We’re once again at an anniversary of Katrina hitting the Gulf Coast, and the subsequent devastation that occurred due to human failure. I’m still looking for something to say that moves beyond outrage.
It’s hard to believe that the President has been down there 15 times now, and can still look himself in the mirror every day, knowing that his government has failed to do all it can to help rebuild these American towns and cities. I know many, many dedicated public servants who’ve worked hard over the past years to help, but they’re working in a system that fundamentally doesn’t care. This is a government in which this devastation didn’t warrant a mention in the State of the Union Address.
I’d urge everyone to do something today. Pray, read a book, donate money. But whatever you do, don’t forget. The worst thing you can do is think it doesn’t impact you because of where you live, or the issues you care about. The worst thing you can ever do is nothing.
I consider the best book on the subject to be "Disaster." Bobby Block was all over the problems with FEMA long before the storm hit. Chris Cooper was a local, and was able to sort through the Louisiana politics for those unfamiliar.
There’s no shortage of problems and things to fix, and one site has done an amazing job inventorying all of the recommendations from the countless reports, and calls for citizen action to fix them.
The fact is, those of us who work on any political issue are going to have a hard time getting people who are left stranded on roofs, under houses, or in shelters to care about anything else that's critical in this country. How do you get someone to care about the trade relationship with China when they literally cannot find their house, and the government is of little help? We want Americans to trust their government, but most of us are a long way from that right now.