$100,000 a minute on Iraq war, but no money for Katrina victims?

[montana500]

Huh? Can someone explain to me how we can kick disaster victims who are U.S. citizens out onto the street, while using $100,000 a minute for Iraq?


This is sooo backwards. Is congress sleeping? Where is the outrage? We need to shine a light on this so these people have a damn place to stay. Their houses were destroyed by a hurricane. They are our neighbors, our fellow Americans. Damn this pisses me off.


http://my.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20060207/43e82950_3ca6_1552620060207-1439965678

"NEW ORLEANS - Hauling everything he owned in a plastic garbage bag, Darryl Travis walked out of the chandeliered lobby of the Crowne Plaza, joining the exodus of Hurricane Katrina refugees evicted from their hotel rooms across the country Tuesday.

The occupants of more than 4,500 government-paid hotel rooms were ordered to turn in their keys Tuesday, as the Federal Emergency Management Agency began cutting off money to pay for their stays.

Far more people - the occupants of at least 20,000 hotel rooms, many of which housed entire families - were given extensions by FEMA until at least next week and possibly until March 1, said FEMA spokesman Butch Kinerney.

FEMA said it gave people every possible opportunity to request an extension.

"We've bent over backward to reach out. We've gone door-to-door to all of the 25,000 hotel rooms no fewer than six times. And there are individuals who have refused to come to the door, refused to answer. There are people who have run when they saw us coming - those are the ones that are now moving on," Kinerney said."

[Danieljay]

1. I would love to see the "$100,000 per minute" headlined front page

of every newspaper in the country.

[The Traveler]

2. Explain it

Hell, that would require I understand it! The whole situation is obscene. Billions to kill other people. Pennies to salvage our own. Madness.

[madeline_con]

3. At the risk of being flamed, I must ask...

How long before people start to do something to help themselves?

Months?

Years?

They have to pick up the pieces, few though they may be, eventually and get on with it.

[The Traveler]

4. Believe me, they are trying

Many have. They have settled in other cities. I know a family from New Orleans that has settled here in Atlanta ... the relations of a co-worker of mine. At one point, he had 24 of his family in his house.

Still, it sits there, the city of New Orleans ... only the most dramatic example of the savage wound storms delivered our country this year. What, I wonder, would the reaction have been had the devastation and deaths and maimings been caused by the bombs of an enemy? Would we be debating if the victims deserve the succor of our nation, or would we be asking when they would start to do something for themselves?

[madeline_con]

5. How long would we succor them?

Many may have done something to help themselves.

Apparently, many have not, or they wouldn't require being kicked out of a hotel they've been in since shortly after the storm.

N.O. can't be rebuilt overnight. Most of it has to be hauled to the dump first. It's not liveable.

[The Traveler]

7. I know people

whose homes haven't been blown down by a storm who are struggling hard to find a job. And they do not have to relocate. What was the story about that WalMart in Chicago? 25,000 applying for 325 jobs or something like that?

Opportunities are small, and when the economic environment of a whole region has been shattered, the displaced have few opportunities to help themselves.

So how long do we do it?

Hmmm ... how long would you want us to do it, if it were you or your people in this situation?

I am not trying to be antagonistic here ... I DO see your point. But there are other points to be made, and they have some validity also.

[madeline_con]

15. "... if it were you or your people ..."

I've been there. After Frances, we had to move while we cleaned up the mold, threw half our stuff away and had a roof put on. FEMA paid for 2 months in an apartment.

After a few months, I'd have started to feel guilty if I'd just been sitting in a hotel hiding from people. But that's just me and the work ethic I was taught as a child.

[flyarm]

22. i am also in fla now..and went through francis and all the other hurricane

i am directly on the gulf..the beach is now my front yard..it is one thing to clean up and fix up from a disaster..another thing altogether to loose you home, your job, your family unity, your neighborhood..and everything in your entire life..your whole lifeline...

i have been through both..when you know you can go home eventually after clean up..and fixer ups..its easier to get on with it..you have motivation to get it done...

when all you have is gone..totally different scenerio!

toally different..

its a mourning process..its a depression amid total devistation...its a not "knowing" whats next..or where you go or how you start over..and remember..jebbie is * es brother..fla gets more fema co-operation than the poor in new orleans...
many of whome had no insurance ..because they couldn't afford it..

and they are not getting their land back..they are not getting the insurance companies coming in and making all nicey nice...

hell we in clearwater waited over a year after francis to get any work done ..most are just now getting the repairs..

you are comparing apples to oranges...there is no comparrison! none whatsoever...

end of story..

you knew you could fix up and go homne..these people don't know what their future is or what comes next..or where to go..or what to do..will they eventually be going home?? they do not know..
they have none of their lifelong records...they don't have the very basic's you never lost! but they did loose...

plus they lost dignity in a disaster that this government failed them on!

many have had to devote their time just trying to find family spread all over this nation..or to find out they were lost forever...

go to pensicola dear..and see where those people are well over a year after their devistation...its like time has stood still..they are still cleaning up there..and its going at a snails pace..

i know many here in clearwater that have been dispalced for over a year..but they <had > insurance..and their insurance has put them in temp houseing..whole different scenerio in new orleans!

again..i say do not judge unless you are in their shoes...they are tough shoes to fill!

fly

[flyarm]

8. how long will we spend $100,000 a minute bombing the crap out of iraqis

and rebuilding there?? well today Rummy said it will take 20 years..so you do the math..20 years..$100,000 a minute...

but i guess its not ok to house americans who have lost everything ..is that what you are saying..kill and bomb and murder innocent iraqi women and children..cause a civil war..rebuild..aok for our tax money to go to that..but fuck our own??

not in my name...i want my own people taken care.of...cancel my tax cuts..i don't need them ..damn it...take care of our own..for as long as it takes to put them back in their homes...thats our obligation as a nation..

not bombing the shit out of innocent people at a price tag of $100,000.00 a minute for 20 years!

fly

[Ladyhawk]

10. We could even afford to take care of the truly "lazy" if we didn't start

stupid-ass, illegal, immoral wars. I believe everyone deserves to eat, no matter what their perceived character flaws. Yeah, some of them are probably trying to milk the system, but believe me, there isn't much to milk. :shrug: In the meantime, Katrina survivors get nada (and folks like me get shoddy medical treatment) because Chimperor McFlightsuit has to play with his real live army men, blow up the Iraqis and our soldiers, too, while exposing them to harmful radiation from Depleted Uranium. Then the veterans come home and realize they're screwed. The Iraqis are screwed, too, but they have to live in the wasteland we are creating. There's no escape for them.

I believe the Republicans are bankrupting the government on purpose so they can cut programs to aid the poor and disabled. It's much more important to keep the military industrial complex going so they can rake in the cash (Halliburton, Bechtel, Carlyle Group) at our expense while simultaneously murdering and maiming Iraqis and American soldiers. Fuck 'em! :grr:

[madeline_con]

14. .". .is that what you are saying.. "

No, that's what you're saying.

I said people have to get on with their lives eventually.

My comment was not about the war, it was about N.O. evacuees.

[ScreamingMeemie]

19. ...and how do you suggest they "get on with their live..." when there

are no jobs, no worthwhile efforts on the part of local govenment to aid reconstruction...How does one do that. If you woke up tomorrow morning in the middle of a field with nothing, where would you begin?

[flyarm]

6. have you ever lost your home?? your underware?? your refirig??

your bed?? you family pictures/? your life's belongings?? your family is dislocated? your home town is totally gone..have you ever been totally traumatized ?

did you ever go to bed thinking you knew where your check book was..when you go to work..where you go to work..only to wake up and have it all gone..snap..that fast ..gone...

well i lost a home in the northridge earthquake..and i will tell you ..one year later..i had physical problems..and the doctor i went to asked me if i had been under sever stress...i laughed ..i laughed so hard till i cried...
i had lost my home..and i had relocated after 11 months fighting fema..and insurance..and sba...i fought because i had a fema guy show up at my totally wrecked home drunk as a skunk 4 days after our appointment...after sitting waiting for him day by day...

i cried for ...the first time... 1 year after loosing everything..

after my children left their friends..their home...their school...and we tried to begin our lives over again...

i had to make my children see it as an advwnture..a way to re-invent themselves..just to cope..to help them cope...

all the while ..i could not cry..i had to be strong for everyone else...but it took it toll on me...physically...
it was like post tramatic stress syndrome the dr told me...
and i had no idea it was working on me like that..i thought i was a rock...

please never judge...never judge ..unless you have walked in those shoes...you could never ever understand...nor should you..but do not ever judge..

i was lucky ..my family was lucky ..my husband had a very good job..and he could work from anywhere...others are not so lucky...

like my many neighbors who escaped in the middle of the night when the bank was forclosing on their totally wrecked homes and they didn't have the 1 1/2 million to pay off their homes..when the bank "called " the loans after a disaster!

and then actioned the property for pennies to the dollar..on the street...

to greedy buyers who blood suck those who are destroyed by a disaster..

do not judge...for you one day may be judged...i hope you never experience what these people have been through..we all heal at different speeds...we all experience a disaster differently..we all loose differently..some have lost family members...some all the possessions of their lifetimes..most their livelyhoods..their lives have been so dramatically changed...many probably have not even had help with the stress or trauma...they can't afford it ..or haven't had the time to look inside themselves yet ..as they are coping with helping others cope... lifetimes changed in this manner are forever changed in a different way...for each individual..
and i assure you..if i had been treated in the manner these people were..i would trust no one!

i was and am still furious at a drunk fema worker...i will never get over him...

so loss of home, job, hometown, toothbrush, underware..and a government you no longer trust...well i hope you get the picture..

none of us are the same..even husband to wife, experience a disaster differently..
we all experience stress in different ways...

you leave your home with nothing..not one of your life's posessions..go to another town..or city or state..with nothing...not even your toothbrush...
or your underware...simple enough sounding things...but it is amazing how important those things become to you..when you no longer have them...

again i would wish it on no one..but nor do i tolerate others judging people who have gone through a total loss..and a devastating disaster...

these people need time..they need time to heal..and they will heal in time..but in their own time..not in your time or mine..and certainly not in this sick pathetic governments time!

our country has become a disgrace..to our very own people...and for that i hang my head in shame..

i guess its become aok to some americans to bomb the shit out of innocent humans..but feed and house them..fuck no...

it makes me sick...

god help us all...what a shameful time to be an American.
and what a disgrace our legacy will be to our children!

fly

fly

[Ladyhawk]

9. Thanks for your words.

I never knew how debilitating depression can be until I lived it. As a young, smug Republican, I frowned on people who "wouldn't help themselves." Now I've seen how hard it can be to do just that.

I had a setback this month. I contracted a virus and had a hard drive crash. The stress probably contributed to a re-emergence of neck pain. I ignored the neck pain for a month. This morning I woke up in such pain that I had to shell out $50 for an emergency massage. Medi-Cal doesn't cover massage even though it's one of the most important things I need to heal. Physical therapists just give me exercise routines. I had been doing them until the virus, but exercise certainly doesn't help relax muscles. Now my neck is in bad shape and I'm going to have to spend at least 1/8th of my gross income on massages. It comes out to about a quarter of my income after paying the bills...and that's just for two massages.

Also, this virus keeps causing me to relapse. I have chronic health issues (diabetes and degenerative disc disease) that make it really hard to beat any additional illnesses I contract.

I'm going to try not to panic over this, but geez, can't I catch a break???? If family weren't helping, I couldn't afford the massages...or couldn't afford groceries. I'd have to pick groceries and constant pain. Unfortunately, family help comes with strings attached. God, I hate this. :grr:

Okay, I'm going to shut up now.

[madeline_con]

16. See post 15

BTW, yes, I have been totally traumatized, but it was on another occasion.

Please don't presume to know how bad others have had it, just because they refuse to tolerate lazy, able-bodied ne'er-do-wells living off the sweat of their brow for months on end.

[DeltaLady]

11. I am a Katrina survivor

What I lost in the twinkling of an eye was my home and 57 years of accumulated belongings and memories. I lost my support group, friends who had been as close as family for over 30 years. I lost my neighborhood, my medical records(I have major health issues), my doctors, my traditions and my city. My daughter lost her home and my father, his. We were all so close in every way including geographically and now we are scattered in the winds of change. I know I'll never be the same, and I doubt I will ever feel "whole" again.

I owned my own home and did have flood insurance, however it is not sufficient to rebuild due to inflationary prices which come on the heels of a disaster. Applying to FEMA for additional assistance (which they are supposed to offer for losses beyond flood insurance) has been a waiting game and I'm still waiting. I can't even raise my house as FEMA has yet to give us new guidelines for elevations BUT HAS TOLD US THEY MUST BE FOLLOWED OR WE CAN BE DROPPED FROM THE FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM. As of this writing, they are putting us off until March AND application must be made to the state before April. (a lose-lose proposition)

To survive I am sharing a house five hours from my home. I don't drive, I relied on public transit all my life. Now I find myself living in virtual isolation an hours drive from the nearest city. If my health were such that I could work, I'd have no way to get to a job. I'm trying to get my license at this late stage of life, but if I spend money for a vehicle I'll have that much less to rebuild my home.

Want to trade places with me? How about for a single day? You don't know us and you don't know what we've been through. It makes me want to go to sleep and just never wake up again.

[montana500]

12. Sorry for your troubles, DeltaLady.

I really hope things will turn around for you. I'm sorry this happened to you and N.O.

The things we spend money on makes me upset.

[DeltaLady]

23. Thank you for your compassion and empathy.

[flyarm]

13. ohhh sweet delta lady...my heart is with you...

i feel such shame at how my government is treating you..but more shame at how some americans think they know what you are going through..or what you should or shouldn't be doing...

please you take care of you..be kind to yourself..fuck what anyone else says...

you are entitled to go throug this what ever way you want and can to cope..
your health is #1..please believe me in that..

and i know the burden..and stress you are under seems unsurmountable...it really is...at times...but i promise you will get through this...

no ,.you will never be the same..you can not be..so thats ok...that you will get through in itself...

but what hurts is not talking...its thinking you can help others cope without dealing with your own feelings..
you have to open up to your kids..to your father..to all around you..you must cry..you must mourn your loss so it does not eat you alive..

and dear..you are going to go through mourning..its all a mourning process..
everything you are going through is a process..but you must go through it at your own pace..
other than the fucking endless paperwork..which is time sensitive..and a royal pain in the ass when you are hurting the most and the most vunerable...
but its nessesary to get the $$ you need to go on...

nothing will be the same in your life for a very long time...

but if i can give you anything dear..its hope...
and i can promise you..you will heal..it may be damn slow..and it may be very painful...but you will get your life back together..slow as it may be..you will..

and a long time from now..you may even laugh..at maybe stuff today you want to cry about..one day they may be the tings you laugh about...

sometimes now at a party or two..now 12 yrs after "my disaster"..i mimic the drunk fema agent..to lots of laughs...

the laughs are by others who didn't walk in my shoes..(but i still hold a deep grudge in my heart about that bastard)..but i have to find the light today..THAT I COULDN'T FIND BACK THEN...

right now i know it seems as if the sky is all clouds and dark..but you will find light again...i can't say it will be quick or painless..but you will find that day..then that week , then that month...

i wish i could help you more..but know my heart is with you..and my love..and my caring..
i will continue to call congress and i will be one hell of a pain in their arse
and i will not let up..on getting you the aide you need and deserve!!

you are where i want my tax dollars going gladly..not to iraq!

sending you hugs..not that that will help a damn bit..but know i care !!

fly

[DeltaLady]

24. I cherish your kind thoughts and gentle understanding.

If I survive this it will be because of sincere, caring people like yourself. Thanks especially for the hugs, that brought tears to my eyes but joy to my heart.

[Balbus]

20. Oh no you didn't!!!!

You're not suggesting "personal responsibility" are you????? Them fighting words on this boad...

[zbdent]

17. You forget . . .

tax breaks for people who have no income because they no longer have a job . . . as a smokescreen for giving more $$$ to the wealthy . . .
:sarcasm: :evilgrin:

[LynnTheDem]

18. That's ok; FRANCE is going to pay out, since BUSH WON'T.

How fucking sad is it that AMERICA THE GREAT RAH RAH RAH won't pay so the mayor is asking OTHER NATIONS to help pay???

America ain't great no more.

[Marleyb]

21. The Iraqis want us to leave

but we won't stop 'helping' them