I thought you all might be interested to read this insightful commentary on the Hurricane Katrina disaster by a non-Christian, libertarian journalist from the Intellectual Activist. http://tiadaily.com/php-bin/news/showArticle.php?id=1026
I'm taking a poll:
What do you think plays the greatest role in the destruction of New Orleans?
A. The hurricane's winds and water.
B. The Federal government's inefficiency.
C. The New Orleans/Louisiana failure to plan.
D. The entitlement mentality.
Just click on "Comments" to post your opinion.
2 comments:
I think there's been destruction on many different levels.
The winds and water have certainly decimated the city and environs. I think the Fed's in-efficacy is less to blame than the LA failure to plan for something like this. Things like this are primarily a state concern, so their responsibility to the people of the state is much greater than the Fed's.
I think that in the long term it is the mentality of the people that is doing them the most harm. I don't know anyone who will deny that conditions down there are absolutely terrible, but as I watch these people on the news, much of what is being done to make the situation better is being done by private organizations from outside the state. The victims ask why no one came sooner and why there is not enough, and why no one is getting them out. Instead of pulling together they are complaining and expecting others to fix their problem - others who don't know their city/resources/needs nearly as well as they do themselves. It seems that they have become their own worst enemy.
As I have watched the events of Katrina unfold and listened to TV news casts and radio I think that the "entitlement mentality" has hurt many folks. The common thought expressed is that help is being expected from outside. Most seem to be waiting for others to take care of them. What happened to personal responsibility? Of course, I have never experienced this kind of devastation or loss so maybe I'm naive in my thoughts. My second thought is that the local government failed on a large scale. I've heard others read from New Orleans evacuation plan and it is obvious that this plan was not implemented. For the local and state governments to point fingers at the Federal Government is wrong. But, the Feds have had their own failings. I've read of churches who are reaching out to help victims and are unable to access the many supplies available from FEMA because FEMA is afraid to work with religious organizations! Churches have people sleeping on floors while FEMA has cots stored in warehouses! It would be wonderful if lessons could be learned from this disaster, but I'm not very optimistic that will happen.
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