Posted on 09/28/2005 8:30:44 AM PDT by bassmaner
Things I have noticed while watching media coverage of the recent hurricanes.
1. Texas: Productive industrious state run by Republicans. Louisiana: Government dependent welfare state run by Democrats.
2. Texas: Residents take responsibility to protect and evacuate themselves. Louisiana: Residents wait for government to protect and evacuate them.
3. Texas: Local and state officials take responsibility for protecting their citizens and property. Louisiana: Local and state officials blame federal government for not protecting their citizens and property.
4. Texas: Command and control remains in place to preserve order. Louisiana: Command and control collapses allowing lawlessness.
5. Texas: Law enforcement officers remain on duty to protect city. Louisiana: Law enforcement officers desert their posts to protect themselves.
6. Texas: Local police watch for looting. Louisiana: Local police participate in looting.
7. Texas: Law and order remains in control, 8 looters tried it, 8 looters arrested. Louisiana: Anarchy and lawlessness breaks out, looters take over city, no arrests, criminals with guns have to be shot by federal troops.
8. Texas: Considerable damage caused by hurricane. Louisiana: Considerable damage caused by looters.
9. Texas: Flood barriers hold preventing cities from flooding. Louisiana: Flood barriers fail due to lack of maintenance allowing city to flood.
10. Texas: Orderly evacuation away from threatened areas, few remain. Louisiana: 25,000 fail to evacuate, are relocated to another flooded area.
11. Texas: Citizens evacuate with personal 3 day supply of food and water. Louisiana: Citizens fail to evacuate with 3 day supply of food and water, do without it for the next 4 days.
12. Texas: FEMA brings in tons of food and water for evacuees. State officials provide accessible distribution points. Louisiana: FEMA brings in tons of food and water for evacuees. State officials prevent citizens from reaching distribution points and vice versa.
13. Louisiana: Media focuses on poor blacks in need of assistance, blames Bush. Texas: Media can not find poor blacks in need of assistance, looking for something else to blame on Bush.
14. Texas: Coastal cities suffer some infrastructure damage, Mayors tell residents to stay away until ready for repopulation, no interference from federal officials. Louisiana: New Orleans is destroyed, major infrastructure damage in and around city, Mayor asks residents to return home as another hurricane approaches, has to be overruled by federal officials.
15. Louisiana: Over 400 killed by storm, flooding and crime. Texas: 24 killed in bus accident on highway during evacuation, no direct storm related deaths.
16. Texas: Jailed prisoners are relocated to other detention facilities outside the storm area. Louisiana: Jailed prisoners are set free to prey on city shops, residents, and homes.
17. Texas: Local and state officials work with FEMA and Red Cross in recovery operations. Louisiana: Local and state officials obstruct FEMA and Red Cross from aiding in recovery operations.
18. Texas: Local and state officials demonstrate leadership in managing disaster areas. Louisiana: Local and state officials fail to demonstrate leadership, require federal government to manage disaster areas.
19. Texas: Fuel deliveries can not keep up with demand, some run out of gas on highway, need help from fuel tankers before storm arrives. Louisiana: Motorists wait till storm hits and electrical power fails. Cars run out of gas at gas stations that can not pump gas. Gas in underground tanks mixes with flood waters.
20. Texas: Mayors move citizens out of danger. Louisiana: Mayor moves himself and family to Dallas.
21. Texas: Mayors continue public service announcements and updates on television with Governor's backing and support. Louisiana: Mayor cusses, governor cries, senator threatens president with violence on television, none of them have a clue what went wrong or who is responsible.
22. Louisiana: Democratic Senator says FEMA was slow in responding to 911 calls from Louisiana citizens. Texas: Republican Senator says "when you call 911, the phone doesn't ring in Washington, it rings here at the local responders".
What if state and local elected officials were forced to depend on themselves and their own resources instead of calling for help from the federal government?
Conclusion: Texas cities would be back up and running in a few days. Louisiana cities would still be under water next month.
Republicans call for action, Democrats call for help.
What party will you be voting for in the next election?
21. Texas: Mayors continue public service announcements and updates on television with Governor's backing and support. Louisiana: Mayor cusses, governor cries, senator threatens president with violence on television, none of them have a clue what went wrong or who is responsible.
"Oh yeah," he said as he nodded his head up and down slowly with a wry grin on his face.
I think it comes from this Techni Guy newsletter: http://www.techniguy.com/Newsletters/archives/2%20States,%2022%20Observations.htm
excellent.
Excellent!
Ping
But Kennedy is big enough to do the job in one trip.
And knock over several historical neighborhoods with his "overhang". Which comes from the same source as his hangovers.
8. Texas: Considerable damage caused by hurricane. Louisiana: Considerable damage caused by looters.
This one overstates the case. While the looting was bad, hurricane-related damage in Louisiana far outweighed the looting.
9. Texas: Flood barriers hold preventing cities from flooding. Louisiana: Flood barriers fail due to lack of maintenance allowing city to flood.
According to the Army Corps of Engineers, the flood barriers that failed in New Orleans were well-maintained and up to standard (the problem was that the standard was for cat-3 protection).
15. Louisiana: Over 400 killed by storm, flooding and crime. Texas: 24 killed in bus accident on highway during evacuation, no direct storm related deaths.
I heard of at least one storm-related death (man killed by falling tree), and other indirect deaths (e.g. 5 asphyxiated due to use of generator indoors).
Conclusion: Texas cities would be back up and running in a few days. Louisiana cities would still be under water next month.
Can't really pin that one on the Dems, since N.O. has always been below sea level.
Can't really pin that one on the Dems, since N.O. has always been below sea level.
So let's not make the same mistake again and pour billions into rebuilding "below sea level"!
Can we get a "HELL NO" on that one?
Regards,
GtG
Bloated corpses still in the streets and he writes a "*nayh* *nayh* We're better!" e-mail. What a bunch of self-congradulatory crap.
first time I saw this, great stuff!!
"Bloated corpses still in the streets"
At this late date?? I don't think so. No more bloated corpses, just a few bloated gators!
Wow, that is SO not how I read this! I didn't take it as a "we're better" list but rather observations simply pointing out the extreme differences in mindset between waiting for a hand out vs. self reliance.
11 More hurricane observations:
1. New Orleans provided no transportation for residents who did not have vehicles to leave the area. Cuba sent buses to each area that might be affected to transport residents.
2. New Orleans provided no medical services for people who were forced to stay at designated shelters. Cuba had medical personnel at each one before any evacuees arrived.
3. New Orleans did not send immediate food for people who were forced to stay in the Super Dome. Cuba had food at shelters before those who were fleeing the hurricane arrived.
4. New Orleans did not issue mandatory evacuations until very late. Cuba issued mandatory evacuations immediately and allowed no one to stay.
5. New Orleans made no plans for people going to evacuation centers to save their households. Cuba sent large flat bed trucks to pick up appliances and other household goods for residents.
6. New Orleans seemed to be in conflict with other local, state and national officials. Cuba seemed to work as a unity to protect people and property.
7. New Orleans did not have the manpower to prevent looting/finding food during the hurricane. Cuba sent troops to empty villages to protect property.
8. New Orleans did not make evacuation mandatory. Cuba did -which saved many lives.
9. New Orleans sent a message to the world that racism and poverty is rampant in the United States. Cuba protected all their endangered people in time of disaster.
10. New Orleans has lost many hundreds of people. Cuba has lost a total of 38 in all recent hurricanes.
11. New Orleans is an embarrassment for hurricane preparedness. Cuba is ranked by the United Nations as a model of this for the whole world.
Based on this information, I implore the United States to ask Fidel Castro to come over and become the new head of FEMA and help change the United States into a communist country so that we can protect all our citizens in time of crises, which seems to be something the United States is unable to do.
Check out www.observationwatch.com
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