Now that I have found a way around paying for the NYTimes' stupid "Times select" program for Op-Ed content, I tremendously enjoyed reading Paul Krugman's new column about the effects of race on the response to Katrina.
Personally, though, as happy as I was that Kanye said what he did when he did, I think he may have been dangerously oversimplifying the matter. George Bush doesn't care about black people, but his record would seem to show that he doesn't really care about anyone other than his big rich corporate friends. Why else would he offer FEMA and HUD positions as favors to friends, rather than qualified professionals? Those are vitally important gov't agencies, who primarily serve the people who need federal assistance (i.e. those other than rich white men). This gets me back to the problem, though, which is that if the public gets fixated on this notion of its being largely an issue of race that slowed the Katrina reponse, we won't fixate on all the factors that led to a slow Katrina response. Thoughts?
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I have listened with great interest to several forums for a cross section of commentators and must say that most agree with your point. If we all concentrate on the race factor, which some suggest is the hope of many people in positions of power, then the total ineptitude of our government and apppointees will be pushed to the background and not receive the attention it deserves at this time. I say that not to lessen the effect this tragedy has had on black people but to expand the issue to encompass all the people who were hurt by this disaster and the incompetence that followed it. The chasm between the wealthy and those at the other end of the financial spectrum widens every day, and I can't imagine what we can do to stop it, sadly.
I honestly believe that the whole 'Katrina' thing was initially viewed by Mr. Bush as an annoyance to his real primary objective of the Afghanistan thingie and the Iraqi mess. kitty chan was mentioning to me (originating from crazy lady) that prior to 11SE01, the predicted three most debilitating things to happen to the USA were as follows:
1) A plane crashing into a building in New York
2) A plane crashing into a building in Washington DC
3) A hurricane to hit New Orleans
Guess whose watch all 3 happened on?????
Coincidence?
I honestly believe he is the worst President we have had to suffer under since the 19th century and he is as pathological of a liar as Richard Millhouse Nixon.
Can I please hit the reset button now?
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