what katrina tells us (if we're listening)

while the righties spin doctor and the lefties (according to the righties) play the blame game...i still think we're missing the point as far as our reaction to this horrible tragedy has been...first of all...the latest spin from the bush brigade has been that the local authorities were supposed to notify the administration that they were going to need help...WHO THE F#$@ CAME UP WITH THIS ACENINE REACTIVE POLICY?!?!?...if any state is in trouble the appropriate people should be mobilized immediately...what the hell our we paying taxes for if it isn't for federal assistance...did hawaii have to ask for help in order for the military to intervene after pearl harbor???...i know that that was an act of war and an attack on a military base...but this concept of states rights can only be taken so far...when my home state was struck by the loma prieta earthquake...i'd hate to think how much red tape we had to cut through in order for someone to start picking the cypress structure off all the crushed vehicles...moving on to the point i was eventually planning to make...the state of the poor in our country is unacceptable...conservatives tried to shift the blame to the people themselves by saying "they had plenty notice to get out of new orleans"...i can't think of a more uninformed suggestion...when people are living paycheck to paycheck (and in all likelihood welfare check to welfare check)..because the tragedy struck right before the first of the month...many of the poor affected didn't have 20 bucks for gas money assuming they HAVE a car...all in all the poor have become a forgotten and ignored people and this attitude is beyond comprehension in the "richest" country in the world...the other half of this miscalculated equation is if we are victims of another attack WE ARE SCREWED!!!...our response infrastructure is inadequate at best...it is beyond comprehension that the head of fema is deemed incapable to handle a specific type of emergency but still remains at his post...if i couldn't handle student emergencies i certainly wouldn't keep my job...we have just advertised to the entire world and "jihadists" that our administration cannot handle emergencies of any sort...i don't know how i'm able to sleep at night...pleasant dreams...