I've been trying my best not to comment much on Katrina. Other than to say, please support those (humans/animals) who cannot take care of themselves, I've been quiet. But today, as I was reading through a friend's blog, as well as the comments of some on her blog, and some who commented on THEIR blogs after reading hers, I felt angry enough that I needed to vent.
First, let me say that I am a liberal. A bleeding heart, no doubt about it liberal. I do not think that liberal is a bad word. Neither is feminist. Neither, quite honestly, is socialist. I am, at times, all of these -- at least a little bit. I am not bothered by the government taking taxes, even high taxes, out of my paycheck. I am not bothered by social programs that are aimed at assisting the very poorest people and while I AM bothered that many will never be able to use that "hand up" effectively enough to change the cycle of poverty, I do not blame them nor do I see this as a reason to stop providing services.
Now, with that said, on to Katrina. There has been quite a bit said and written about who is to blame -- many say that it is the local government's job and that they didn't do enough. Others say that the governor should have brought the full weight of the government to bear on getting people out. Others say that the federal government was lax in moving on the human tragedy.
The thing is, all of these are true. The problem I have is that people are saying that because the local and state govts should have done something, the federal govt can't be blamed for lack of action. That is a bunch of crap. While those who truly believe in small govt may decry the existence of FEMA, it does exist and is expected to act quickly and decisively in these cases. And for those who wish to argue that this responsibility of the states is simply the extention of states' rights, I will call your attention to the preamble of the constitution, which states that the constitution (and by extension, the federal government) exists in part to promote the general welfare. If the survival of tens of thousands of people isn't the general welfare, I don't know what is.
And finally, I actually saw more than one comment today blaming those who stayed behind in the city, stating in part that as parents it was their responsibility to protect their children and find a way out. First of all, the poor population in the suburbs, even those in the very worst conditions, have nothing on the poor in New Orleans. New Orleans is a town where generation after generation stays in the city, supporting each other emotionally when not financially. Few "get out" and send back to the family. Having worked with some students from the very worst neighborhoods in DC, I can tell you about parents who needed to find jobs within walking distance of their homes because their children needed the bus or metro fare to go to school and the family simply didn't have an extra $2.00. And I can tell you that, compared to many in New Orleans, those families had it made.
So, here is my question for you:
You are a single mother with two small children living in subsidized housing in New Orleans. You are living check to check. A report comes over the radio, stating that a terrible hurricane is on its way. You have, of course, heard these warnings before. You look at your children, and you realize you have $20 left and a decision to make. Will you:
a) Use the $20 on either gas money or a bus out of town?
b) Plan to stay put and use the $20 for food for your kids, knowing that you've heard similar hurricane announcements before and they've all come to nothing.
If you said that you're sure you'd answer A, you're probably lying. If you said that you're sure you'd answer B, you're probably lying too. Because the answer, thankfully, for most of us is that I'd use the money to get out of town because I'll ask my mom/dad/sister/cousin/etc. to loan me some cash if we need it. For many of those in New Orleans, who are worried about using that final $20 to feed that same mom/dad/sister/cousin/etc., these simply aren't choices they can make.
