Okay, it’s been a while since I posted much of anything, but when i fired up yahoo this morning, i saw this article:
Bush: Katrina recovery will take time
1 hour, 8 minutes ago
President Bush cautioned against placing too much importance on the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s Gulf Coast strike, saying Wednesday it will take a long, sustained effort to rebuild the area.
"It’s a time to remember that people suffered and it’s a time to recommit ourselves to helping them," Bush said. "But I also want people to remember that a one-year anniversary is just that, because it’s going to require a long time to help these people rebuild."
The president promised to continue working to make sure the federal government’s efforts in the rebuilding effort are efficient.
"To the extent that there still are bureaucratic hurdles and the need for the federal government to help eradicate those hurdles, we want to do that," Bush said.
A day earlier, the Bush administration’s Gulf Coast coordinator, Don Powell, said only $44 billion has been spent to get the battered region back on its feet. More than $110 billion has been designated for the massive rebuilding project — $17 billion of which is to help rebuild an estimated 204,000 homes in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Bush spoke on the South Lawn of the White House after meeting in the Oval Office with a New Orleans-area man who lost his home in the storm. Rockey Vaccarella, 41, of Mereaux in St. Bernard Parish, has been traveling the Gulf Coast region to mark the Katrina anniversary.
Vaccarella said he wanted to thank Bush for the federally provided trailers that have provided temporary housing to many in the region who lost homes, but also to keep the pressure on.
"I wanted to remind the president that the job’s not done and he knows that," Vaccarell said. "I just don’t want the government and President Bush to forget about us."
"Katrina recovery will take time"? No shit, Sherlock! But part of the recovery process is being proactive in finding solutions to speed recovery, which, beyond awarding lucrative construction contracts to friends and colleagues, is something the administration has failed to do. It’s preposterous that more a year after the disaster, New Orleans, a major American city (historically, if not economically) still looks like a third world country.
It’s a barometer of the self-respect of a civilization to see how people treat the institutions and structures that made them strong. I get so angry when China allows important archaeological sites get razed for an Orange County style housing development, not just because they’re destroying ancient treasures but they’re building housing out of greed, rather than addressing the serious housing problems China is facing. To see the same thing happen here, in a town as significant as New Orleans, is appalling to say the least.