself empty-handed when those troops were needed at home. We could not effectively help ourselves.
Congress wants to pass a bill approving a large amount of money to be dedicated to help the hurricane victims, but the American budget can not afford it. All of our money is overseas, “helping” other countries.
Critics are now creating an investigative commission to uncover what happened with FEMA and why they took so long to respond to the devastation in Louisiana. Many people want the director of FEMA fired for his lack of reaction. We should not have so many panels or investigative commissions under one president.
I
t’s amazing how the government has decided to take a “hands-off” role with the people in our own country. This is just symptomatic of a larger problem. What about all the other people in this country who are homeless and hungry from circumstances other than a natural disaster? Where is the government relief fund for them?
Posted by msveum at September 13, 2005 01:06 PM