mhafinancial
Sep 1st, 2005, 09:30 AM
many people may not like this - but.....
in some ways - many ways parts of
our own country are similar to 3rd world countries -
we have plenty of poverty, disease, despair,
ignorance, etc.... the south had areas much
like a 3rd world country way before katrina -
in this land of plenty we have huge problems -
the entire central gulf coast is a mess - from
our area in northwest florida all the way to
new orleans - a 200 mile stretch -
while the mississippi coast and n.o. are the worst
of it - mobile is also devasted - we lucked out in
p-cola this time - mostly just leaks, limbs down,
power out, beach erosion, about 5 neighborhoods
flooded, kids only lost 3 days of school -
- but
this is the 4th time in less than 12 months -
so all resources - phsyical, mental, emotional,
financial, materials, volunteers - are strained here as well...
and we so badly want to help the communities to our
west - many of whom have helped us these past 12 months...
i know what it has been like here - i can't begin to imagine the
tough road these people have to face - all their connections are
severed - many - most - not just severed - destroyed...
they have little to no water, food, clothes, toiletries,
no communication or photos of loved ones, no knick knacks, no schools,
no grocery stores, drug stores, hardware stores,
no furniture, no tv, no stereo, cell phones, cd's, toys, sports equipment,
jobs - in the very worst cases they lost each other...
just about everything that brings
them comfort - connects them - anchors their lives
is gone - poof - in about 10 hours of howling wind
and water -
it is tragic and will be a very long road to recovery
it really should be a wake up call on a number of
issues - like poverty, education - not just
evacuations and storm preparedness -
these can wait for another day - but not for too long -
because the looting and lawlessness that is happening
in new orleans and MS was predictable -
there are no easy answers - but we better start
doing a better job...
sorry - didn't mean to go off on a rant -
but this is very close to home......
Well said, Dudley. I have a very good friend who's mom lives in Pensacola (his dad died two years ago) and he has a vacation house there, so I know through him what you have gone thru.
All those ohere on the rant page know where I stand on our President and Iraq. Many challenge me and say "Well, what would YOU do?", as if I was the one who got us into that mess.
Well, here is what I would do:
"My fellow Americans,
The tragedy that has befallen our nation in our southern Gulf Coast states comes not at the hand of man, but at the hand of Mother Nature. The death and destruction in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama has broken the hearts of millions of Americans watching as this tragedy unfolds, but we as a nation will do our best to ensure that it does not forever break the spirits of those affected by this horrible catastrophe.
As the world knows, the United States has accomplished its mission in Iraq. We have eliminated the rule of a brutal dictatorship, and ensured that the leaders of that nation will not present a threat to the world with weapons of mass destruction. We are a great nation, but even great nations cannot do it all. Within fourteen days, all troops and equipment will be leaving Iraq. We will be tasking the United Nations to immediately establish a peacekeeping force to help the Iraqi people as they continue their historic struggle for a unified democratic nation.
When our National Guard and soldiers return, after being reunited with their families and loved ones, they will be asked to help with the rebuilding of our Gulf Coast states. I have tasked the Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system to protect against such catastrophes in the future. I am committing to fully funding their recommendations, and I am calling on Congress to set aside their partisan differences so that we can quickly address the issues immediately before us.
We must not only rebuild one of America's treasured cities, we must rebuild the lives that have been destroyed. Families have been torn apart, their lives ans possessions in utter and total disarray. Tens of thousands of people are displaced and must be relocated until they may return to their homes. Jobs must be found for them. Lives and homes must be rebuilt.
There is a cost to this, and in looking at where our limited resources must go, I have determined that America now and always must come first. We are providing the American Red Crosee with $1 billion dollars to fully fund and implement what is undoubtedly the single greatest relief effort this great nation has ever had to undertake within its own borders. No one does it better than the American Red Cross, and I am thankful for their expertise. But our commitment to rebuild does not stop here, as this is only the beginning. The tasks ahead are frightening in their scope and complexity, but have no doubt, we will prevail, and we will do it as quickly as possible. The Secretaries for the Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Disease Control and Health and Human Services are meeting as we speak to implement a triage approach to dealing with the immediate health and safety issues, and getting all remaining citizens out of danger. We are reaching out to social services agencies across the country to have the finest professionals help implement a plan to help the victims of Mother Nature's whimsy rebuild their lives. And, as I mentioned, the Army Corps of Engineers is working on a full infrastructure replacement plan that will help to rebuild our treasured Gulf Coast communities.
I have requested that the Federal Reserve Bank work with our nation's property and casualty insurers to expedite claims once these lands are made safe for rebuilding. We are working with the industries that provide the raw materials for rebuilding to ensure that an adequate supply will be maintained, and that prices will not escalate in the Gulf Coast or any other region in our nation.
Now is the time for us to work together and pray together for our fellow citizens. During the next few weeks we will work hard to hale those in need regain their sense of what it means to be living in the greatest nation on the earth.
And I ask you at home to open your hearts, open your homes, and open your wallets to help those inneed.
Thank you and God bless."
in some ways - many ways parts of
our own country are similar to 3rd world countries -
we have plenty of poverty, disease, despair,
ignorance, etc.... the south had areas much
like a 3rd world country way before katrina -
in this land of plenty we have huge problems -
the entire central gulf coast is a mess - from
our area in northwest florida all the way to
new orleans - a 200 mile stretch -
while the mississippi coast and n.o. are the worst
of it - mobile is also devasted - we lucked out in
p-cola this time - mostly just leaks, limbs down,
power out, beach erosion, about 5 neighborhoods
flooded, kids only lost 3 days of school -
- but
this is the 4th time in less than 12 months -
so all resources - phsyical, mental, emotional,
financial, materials, volunteers - are strained here as well...
and we so badly want to help the communities to our
west - many of whom have helped us these past 12 months...
i know what it has been like here - i can't begin to imagine the
tough road these people have to face - all their connections are
severed - many - most - not just severed - destroyed...
they have little to no water, food, clothes, toiletries,
no communication or photos of loved ones, no knick knacks, no schools,
no grocery stores, drug stores, hardware stores,
no furniture, no tv, no stereo, cell phones, cd's, toys, sports equipment,
jobs - in the very worst cases they lost each other...
just about everything that brings
them comfort - connects them - anchors their lives
is gone - poof - in about 10 hours of howling wind
and water -
it is tragic and will be a very long road to recovery
it really should be a wake up call on a number of
issues - like poverty, education - not just
evacuations and storm preparedness -
these can wait for another day - but not for too long -
because the looting and lawlessness that is happening
in new orleans and MS was predictable -
there are no easy answers - but we better start
doing a better job...
sorry - didn't mean to go off on a rant -
but this is very close to home......
Well said, Dudley. I have a very good friend who's mom lives in Pensacola (his dad died two years ago) and he has a vacation house there, so I know through him what you have gone thru.
All those ohere on the rant page know where I stand on our President and Iraq. Many challenge me and say "Well, what would YOU do?", as if I was the one who got us into that mess.
Well, here is what I would do:
"My fellow Americans,
The tragedy that has befallen our nation in our southern Gulf Coast states comes not at the hand of man, but at the hand of Mother Nature. The death and destruction in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama has broken the hearts of millions of Americans watching as this tragedy unfolds, but we as a nation will do our best to ensure that it does not forever break the spirits of those affected by this horrible catastrophe.
As the world knows, the United States has accomplished its mission in Iraq. We have eliminated the rule of a brutal dictatorship, and ensured that the leaders of that nation will not present a threat to the world with weapons of mass destruction. We are a great nation, but even great nations cannot do it all. Within fourteen days, all troops and equipment will be leaving Iraq. We will be tasking the United Nations to immediately establish a peacekeeping force to help the Iraqi people as they continue their historic struggle for a unified democratic nation.
When our National Guard and soldiers return, after being reunited with their families and loved ones, they will be asked to help with the rebuilding of our Gulf Coast states. I have tasked the Army Corps of Engineers to develop a system to protect against such catastrophes in the future. I am committing to fully funding their recommendations, and I am calling on Congress to set aside their partisan differences so that we can quickly address the issues immediately before us.
We must not only rebuild one of America's treasured cities, we must rebuild the lives that have been destroyed. Families have been torn apart, their lives ans possessions in utter and total disarray. Tens of thousands of people are displaced and must be relocated until they may return to their homes. Jobs must be found for them. Lives and homes must be rebuilt.
There is a cost to this, and in looking at where our limited resources must go, I have determined that America now and always must come first. We are providing the American Red Crosee with $1 billion dollars to fully fund and implement what is undoubtedly the single greatest relief effort this great nation has ever had to undertake within its own borders. No one does it better than the American Red Cross, and I am thankful for their expertise. But our commitment to rebuild does not stop here, as this is only the beginning. The tasks ahead are frightening in their scope and complexity, but have no doubt, we will prevail, and we will do it as quickly as possible. The Secretaries for the Environmental Protection Agency, Center for Disease Control and Health and Human Services are meeting as we speak to implement a triage approach to dealing with the immediate health and safety issues, and getting all remaining citizens out of danger. We are reaching out to social services agencies across the country to have the finest professionals help implement a plan to help the victims of Mother Nature's whimsy rebuild their lives. And, as I mentioned, the Army Corps of Engineers is working on a full infrastructure replacement plan that will help to rebuild our treasured Gulf Coast communities.
I have requested that the Federal Reserve Bank work with our nation's property and casualty insurers to expedite claims once these lands are made safe for rebuilding. We are working with the industries that provide the raw materials for rebuilding to ensure that an adequate supply will be maintained, and that prices will not escalate in the Gulf Coast or any other region in our nation.
Now is the time for us to work together and pray together for our fellow citizens. During the next few weeks we will work hard to hale those in need regain their sense of what it means to be living in the greatest nation on the earth.
And I ask you at home to open your hearts, open your homes, and open your wallets to help those inneed.
Thank you and God bless."