By Manifesto Joe
Yeah, I know -- natural disasters aren't supposed to be partisan issues. At least, they weren't until Hurricane Katrina. The lack of immediate response then and there, and the continued lack of relief for the ravaged Gulf Coast region, have been shockingly callous.
The response to the Southern California fires has been a sharp contrast. "You gonna be su-prized at ze help you gonna get," proclaimed Kali-for-nee-a Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. I guess you have to be a former Mr. Universe and major action-movie star to be so confident.
Observing at a comfortable distance, I wasn't at all surprised. The only question is whether the Bush administration got on the stick this time because (1) they knew they couldn't afford to botch two major natural disasters in a row, or (2) because San Diego and surrounding areas are mostly white and affluent, in sharp contrast to New Orleans.
I present you two videos, one on each disaster. Judge for yourself.
But wait, there's more:
Manifesto Joe Is An Underground Writer Living In Texas.
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2 comments:
Thousands of people have lost their homes in the California fires.
And speaking of losing one's home, a lot of Americans are going to be finding themselves homeless in the coming year.
A recent report by Congress estimates that 2 million families will lose their homes by the end of next year, due to the subprime mortgage crisis.
2 million familes out on the street---and God knows how many more before this fiasco is over with.
I hope these people understand the Bush Crime Family's blame in this fiasco (with the NeoCons' ongoing advocacy of radical deregulation of the financial markets).
I agree that you can't blame everything on gender and/or race, but this preferential treatment of the people in California over the victims of Katrina is impossible to ignore.
One has to sympathize with people who lose everything, regardless of who they are. Everyone has family treasures that cannot be replaced, and that's heartbreaking for anyone who suffers that kind of loss.
One might say that George the Benevolent is scrambling to provide assistance to Californians because he learned his lesson and wants to do it right this time. One might say that, if one is willing to overlook the difference in the economic needs of the two groups. There is little comparison between desperately poor people who are displaced, and middle-class or well-off people whose homes are insured...even if their insurance doesn't completely cover their loss.
Suggesting that race and economic status is not a factor in this issue is not realistic. I don't begrudge assistance to the people of California, but I'm disgusted with the lack of help for the Katrina victims. Junior has a history of ignoring the needs of the poor. The SCHIP bill is a good example.
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