A short while back as the hurricane Katrina & Rita were winding down, a friend sent me this list of points to ponder. I hope you'll find it as interesting and revealing as I did.
1.
Texas: -
Productive industrious state run
by Republicans.
Louisiana: -
Government dependent welfare state
run by Democrats.
2.
Texas: -
Residents take responsibility to
protect and evacuate themselves.
Louisiana: -
Residents wait for government
to protect and evacuate them.
3.
Texas: -
Local and state officials
take responsibility for protecting their citizens and property
Louisiana: -
Local and state officials
blame federal government for not protecting their citizens and property.
4.
Texas: -
Command and control remains in place
to preserve order.
Louisiana: -
Command and control
collapses allowing lawlessness.
5.
Texas: -
Law enforcement officers remain on
duty to protect city.
Louisiana: -
Law enforcement officers desert
their posts to protect themselves.
6.
Texas: -
Local police watch for looting.
Louisiana: -
Local police participate in looting.
7.
Texas: -
Law and order remains in control.
8-looters tried it; 8-looters arrested.
Louisiana: -
Anarchy and lawlessness breaks
out, looters take over city, no arrests, criminals with guns have to be shot
by federal troops.
8.
Texas: -
Considerable damage caused by
hurricane.
Louisiana: -
Considerable damage caused
by looters.
9.
Texas: -
Flood barriers hold preventing cities
from flooding.
Louisiana: -
Flood barriers fail due to lack
of maintenance allowing city to flood.
10.
Texas: -
Orderly evacuation away from
threatened areas, few remain.
Louisiana: -
25,000 fail to evacuate,
are relocated to another flooded area.
11.
Texas: -
Citizens evacuate with personal 3
day supply of food and water.
Louisiana: -
Citizens fail to evacuate with 3 day
supply of food and water, do without it for the next 4 days.
12.
Texas: -
FEMA brings in tons of food and
water for evacuees. State officials provide accessible distribution points.
Louisiana: -
FEMA brings in tons of food and water
for evacuees. State officials prevent citizens from reaching distribution
points and vice versa.
13.
Louisiana: -
Media focuses on poor blacks in
need of assistance, blames Bush.
Texas: -
Media can't find poor blacks in need
of assistance, looking for something else to blame on Bush.
14.
Texas: -
Coastal cities suffer some
infrastructure damage, mayors tell residents to stay away until ready for
repopulation, no interference from federal officials.
Louisiana: -
New Orleans is destroyed, mayor asks
residents to return home as another hurricane approaches. Has to be
overruled by federal officials.
15.
Louisiana: -
Over 400 killed by storm,
flooding and crime.
Texas: -
24 killed in bus accident on
highway during evacuation, no storm related deaths.
16.
Texas: -
Jailed prisoners are relocated to
other detention facilities outside the storm area.
Louisiana: -
Jailed prisoners are set free to prey
on city shops, residents, and homes.
17.
Texas: -
Local and state officials work with
FEMA and Red Cross in recovery operations.
Louisiana: -
Local and state officials obstruct
FEMA and Red Cross from aiding in recovery operations.
18.
Texas: -
Local and state officials
demonstrate leadership in managing disaster areas.
Louisiana: -
Local and state officials fail
to demonstrate leadership, require federal government to manage disaster
areas.
19.
Texas: -
Fuel deliveries can't keep up
with demand, some run out of gas on highway, need help from fuel tankers
before storm arrives.
Louisiana: -
Motorists wait till storm hits
and electrical power fails. Cars run out of gas at gas stations that can't
pump gas. Gas in underground tanks mixes with flood waters.
20.
Texas: -
Mayors move citizens out of danger.
Louisiana: -
Mayor moves himself and family
to Dallas.
21.
Texas: -
Mayors continue public
service announcements and updates on television with Governor's backing and
support.
Louisiana: -
Mayor cusses, governor cries, senator
threatens president with violence on television; none of them have a clue
what went wrong or who's responsible.
22.
Louisiana: -
Democratic Senator says FEMA was
slow in responding to 911 calls from Louisiana citizens.
Texas: -
Republican Senator says "when you
call 911, the phone doesn't ring in Washington, it rings here at the local
responders".