Conffederate
Confederate

September 08, 2005

Dependence + Stupidity, Kills

Listening to WPTF Radio on the way home this afternoon, host Bill LuMaye noted that many of those poor - and now feared dead - citizens of the areas heavily flooded by the levee breaks in New Orleans had refused to leave their homes because they were afraid that if they evacuated, they would not get their government assistance checks.

The reasons they gave were that:

  • that they didn't trust their neighbors not to steal their checks, and;
  • they were afraid their checks would blow away

*Pop*

That the mail would not be delivered in a city under a mandatory disaster evacuation apparently never cross their minds.

Some people claim that a lot of people drown in New Orleans because of their skin color. Is it impolite to mention that their economic situation might have more to do with their intelligence and education than their melanin content? Quite frankly, many people died not because they were of a certain race, but because they were stupid.

Sorry, but there it is.

Posted by Confederate Yankee at September 8, 2005 11:54 PM | TrackBack
Comments

RACIST!!!!

BIGOT!!!!!

Ok, actually I agree, I was just trying to "thicken your skin" a bit for the impending accusations with which folks generally get blasted for telling the truth about the situation.

Along a similar line, I wonder which political party put the "projects" in the lowest part of the city?

Posted by: BoDiddly at September 9, 2005 12:26 AM

I guess (at the base level) stupidity is the core basis for people to have not evacuated NOLA. This is NOT an attempt to exonerate the victims, rather spotlight contributing culpability where it resides.

I am a firm believer in helping people in need, but that philosophy does not include creating a welfare system that makes whole groups of people (regardless of their skin melanin content) dependent upon handouts. NOLA is a classic example of the danger involved in “transferring wealth” in an attempt to “help the poor”. It creates government dependency (which is a fundamental of socialism [and the Democrats]) rather than provide a skill set and motivation to improve a one’s circumstances. The only ones that feel good about themselves are the ones who support (with their lip service and my tax money) the welfare systems. I much prefer local alms accompanied by the offer of a job to wealth transfer that will continue to precipitate NOLA events.

The financial plight of the perceived majority of Katrina’s mortality toll should be a wakeup call to the Democrats that subscribe to the welfare state. There are unintended consequences that in this case became dangerous to the point of costing lives. The blame does not reside with the federal government for not responding soon enough, it resides with all our past, present and future law makers that continue to perpetuate the welfare system. Instead of handing out other people’s money, teach a vocation, give an opportunity, and reap the benefits of yet another productive tax paying citizen.

Sorry for the soapbox stuff – but these people are victims of Katrina, yes, but because of the Democratic pushed welfare system, not because of skin color. Oh, and by unbelievably incompetent government at the city and state levels.

Posted by: John Yetter, CW5, USA (Retired) at September 9, 2005 06:45 AM

Anyone that doubts this has NEVER spent a day in New Orleans, or most anywhere in the deep south for that matter... I can't speak to how *inner city* America works up in *Yankke Land* but I can promise you, urban decay was rampant in NOLA.. And the *welfare* pipeline IS so well entrenched, it will never be broken as long as the people that were on the *dole* in Louisiana are allowed to continue to remain on the *dole* whereever it is they end up...

Try offering a *homeless* guy a job... You know the ones I'm talking about?? "Will work for food" guy on the corner of Major Hwy and Huge Ave... That guy... He'll laugh in your face..

Same deal in NOLA... Not ALL, but a rather large proportion of the former residents of NOLA would rather sit on their asses and draw welfare, foodstamps and anything else the government will hand them...

Posted by: TexasFred at September 9, 2005 05:20 PM

Quote: "Sorry, but there it is."

Up to that point, much respect. But why apologize for your opinion - especially when it is a logical conclusion?

I think we need to spend a lot less time apologizing in fear of offending someone and stand up for our beliefs.

The author needs to stop apologizing. Be a man.

Posted by: William Thrash at September 9, 2005 08:39 PM

I remember hearing on the radio, the night before the storm hit, in one piece someone saying that if people didn't get out they wouldn't have enough body bags, and in the next, a woman saying that she was going to stay and "whatver happens is what happens".
So yeah, some people couldn't leave, but most were just too stupid to leave. That damned storm was the size of Texas, what the hell did they expect, a summer shower?

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at September 9, 2005 10:48 PM