1. The reports were that poor people could not afford to evacuate. Why then were the city busses under water? And what kind of idiot Mayor leaves valuable buses in a low area? Some people refused to leave their pets? Well for goodness sakes, let them on the bus with their owners. And I would have ordered EVERY city vehicle taken to higher ground, but wait, that would require some common sense, and concern for the economy of my city.

2. Why was the federal government blamed for not releasing funds fast enough, when regulations call for the Mayor, then the Governor to request them first? No wait, I think I know the answer to that one, everyone expects those people to be dumb as dirt, and the Feds should have skirted the law and come to in without an invitation? NOT!

3. Why should anyone help those who insist upon building on sand? And that question includes those that are Federally insured and build on all of our coastlines.

4. Why were the levees that were rated to a 3 blamed for Katrina? What was it’s rating???

5. When will the lifelong victums become part of the solution? You don’t have money, well get out there and cleanup, you are getting your laundry done for free, free food, free rent, haul your hinney out the door each day and do something for YOUR community, you OWE it that much.

As in your thousand reasons to revel in your shortsighted view of things even though it is possible you don’t have a clue?

Instead, everyone, yourself included, is making excuses about why they *can’t* do things. I have packed up everything I owned and moved 400 miles away to a new city, with 12 hours notice. And that was without a big-ass destructive hurricane headed my way. I can only imagine that would have made me hurry up that much more. Oh, and I had a job the next day. Imagine that.

No one is telling these people to move back to New Orleans. As far as I’m concerned, a devastating hurricane like that is pretty much final, and a good excuse to move as far away as possible. It’s just dirt folks - they have dirt elsewhere, in smarter places to build.

500,000 Mexicans CHOSE to leave their homes; 2 million people left LA & MS for Katrina, expecting to return in a few days and start picking up the pieces. The immigrants are probably better off economically than they were in Mexico; everyone here was financially devastated after being displaced. Maybe instead of standing firm on your vow that you won’t be convinced otherwise, you can visit for yourself and see what’s going on; or even read credible reports and books about the state of things. They’re everywhere to be found. Do yourself a favor and learn from us instead of…well instead of being your usual self.

You really don’t understand what has happened, although you announce opinions like you do. I guess that’s ok, since we live in a mostly-free society. The storm alone would have only knocked out power for a few days, and caused a bit of damage. How do I know? Because I was here throughout the hurricane. I was able to get out as the flood waters rose. The VAST majority of the city would have been ok, had the levees held. That water came about because of levee failure; our government built those levees, and told everyone that it was safe.

Insurance companies here are not paying because they are complete and total bastards. Folks who have flood insurance are being told that the hurricane was a wind event, so they are not covered. Folks with wind insurance are being told that it was a flood event, so they’re not being paid, either. Imagine - a lifetime of paying premiums, and no payback. How would you feel? Perhaps like you wanted to WHINE a bit?

200,000 homes were damaged. Along with that, schools, businesses, retail areas, parks, police and fire stations; almost everything that one would encounter in daily life was rendered useless. Can you comprehend how vast the destruction was/is? Or, how many poor souls, citizens of this country, under the same government as you, have had their lives turned upside down?

My house did not flood, but was damaged. I’m one of the lucky ones. I was displaced for about four months, and found myself near your home town. Indeed, I even interviewed for a job at UMBC. They seemed like nice folks, but I couldn’t take the position there, because this place is home, and I truly feel that you don’t make a city a better place by leaving (perhaps, though, in your case it might be different - your home town might be better off if you went to live…say, on an island somewhere, by yourself, so no one could counter your bitter opinions).

You know, come to think of it, you might want to take a look at UMBC, and get yourself some measure of education. Perhaps you could study Sociology, Urban Anthropology and Culture, or maybe Urban and Regional Planning. Then, you might find out what makes cities work, and why people choose to, and have the right to live where they do.

In some self-righteous way, let me offer that I am trying to be part of the solution, while you are doing nothing but exacerbating the problem. We don’t need people turning against us. You don’t want to help, fine. That’s understood. Just don’t undermine the efforts of your fellow countrymen. We’re in this together, whether you like it or not.

I think u were right on when you said you don’t like “people who make excuses for everything they possibly can, so they feel better about being complete failures as human beings.”

Pretty much everything you’ve written sounds like excuses to justify why you’re such a miserable bastard? Or why it’s OK to see the world as a shitty place and hate people you don’t even know. Whatever it is, get help.

If you’re one of the N.O. residents who’s working to fix the city, good for you. Would you like a cookie? Personally, I think you’re wasting your time, because it’s not a matter of if but when another hurricane / flood will come and put you right back where you started.

And I’ve said it before, but obviously I need to say it again… insurance companies won’t pay for flood-related damages if the person does not have flood insurance. Right or wrong, doesn’t matter. Everyone knows it. If there’s a way for the insurance co. to pin the damage on a flood, you can be damned sure they will. THAT’S WHY YOU NEED FLOOD INSURANCE. The smart N.O. residents were the ones who had all the proper insurance, evacuated when they should have, and used the insurance payoffs to rebuild their lives elsewhere.