Don't rebuild Republican New Orleans, or Galveston, for that matter

[DS1]

Yes, you can call me an asshole for saying this. Yet, there are countless numbers of people living 1 foot above sea level. In a hurricane zone, and paying a shitload of money for doing so.

A hurricane zone. Why is this concept so hard to grasp? Well, I'll tell you what. How about you try to deal with your insurance companies, and then after you get fucked -hard- -in the ass- -no lube- and you come crying to the government you tried to kill off because Clinton got a blowjob - THEN you'll wish you hadn't voted for Bush.

Really. What has that asshole done for you? He showed up in Florida and handed out MREs to people in need during his last presidential campaign. Then you jumped all over John Kerry in his clean (bunny) suit for touring NASA.

Well, you know what? Fuck you.

[expatriot]

1. New Orleans is anything but Republican. It is very Demo. nt.

[William769]

2. People born to poverty in NO had no choice but to live there.

Shame on you for even suggesting this & shame on you for not even knowing this.

[DS1]

3. You don't read to well

do you.

[sasha031]

4. NO was Democrat

Bluer than the ocean,...once the corporate crooks get through with it with our tax dollars, it will be a tax haven club med for the rich.

So I agree with you completely that I hate for the citizens to have to pay for their benefit. New Orleans will never be the same.

[charlie]

5. If there were a way

to tweeze off Republicans from other non-reptilian lifeforms, I'd agree with you. But alas, the best we can hope to do is spotlight a few of the small gummint "individualists" snarfing up the publicly-funded relief schwag.

[KharmaTrain]

6. And You Know This Is Going To Happen Because?

You're expecting white kids by the thousands to take those jobs on the docks in NOLA and bussing tables and cleaning hotel rooms? And they'll do it for below "prevailing wage"? Sure thing.

The wealth really haven't left New Orleans...they never lived in those flooded areas...they remain very high and dry. They're the ones with the insurance that will cover 100% plus of what they own, and even then, will take the government hand-outs.

Some of these areas will "gentrify"...but in time, those areas of New Orleans will repopulate with the "new working poor". I sense we'll see a lot of hispanics moving into the area.

This regime's interest in the reconstruction will end soon...they'll have doled out all that money and then never follow up. The people of New Orleans will build a new and more dynamic city out of what remains.

The thing we must start making more noise about and keeping up the pressure is on accountability. We need a thorough independent investigation of DHS and FEMA...to expose the cronyism and corruption within...and through this root out the corporations and companies that are exploiting this disaster.

[DS1]

14. like I said, don't rebuild REPUBLICAN New Orleans

they just need to pick themselves up and start a new life, and all that right-wing bullshit they've been spewing.

I didn't say don't rebuild New Orleans, I said don't rebuild Republican New Orleans. They've chanted the tribal GOP catch-phrases long enough, and they can eat them.

[John Q. Citizen]

7. Your the one who said

"Yes, you can call me an asshole for saying this."

Then when someone does, you accuse them of not reading?

The whole tone of your post is so aggressive and in your face that it's hard to know what your point is.

If it's that the rebuilding will be to benefit not the residents but the speculators, well that might be a good point, but it's not that clear.

Just my 2 cents

[DS1]

10. I'm saying that I'm sick of tax dollars bailing out the rich

It's not about New Orleans, it's about Texas, and all the Texan assholes who insist on living on the beach. You think poor people can afford beach-front property? Sheesh.

It's about rich assholes insisting on living on beach-front property, voting GOP, then asking the government they are trying to kill - for relief aid.

FEMA now sucks, that's by design. You reap what you sow.

[A-Possum]

13. LOL... oh please

Have you looked at where this hurricane made landfall?

Beaumont, Port Arthur, Cameron, Sabine Pass, Lumberton. HAH. HAH. HAH. HAH. Really rich people. Beachfront. Oh yeah.

There's relatively little beachfront property involved here in Texas, dearie. A few miles south of Galveston and the blue-collar Bolivar Peninsula where middle and lower class people from Houston go to fish and have a good time on weekends...is that ok with you? Trailers, handbuilt houses on stilts, weekend rentals for college kids. Shabby and isolated. The Texas coast is not Florida.

The area that has taken the storm surge in LA is old old cajun country, the poorest of the rural poor, families that have been there for hundreds of years. Some of them are on Bolivar too...families that have the pirate Lafitte in their family tree.

Your point about building in a risky environment =would= be well-taken, but when you made it a political party issue you turned into what you invited us to call you, an a-hole. And a clueless one at that.

There's some high-end stuff in the Clear Lake area, yeah. Galveston is a historical city that has struggled up out of a long depression. Many many black and poor people live there.

Get out of wherever you live and take a drive along the Texas coast before you yak about who it's all about.

[DS1]

15. You can call me an "a-hole" all you want, I invited you to do

so. No, I'm not going to take a tour of the Texas coast, there's not a good enough reason in the world for me to want to drive around that shithole. Everything's bigger in Texas, and my assholishness is as big as it can get.

[A-Possum]

17. Well it's always easier to talk...

when you don't know what you are talking about, so I can see your point.

[John Q. Citizen]

19. Now that DS1 has clarified what

the original post was about, DS1 has a point. The rich do seem to get richer and the poor poorer even during disasters. This seems to be SOP with the current administration.

However, as that applies to this particular hurricane or to NOLA isn't cut and dried as you point out A-Possum.

Also, DS1's writing style is confrontational enough so that even the relevant points he makes are lost in the reaction to the post's style.

I would say that I hope the bulk of the aid goes to those most in need of the basic necessities of life, and not to those who are sitting pretty.

[A-Possum]

22. Of course

That's why the OP's attitude is so insulting and mean-spirited. The assumption that primarily rich people have been affected here is simply so false that it's really spiteful. This area is primarily working class middle, lower-middle and poor people. And it will not be rebuilt by rich people, not in this area of the Texas coast. The beaches of Galveston and Bolivar are not pretty white sand with blue water; they are not attractive enough for the "rich." The "waterfront" recreation in this area is for those who can't afford the fancy stuff.

The areas to the east (Sabine Pass, Port Arthur) are the refineries and swamp. This is the exact opposite of what the OP is implying. Ironically, the only valid point the OP makes is that it's an s*hole area...heh, even the people who grew up there and have webs between their toes will tell you that. You love your home, even if it's a swamp.

[bleedingheart]

8. Historically there are people who have given up on places

because of the storms or environment around them.

There is a barrier island off the coast of North Carolina that was once inhabited by people but they got tired of the hurricanes and just gave up on it. The only inhabitants are the horses descended from the ones that were left behind.

There is risk everywhere. I live over a coal mine, but that is a fact of life here in PA. There is always a risk of subsidense, sink holes and underground fires..

[Igel]

9. My attitude is to ID those areas most susceptible to flooding.

Honor the insurance they had. If they had none, offer to buy them out.

If they had insurance, offer to buy them out, as well.

But if they say no to the offer, they get no insurance.

Standard practice in the highest risk areas along some midwestern river flood plains. Houston bought something like 3k houses after Allison, to help clear the flood zones around Braes Bayou.

I'd suspect if Galveston isn't dem, it's damned close to it. But NOLA was dem.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

12. Deleted message

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[salin]

16. of course your wish condemns a heck of alot of people

who are NOT a part of your rant (per rich people building up big homes and voting for shrub.)

I detected sarcasm in the original post (per the repub calls per NO) - but perhaps I am wrong?

[DS1]

18. Wait a minute

You're saying that corporations are better equipped to handle national disasters?

[salin]

20. lol

you know, here in Indiana we now have a great tool to fight Not My Man! Gov Daniels in his path to privatizing the state - given his direct hand in privatizing major aspects of FEMA.

But suprisingly Not My Man! is not very popular. Folks stopped buying his schtick about 3 weeks after he was crowned... er ... sworn in.

[OrlandoGator]

21. What about earthquake, tornado, landslide, flood and terrorism "zones"?

Using your rationale, everyone should live in North Dakota.

[Moderator]

23. Locking....

This is flamebait.