Friday, September 16, 2005

Back in America, land of George W. Bush...




I've always said you should always book your airline flights with a carrier just after it crashes; and so it is with the Department of Homeland Security. For some bizarre reason (related to Katrina?) entry into the US was a breeze, with polite officials (but still suboptimal line routing- you'd think these folks would go into a Burger King in Brooklyn or any bank with a "Wait in line for next available teller" to see how it's done. (That actually speeds up your time in line on the average.)

Anyhoo, back to Bush...I read Bush's speech, and saw the blogs briefly in Beijing before I got on the plane. I was shocked that Bush dodged responsibility yet again!...

The storm involved a massive flood, a major supply and security operation, and an evacuation order affecting more than a million people. It was not a normal hurricane – and the normal disaster relief system was not equal to it.


It's normal for a guy who's a political hack to be running FEMA?

These people have no shame.

5K for people? That's nothing.

And this part stinks to high heaven:

To help lower-income citizens in the hurricane region build new and better lives, I also propose that Congress pass an Urban Homesteading Act. Under this approach, we will identify property in the region owned by the federal government, and provide building sites to low-income citizens free of charge, through a lottery. In return, they would pledge to build on the lot, with either a mortgage or help from a charitable organization like Habitat for Humanity.


I wonder what that property is or was. The FBI? Half of the Federal Reserve Bank of New Orleans? The INS? The Post office? The EPA? The implication here is that either this is all bullshit, or Bush is using this to basically shut down vital Federal government services that would understandably be needed in a major city.

More giveaways to businesses have only increased poverty in the US. I read in Newsweek that the percentage income received by the poorest 10% of the population is on a par with China; Japan diverts about 2X more of its income to the poorest 10% (and is number 1 in this regard), as far as the countries Newsweek reported on.

This is just more of the same.

Josh Marshall reports on the Rove outrage du jour (Really! I can't believe this! These people have no shame.) And this one from Marshall is simply stunning. Why it was those damned environmental groups litigating that caused the levees to fail...Un-believable.


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