By Staff
Someone should be held accountable.
I'm talking about New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the worst part of the Katrina disaster, which was the lack of humane response from our federal government.
Does it make anyone else angry that we continue to have victims of Hurricane Katrina who are homeless, yet we have millions and millions of dollars of newly-constructed RVs wasting away in a field in Arkansas - and in fields in Texas and in a number of other places in this country?
Do you know we purchased those homes with our tax dollars? And I'm willing to bet the price we paid for them was at a premium -like most other things purchased with tax dollars.
Does it bother anyone else that the debris in Waveland, Miss., and in other places along the Mississippi Gulf Coast has yet to be cleared, that promised help in that task from the federal government has yet to arrive?
Someone should be held accountable. Criminally accountable.
I'm talking about a federal government that has proven itself unable to respond to the needs of its citizens.
Does it bother anyone else that our elected officials have lost sight of their priority, which is putting the issues of American citizens first?
Please don't take this as being unsupportive of our American military, because I do support and honor the sacrifices of our soldiers. What I question is the motivation behind putting our soldiers in a deadly conflict that was admittedly ill-advised and has no end. You will not convince me that our invasion of Iraq was aimed at decreasing our threat of terror here, nor do I think it has done that.
I don't think anyone in the White House ever believed such an invasion would deter terrorism. I do think the tragedy of 9-11 opened the door to an opportunity that the Bush administration and Bush oil allies had been eagerly waiting. I just don't think it went quite as they had planned.
Thousands of Louisiana and Mississippi National Guard members were and are deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan while their families struggle mightily without them at home. That bothered me then and it still bothers me now.
Someone should be held accountable.
I'm not advocating isolationism, but we have much work to do right here at home.
I'm not anti-immigration, but I am pro-American and I think it's a reasonable expectation that those from other countries who come here and enjoy the benefits of life as an American unite with us as Americans.
I'm all about sharing the wealth and abundance of our country and sharing with other countries the keys to our way of life in hopes they can improve their lives and conditions. But we can't force our way of life on other countries and cultures.
I watched an interview with a celebrity who is involved in helping to feed and educate children in African nations. That's admirable work. However, the celebrity questioned why the U.S. “No Child Left Behind” initiative doesn't really mean “No Child.”
I'm sorry if this sounds cold and uncaring, but I think we need to make “No Child Left Behind” work here first.
Our efforts - often unwelcomed - and our tax dollars - always welcome - are so diluted. We need focus. We need to remember our priorities are right here at home.
Someone should be held accountable. Do you think maybe that someone is you and me?