Hurricane Katrina and the Marshall Plan

Hi,
Last night I watched a program called "Dirty Jobs, with Mike Rowe" I like this program a hell of a lot, mostly because Mike is so likable, but last night I was more horrified than most.

Mike was in New Orleans, helping a bunch of people clean up after hurricane Katrina. He was with a demolition crew gutting hoses for refurbishment, with a rodent control crew and finally Mosquito eradication.

Now the area Mike was visiting were a mess. No they were more than a mess, they were cockroach and mouse infested stinking pile of wood and mud and these guys were making them habitable. What stuck me was that these were not slums, these houses were good homes, in good areas with garages and swimming pools.

What struck me was that this is nearly 2 years post Katrina.

After the second world war, Europe was reconstructed in around 5-7 years by the Marshall plan. A brilliant piece of statesmanship by Harry Truman where the USA paid for the reconstruction of Europe.

Now the money was loaned, (In fact, the UK made the last repayment last year!) and the majority of the money was spent on American goods and services. The USA benefited greatly from this plan, not only directly in goods and trade bought by Marshal plan money, but in the creation of markets for US goods, and most of all, in political capital.

But that is the point. Everyone benefited. There were no losers.

In comparison to the second world war, Katrina was a sneeze, a minor hiccough. The US spends trillions of dollars on a pointless war, and your own citizens wait over 2 years to have the filth washed from their homes from a natural disaster.

Why was there no Marshall plan for Louisiana? Doesn't the Government owe a debt of honour to keep the citizens of the South protected? Is it because no one cares? I just want to know how the people of California feel, if there is another huge Earthquake, do you have faith in your Politicians?

Of course, ultimately its the people who are responsible for the actions of your politicians. If they are not doing their job, make them. If you can't be bothered. well prey you never suffer a Katrina in your area.