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There’s a glimmer of hope in the midst of the stinking deadly swamp that used to be New Orleans. It is there and I don’t think there is anything that can be done to extinguish it.
I talk to people. I spend a LOT of time talking to the average taxpayers that pay my salary. I’m hearing, first hand, a newly emergent anger in these taxpayers. They may not be thrilled with property taxes locally, but they are massively upset with the federal government and how it has responded to Katrina and her damage.
Without exception, every taxpayer I have had thru my office in the last few days has mentioned New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. EVERY one of those taxpayers has talked about the suffering and pain they see happening right now in our country. EVERY one has been mad that our country has not done MORE to help.
I had a small farmer yesterday talk about the fact that he’s ex-military and he knows damn well they could do more to get people out of that city and get more supplies in there. He looked me dead in the eye and said, “I flew a Huey in Viet Nam, and if they’ll lend me one I’ll be happy to fly stuff into New Orleans right now.” He also asked me if I thought the lack of response was due to the race of most of the New Orleans residents.
One guy works in a factory owned by a major multi-national corporation. He told me about grabbing the CEO while he was touring the local plant and getting in his face about the lack of corporate response to Katrina. He suggested that if the company was too cheap to do it maybe they could at least start up a payroll deduction thing so the employees could contribute to flood relief. The corporation has now told the employee they will do a fund match for whatever the employees can raise.
One woman runs a B&B locally and she told me about posting on a couple of online boards that she’s got room for three families that need help, plus a furnished apartment, that they can stay for free as long as they need to.
Every one of the taxpayers in my little slice of the world has at least talked about the fact that there are people who need help, and every one of them has been very open that they feel our government let New Orleans down. Without exception, I see Americans that are unhappy that fellow Americans are suffering and they want to do something to help. I have never seen so much cold and directed anger.
I have long felt that Americans are, essentially, good people. They might be a little too sleepy for my taste sometimes, but I have never thought America was made up of bad people. Yeah, there are a few assholes but the American ethos is that of a good bunch of folks who are slow to get angry but lord help anybody that messes with them. Americas are inventive, they are passionate and they are equally fierce in enmity and loyalty.
Right now, they are mad as hell at what they see going on down south. The light has turned on. Bad as Katrina has been, it may have been enough to wake this country up. I actually feel some hope.
Laura
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