Children and Natural Disasters

There is a very discouraging article on the op-ed page of the WaPo this AM. The byline is a woman who lives in Baton Rouge, LA. The gist of the article is how the national and international media spotlight has turned away from the victims of Katrina and Rita (the latter was also pretty devastating to southern Louisiana) and how the victims of those natural disasters are still suffering, including children. Of course the media is now replete with horror stories from Pakistan of children still trapped in the rubble from the gigantic earthquake there.

What are we to make of the response to these natural disasters in their impact on children? We have been led over the years to believe that our country actually cared about children. On a personal level, I am sure that is true. On an institutional level, we are coming up pretty short.

One of the most discouraging things that is described in the WaPo article is the lack of jobs for the people in Louisiana. This was most forcefully brought home when we learned that the mayor of New Orleans had to lay off 500 city workers. Excuse me, but these are the people that are going to clean the city up. Where has all the money gone? Don't people realize that the only way to help children is to get society back on an even keel? Are we doing that? No, of course not. We are close to Iraqization of Louisiana.

Its pretty obvious. The money has gone into that same black hole that the money for Iraq goes. As a taxpayer I would like to know why my money isn't being used to hire local residents to do the clean up. What the hell is going on? And if Haliburton
gets a share, I think we should indict Big Time. We need to say "stop" to cronyism. Supreme Court Justices are one thing; basic humanity is another. Instead of building "bunker busters," we should be hiring the people of Louisiana to build levees.

And that goes for Pakistan, too.


Can't Bush do anything right?