Iraq or Katrina--Which should be more important to the USA?

Question

I live in Louisiana and it is STILL a terrible mess down here--people still can't go home because apparently Iraq is much more important to our goverment money wise--not enough $$ to help us rebuild and clean up!!!!!!

Answer 1

It is obvious to me that many posters here have never lived through a hurricane. The hurricane is one thing. The aftermath is quite another. Loss of infrastructure is not something the average citizen can just "clean up" on their own without government assistance. It wasn't the hurricane, but the broken levies which led to flooding of 80% of the city that caused the "disaster". No, the government wasn't responsible for the hurricane, but they WERE responsible for maintaing/repairing/improving the levies so this wouldn't happen.

If we spent even a FRACTION of the hundreds of billions of dollars this country spends on defense to revitalize the Gulf Coast, we'd all be a lot better off as the "patriotic" nation we claim to be. Someone said it earlier. Charity begins at home. Our defense budget is more than all nations of this world COMBINED. Don't tell me there's no money for Katrina victims, or that we've 'spent enough' and now they need to help themselves. You've obviously never been through a hurricane. It changes your whole perspective.

You say let the Katrina victims help themselves? I say let the Iraqi citizens help themselves-- they'll appreciate their "democracy" that much more if it wasn't bought at the cost of American blood. Cold but true, IMHO.

Answer 2

Wow. I am amazed at how ignorant some people are. Yes, we have sent billions of dollars to Louisiana, but obviously some people have no clue on the necessary costs to resolve a natural disaster of this scope. The TOTAL amount of money sent to help Katrina in three years is a fraction of what we spend on the Iraq War every few months! If we cannot help our own people rebuild their lives, how can we expect to help another country rebuild theirs? Why are we even there when we are obviously not capable of rebuilding?

The argument that people are dying in Iraq is a lousy excuse as well. For one thing, they wouldn't be if we had not butted in in the first place. For another thing, people are still dying in New Orleans as a result of the hurricane even today. Their water is polluted, crime is running rampant, and medical care is scarce and unfinanced. It is a joke.

I would not argue that the Katrina issue is MORE important than Iraq right now, but it should at least be on an equal footing. The fact is that we, as a country, ARE responsible for what happened in New Orleans. Had we spent more money on preparing for a disaster everyone knew was coming one day, and less on a war that wasn't even necessary, the levies would have held and the damage would have been much less severe. Had we spent more money on helping resolve the poverty problem in this country, more of the people there would have had the resources and means of getting out. Hundreds and hundreds of lives could have been saved... AMERICAN lives. Innocent, American lives. Anyone who wants to sweep Katrina under the rug right now is a selfish hypocrite.

There. I said it.

Have a nice day!

Answer 3

Cleaning up after Katrina is the obvious answer to your question. It should have been done long ago but the republican controlled congress of that time felt it was an act of a god other than Bush that created the mess so they just couldn't find any inspiration to clean it up. The war in Iraq was far too important to them.

Answer 4

Charity begins at home. We need to clean up our yard before we complain about the neighbors weeds. A lot of the frivolous attatchments to government spending for military could be better spent at home without hurting the soldiers. Do some research an see how mush of the billions allocated actually go to the soldiers or something associated with them.
We need to bring our troops home, and we need to clean up the mess from Katrina..............

Answer 5

your right, but its hard to do that when people when people are trying to cash in with frauds and scams from the government. last i heard there are cases against those who used false identities trying to get money from FEMA.

I think its madness that people on here think that Iraq is more important then an American citizen. is there any wonder why our borders are wide open?

Answer 6

Katrina for sure.
Zatch113 is wrong when he says the US needs oil, we have plenty right here.
The environmentalists are keeping us from drilling for it!!
Let's put our own men back to work on oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and on the Pacific coast and we wouldn't need anyone elses oil at all.
But Bush would rather deplete other country's resources before tapping into our own. Ridiculous !!
Let's help our own 1st !!

Answer 7

Iraq effects the security of all Americans (& many people in other countries). Katrina effects people in NO only.

Answer 8

Iraq.

Louisiana is filled with people that are free american citizens with the capability to rebuild and start a GOOD life again. They don't have to worry about a terrorist organization or insane factions coming in and seizing the area and putting people back in the grip of terror. We don't have to worry about lunatics from Louisianna flying into government buildings or what not...

Iraq is a territory rich in oil that many americans want us to pull out of so that insane factions who hate us can fight and claim control of the land, giving them access to limitless money. These factions would then turn around and start attacking us with the advantage of wealth on their side. On top of that, these factions are terrorists, the very people who planned and executed things like 9/11. They want people who do not bow to Islam to die.

I know you people lost a lot, but honestly, why does the government have to rebuild your lives for you? If you truly honor your homes as much as you say, then why won't you rebuild them? Are you truly too selfish to understand that Louisianna is not the only thing happening in the world, and in the grand scheme of things it is not the most pressing issue our nation is facing? You're not looking for assistance, you're looking for a handout.

So to answer your question plainly... Iraq should be more important... Because if we aren't there, I gaurantee you that there will be a lot more to rebuild in the US than Louisianna in about 5 years.

Answer 9

Billions of dollars HAVE gone to the Katrina relief effort.

There's always something to complain about and it's never going to be enough.

I'm sorry that it's a terrible mess and that lives were inconvienced due to a natural distaster...but it's not like the US Government is responsible for the Hurricane like so many people claim it to be.

The point is, while it is a mess...People are alive in Louisiana right now...people are DYING and being KILLED in Iraq hence the reason we're focusing slightly more on Iraq...but STILL focusing and giving aid to Katrina victims.

Answer 10

Katrina, but unfortunately the oil is in Iraq..and we're jacking their country.