What the general public should realize

that INSIDE their country, the devastation of Katrina remains, people who lost everything have not received much if any at all assistance. These people were already poor (which is why they are being ignored). now add this to the equation...

a single f-22 raptor costs about 130million dollars......a single raptor...you imagine if the funds for a single raptor, maybe a couple tanks a bomber or two and so on...how much money would be available for the victims or katrina not to mention the education system which is laughable now and other social programs like health care (thank god i live in canada). Does the general US public not know? or do they not care?

While the majority of the people here in America care, when it comes to goverment its really not our decision. Its in the hands of the politicians who have "other agendas". Its sad really we used to be a goverment for the people, now we are a goverment for the corperations. And the corperations care little about the people.

what stops most people from taking a stand? logic dictates that theres no way any corporation(s) or governments could literally physically control what do u have there? like 200million people? the control is gained because the people let themselves be controlled. I just wonder cuz i think about the activism days i hear about in america during the 60's and 70's, things like civil rights movements, and indeed anti corporation protests and so forth....why/how did that die into nothing?

Hey check this out. You think we don't care for our poor? In this country all it takes is a little intelligence, simple initiative, and you can make something of yourself. These poor people as you call them can easily go get a job make some money and send their kids to school.

Every country has it's little group of folks who are so to speak at the bottom of the food chain.

I am poor, I am a single father, I go to school, I work and I don't need anyone taking care of me.

When I come home for lunch you know what I see? Gang bangers, drug dealers and such just standing around. Why don't they work? I will tell you why. They don't want to. so why should we care about them, they are doing what they want.

Katrina you say? If you are stupid enough to build your house on quicksand, then god help you because you should have gotten an education instead of selling drugs. Have you ever been to the great city of New Orleans? If not, when you do I would be real careful where you go, else you might end up dead.

We have many programs for the poor, from health clinics, to food stamps, welfare,job training. I personally joined the military and they area paying for my education.

Wow....... for one thing, "they" are paying for your education with OUR tax dollars so please, do not say "they" as if it isn't everyone who pays taxes.

Until we realize that when one of us hurts, we all hurt, nothing will change.

All I can say is there but for the grace of God, go I.

Always,
Shawnna

They're not the only ones. There are many natural disasters that occur where the area involved recieves no assistance from the government at all. I live about two miles from a small town that was completely destroyed this spring by a tornado. They recieved nothing from the federal government.

Instead of complaining about it, the town and surrounding area came together, and along with the local national guard unit, they cleaned up the mess, and life has returned to normal.

I don't mean to sound hard-hearted about this, but it's not the government's job to bail out disaster victims; The government really doesn't have the right to use public money (from taxes) to do anything about it, because that would be making all taxpayers foot the bill even if those don't have the finances to spare after they've been taxed. Not even the Constitution gives that right to the government (even though they punch it full of holes every time they feel like it anyway ).

This is an issue that confronted David Crockett (yes, THE David Crockett) when he was the Representative of Tennesee; You can read about it here.

As it is, there are plenty of organizations that do accept donations & provide help to disaster victims...Red Cross, Goodwill, etc. My point is, the US Public isn't cold-hearted...Plenty of John Q Publics are more than willing to step in & lend a hand to those who need it.

[edit on 13-9-2006 by MidnightDStroyer]

Hang in there LandShark As a taxpayer I'm very happy to help.

Roper

Originally posted by MidnightDStroyer
I don't mean to sound hard-hearted about this, but it's not the government's job to bail out disaster victims;

Even though negligence leading to the flooding, by inadequate levees guaranteed to withstand a force supposedly that they were able to handle, is a government agency's fault?

The government really doesn't have the right to use public money (from taxes) to do anything about it, because that would be making all taxpayers foot the bill even if those don't have the finances to spare after they've been taxed. Not even the Constitution gives that right to the government (even though they punch it full of holes every time they feel like it anyway

).

I see my tax dollars go towards all sorts of things that I disagree with, and would rather not be taxed for. Though when it comes down to it, the tax dollars are supposed to go to the greater good, not me in particular. I am having trouble seeing the distinction you are trying to make. Of course tax payers foot bills, they do it all the time. I think if I'm tossing all this money towards Iraq, that I could expect a bit to flow into an American city, can I not? I tell ya this, another example of sucky tax money being used for stupid purposes is that we're spending too much on Iraqi infrastructure (which we helped destroy) and not nearly enough on our troop's armor for vehicles/themselves... Another example of unwisely spent money.

As it is, there are plenty of organizations that do accept donations & provide help to disaster victims...Red Cross, Goodwill, etc. My point is, the US Public isn't cold-hearted...Plenty of John Q Publics are more than willing to step in & lend a hand to those who need it.

The US Public in general is not cold hearted. However, I am sure you know the questionable nature of the Red Cross, Goodwill, etc? Type Red Cross in, and search on this site. Tons of info, I'm not looking it up for you!






[edit on 9/13/06 by niteboy82]

Originally posted by Roper
Hang in there LandShark

As a taxpayer I'm very happy to help.

Roper

Thanks Roper, but i am sure your tax dollars are better spent on more important things.

Originally posted by Shawnna
Wow....... for one thing, "they" are paying for your education with OUR tax dollars so please, do not say "they" as if it isn't everyone who pays taxes.

Until we realize that when one of us hurts, we all hurt, nothing will change.

All I can say is there but for the grace of God, go I.

Always,
Shawnna

Don't forget that i pay into the system also.
I don't know why you are being so arrogant about this, I as a veteran am entitled to this money, I earned it and payed into it. This is a benefit to possibly being killed in action, and the hazelwood act is a Texas only program. So if i am taking your tax dollars, just let me know and i will gladly give it back to you.

Originally posted by landshark
Hey check this out. You think we don't care for our poor? In this country all it takes is a little intelligence, simple initiative, and you can make something of yourself. These poor people as you call them can easily go get a job make some money and send their kids to school.

Every country has it's little group of folks who are so to speak at the bottom of the food chain.

I am poor, I am a single father, I go to school, I work and I don't need anyone taking care of me.

When I come home for lunch you know what I see? Gang bangers, drug dealers and such just standing around. Why don't they work? I will tell you why. They don't want to. so why should we care about them, they are doing what they want.

Katrina you say? If you are stupid enough to build your house on quicksand, then god help you because you should have gotten an education instead of selling drugs. Have you ever been to the great city of New Orleans? If not, when you do I would be real careful where you go, else you might end up dead.

We have many programs for the poor, from health clinics, to food stamps, welfare,job training. I personally joined the military and they area paying for my education.

Hi,

don´t say that.

US is a great county of opurtunities but it takes a bit more than will to be well in life financcialy at least...

In the time of Rockefeller and JP Morgan you could start an empire by selling oranges on the street, can you do that now? The IRS would fall on you, instantly...

things are getting complicated for the american friends and here in europe too...

when I look to the US I see a great country full of opurtunities lots of intelligent and working people and lots of religion mixed with politics (and thats danger).

I see media corporations and politicians in the hand of the big corporations.

this is why I tell you to don´t say that its easy to live well and even get rich, because things are not as they used to be anymore.

I never said anything about getting rich. I said make something of yourself...big difference.

Do you think things change just because we want them to?

Are these the same people who when given thousands of dollars in aid....decided to go out and by big screen TV's, Air Jordans, and other items which were completely unnecessary?

Also it is the insurance companies who are withholding funds for people how had coverage, the local government failed when the people needed them most.

It has nothing to do with $130 million dollar airplane.

What I don't understand is when people talk about the doing nothing" after Katrina, they always mean the federal government. Why no blame at the local level? Nagin and the governor both had advance warning. The city had resources to move people out of harm's way. We have a National Guard for a reason and the governors of each state has the right to activate them if there is a need.

Not only that, but the regular army is prohibited from entering any American city without the consent of the local government. That was established a long time ago as a safeguard to a military take-over.

Originally posted by Rightwingpatriot
What I don't understand is when people talk about the doing nothing" after Katrina, they always mean the federal government. Why no blame at the local level? Nagin and the governor both had advance warning. The city had resources to move people out of harm's way. We have a National Guard for a reason and the governors of each state has the right to activate them if there is a need.

Not only that, but the regular army is prohibited from entering any American city without the consent of the local government. That was established a long time ago as a safeguard to a military take-over.

Landreu declared a state of emergency Fridayl asked for Federal intervention Saturday.

Nagin used metro buses to evacuate the citizens that cooperated with his order to evacuate Saturday, the hurricane hit 60 miles to the East on Monday. The ones who refused evacuation were directed to the Superdome and convention center -- both of which remained above flood levels.

Lots of people have made false claims about the governor and mayor to make the Federal response look less pathetic. But the facts are pretty clear: the biggest failure was on the Federal side.

I was sitting outside an Air Force (been to Navy one's, too, and civilian) airshow last year, watching the stealth bomber fly over, along with many other neat aircraft. I confess to a passion for all things flight, old new beyond. I have fun watching the latest fighters playing overhead during the week, neat maneuvers . Anyway, as I watched the stealth cirlcle around, I thought, under the radius of this one giant craft, were roads that could use fixing, schools that could use fixing, children and elderly going without proper medical care, homeless, poor drug addicts as well as rich ones, young families finding it more and more difficult to acquire affordable housing (and working longer hours to enjoy their home), laid off workers...I became sad thinking about this. Build a bomber, but don't use it in a war that squanders my tax dollars rebuilding someone else's country because of the bombs that fell from that bomber. Under the radius of that bomber, there was already a lot that needed fixing.

This reminds me of a movie I seen. By that I mean how you all are acting. I have heard I don't know how many times that America is Christian country. But I got to tell it sure don't act like one. We turn our nose up at the poor,and walk by. We don't care if they are cold and hungry, We don't care if they have a place to sleep at night, or if they have clean water to drink. We don't care if they are sick and in need of health care.The only thing Americans care about is money. They only think of their selfs.
We are in danger of becoming what is in the movie.I must warn you that is movie is very disturbing.

video.google.com...

why point blame on the fed level? did you read my post? 1 or 2 killing machines is nothing in the big picture of the US war machine but huge numbers of people are still living behind dirty fenced camps with no rights and soldiers with guns at the gates. They are being poisoned by pollution from the factories they sleep next to...the factories BBC reporter greg palast was arrested and charged as a terrorist a cpl days ago for taking pictures.... he wanted to show america that these victims were STILL being victimized living in these CONCENTRATION CAMPS and EXXON the owners of the plant next to the camp used the police like their own private security to have him arrested UNDER THE PATRIOT ACT.......

huge numbers of people are still living behind dirty fenced camps with no rights and soldiers with guns at the gates. They are being poisoned by pollution from the factories they sleep next to...the factories BBC reporter greg palast was arrested and charged as a terrorist a cpl days ago for taking pictures.... he wanted to show america that these victims were STILL being victimized living in these CONCENTRATION CAMPS and EXXON the owners of the plant next to the camp used the police like their own private security to have him arrested UNDER THE PATRIOT ACT.......[/qoute]

Do you plan on presenting actual proof or are you going to keep spouting indendos/falsehoods?