Why is it that people of New Orleans think that the government owes them anything?

Question

I don't think we the people of the United States need to listen to all the bull crap about no body helping them. If you lost your house and had no insurance it is not the governments fault.

Answer 1

Excellent question. The government doesn't owe them anything. It is not the responsibility of the Federal Government to be first responders. The have a worthless mayor and governor. A corrupt police department and the highest murder rate of any first world country. Nagan had public service buses setting idly by while thousands needed to be evacuated. The governor did nothing to mobilize the national guard. It's not like they didn't see the storm coming. Countless millions were spent by the feds and private donations. Those in the local arena wasted it away. After all of that, the residents re-elected the same people who screwed up the works. Nagan wanted a "choclate city". Well, he's got it and the citizens get just what they pay for.

Answer 2

What a charming compassionate piece of work you are!
Congratulations and may your karma work wonders on you!

First of all, the people of New Orleans were failed by our government, not an act of God.
The levee system, the responsibility of the government thru the Army Corps of Engineers, was grossly neglected in much the same way as much of the US infrastructure, including bridges and rail. The storm wasn't actually a category 5 when it hit, but the collapse of the weak levees actually allowed water in to the extent that caused the majority of the damage.

Don't you think that if we can bomb Iraq back to the stone age and then give billions to corporate contractors to rebuild it, then the only bull crap here is for us not to help rebuild one of our very own cities.
This is an opportunity for us to build a city to be planned for maximum energy efficiency and creative community design as well.

Answer 3

Hi Dan,
I not only read the question, I also read the responces. It doesnt matter who is in office...whether it is democrate or republican. We do help our own when we are in need and/or when a natural disaster hits, such as this hurricane. Lets face it...there is always another hurricane around the next corner.
I feel that the problem lies in many directions.
1. Our welfare system sucks. We need to set up a system that ensures people will be productive with in a certain amount of time. How do we do that....I dont have a clue. It seems people treat our welfare system as though it is a career choice. That is the sad state of our population today.
2. Disaster releif needs to be placed on some sort of time limit....where eventually the funding comes to an end. We also need to be more educated about what is needed and where. Seems to me our government bought a bunch of trailers for these people to live in....and they were not up to code. Another waste of our money.
3. At some point in time people....we need to do more to help ourselves. I am talking about our money helping those that actually put into the system. I havent looked lately, but we have had alot of aid go to other countries....and we get nothing in return. I know we are a powerful country....but we need to know where the money is going and there needs to be a better way in decideing where it goes.
4. I am getting very tired of hearing that we 'owe' people. We don't. I am part Cherokee.....but I dont get free cheese, I don't have any vested interest in a casino and no one owes me the land they took from my forefathers. I think that if we were to look back far enough we may also find african lineage......does that mean that someone owes me for th e
pain and suffering of the slaves? Come on.......quit complaining people and start making a choice that will actually HELP yourselves. Now that is a thought. If you want to take a chance that something good will happen, go out and buy a lottery ticket. Good luck with that!
5. Our insurance system...need I say more? Maybe our government should take out some sort of disaster policy in these areas.....so the rest of us do not pay and continue to pay the catastrphic amounts that are needed after the fact. I know...it sound half baked......just trying to make a point.

Come on people......isnt it time that we all stand up and do for ourselves? No one gets a free ride.....or at least they shouldn't.

I hope to teach my daughters the importance of doing for themselves....getting an education in a field that will able them to live how they choose to live. I hope that I can teach them that it is important to help those in need...but equally important to help themselves. That is the American way.

I am truely sorry for all people who have suffered from a natural disaster. It is a horrible thing to go through....and although I have had bad things happen to me...nothing has been as horrible as what we see happening on our nightly news. But......we need to put an end to the funding at some point. I dont know how......but something has to give...and it cant be our government.

Answer 4

Mayor Nagin and the People of New Orleans are to blame for wanting to rebuild a city that lays below sea level! People who want ocean views should not build their homes and businesses in flood or hurricane zones. Every year the hurricanes come right along and do it all over again. What would be wrong with Re-constructing New Orleans a little further up the hill and be safe? Buildings are moved everyday. They could replicate New Orleans in a different location. Or share the wealth up the road in Natchez, MS.

Answer 5

Research your facts before you make a statement like that. There were many people who did have insurance and the insurance companies still haven't paid so much as a dime to those people. Also, many of these people have gone down there to try and fix up their own homes but they can't because two years later they still have no power, or plumbing in the neighborhoods. Secondly, why don't you take a look as to why those people lost everything. It was because the levee broke which caused all the water to back up into the city like it did. Katrina was a catagory 5 however the levee broke under catagory 1-2 conditions. The levee broke because the government did not fix it properly. The government knew about the problem with the levee and it was the government's responsibility to fix this and they did not so they should be responsible. Besides that they are American citizens and they hardly received any help. People from other countries got food, water, and supplies in less than two days when they needed help but we couldn't even start to help those in our own country until 4-5 days later. God help you if you ever live in an area where there is a natural disaster and you find yourself not knowing what you are going to do because you lost EVERYTHING, I hope you find yourself needing help and no one wants to help you so that you know what it feels like.

Answer 6

You are right it is not the Government's fault if you lose your home. Bush was doing the "Republican American" thing right when he did not respond during the first three days after Katrina and the levy broke. The government did put the levy there to begin with, New Orleans was allowed by the Constitution to become a City, per the Government. So why should anyone care. This seems to be the Bush/Cheney standard operation. But, oh Bush filed for bankruptcy, oh, Cheney got nasty rich from Government welfare, and Laura Bush got off after causing the death of a young man. It all just makes so much sense.

Answer 7

The people working in New Orleans paid a lot of taxes over the years and part of that money was supposed to go to FEMA. That is what they are there for. The problem is that is it happened at a bad time. Bush increased military spending by hundreds of billions of dollars in turn cut funding from FEMA and many other organizations. Less money leads to less people and that leads to less planning for each scenario. And less money to help them rebuild. I'm not saying it was right or wrong but that is what i think happened.

Answer 8

New Orleans is not called "The Big Easy" for nothing. They have had corrupt government for decades where everything is controlled by patronage from the local government (translation: if you want anything, you have to pay the right amount of graft). Education has been kept at a minimum which keeps the population dependent on government largess. The general populace became so used to Big Brother taking care of everything in return for their votes that they have no idea how to do anything for themselves. The city does have one "quality" in which it excells: it is the murder capitol of the country.

Answer 9

You guys are disgusting and shameless. And if something of that magnitude happened in your home town you'd be whining like little babies. What some of you also failed to understand is that if you're so terribly poor that you live in a neighborhood that is deteriorating suddenly getting the money to pick up and leave at a moments notice is damn near impossible. They let those levees break so that they could take the land and they've displaced all those people because of greed. Disgusting...just like some of you.

Answer 10

Sure, and the levees the government built and maintained, that failed. That wasn't the government's fault either. Right?

And the fact that we left those people trapped for days, with the sick and elderly dying by the dozens while the FEMA director was hiding under his desk, well, there's no accountability for that either right?

Or the fact that we'll send BILLIONS in foreign aid all over the world, debt free, but we can't help our people survive one of the worst natural cataclysms of the past century?

And let's not forget a mayor and governor that were beyond incompetent.

You think they're a bunch of whiners? Why don't you head down there for a few days and see for yourself?