Dear Editor,
In one of the greatest tragedies in our history, we have seen some of the best and worst in America. While the white and upper/middle class Americans evacuated early, one third of the residents of New Orleans live below the poverty line. They had no way out, no cars, no money to buy a bus or train ticket or to pay for a taxi. Every horrific picture on TV shows the poor and the black citizens struggling for their lives, trying to find food and water to keep their babies alive, the only white people on the screen hold a microphone.
This is the largest display of the racism that still exists in America in years. There were stories of rescuers taking all of the white people from a church and leaving the black people for last. There are rumors that indeed water was diverted from entering a white neighborhood and pushed into the lower class neighborhood on the other side of the levee.
Our people have responded. Through donations of clothing, supplies, food, water, money, and most of all, the great American attitude that we are all in this together. We all know it could have easily happened to us, and as Americans we are responsible for each other. Americans by nature believe in protecting the social welfare of our people, and looking out for each other. This is why it is so shocking to me that some of these same people do not support national health care, social security benefits, and even, yes, higher taxes for the well off amongst us, so that the people at the bottom can have a dignified life and basic happiness. We are all in this together.
While our people have pulled together our leaders have failed us. From the scene in a classroom after 9-11, to the 2 day lapse of response to Katrina, this President fundamentally displays a lack of ability to think on his feet, and incompetence in leadership. No one was in charge. As mayors, Governors, Senators, Secretaries, and other officials bicker behind closed doors about who is in charge, thousands of people are dying on the streets.
The President failed to fund a levee project that would have upgraded the category 3 built levee's to protect against this kind of storm. On C-SPAN last summer there was actually a panel discussion on what could happen to New Orleans if a category 4 or 5 Hurricane hit. Sadly, they were right on. How could Bush possible say "no one anticipated the breach of the levees." Most of all how could he possibly have appointed Michael Brown to head FEMA. His highest post before this was running horse shows for which he was let go because of a "lack of leadership." Now we find out according to TIME magazine, he padded his resume and exaggerated his qualifications. He has been incompetent and inept. Congress actually now introduced a bill requiring the FEMA director to be trained in emergency management. What an idea!
Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean said "We must ... come to terms with the ugly truth that skin color, age and economics played a deadly role in who survived and who did not." This statement is sadly nothing but fact. Some Republicans dared to say he was politicizing the disaster. No, President Bush knows all about politicizing disaster. Selling pictures of him on 9-11 and 9-11 commemorative items for campaign contributions, to mentioning 9-11 for political points every 30 seconds. Not only that, but after the Hurricanes in Florida last year, he was immediately on the ground, handing out checks, FEMA was in charge and responding, they were on top of it. Why? It was just before the election. How dare he.
Some say Democrats are trying to mount a political attack, but Bush has gotten it even worse from some fellow Republicans. "Mayor Nagin's responses to this crisis, while flawed, have shown better leadership than both Governor Blanco's and President Bush's," said the NH Newspaper the Union Leader, self-described as the most conservative newspaper in the country. The paper continued, "The cool, confident, intuitive leadership Bush exhibited in his first term, particularly in the months following September 11, 2001, has vanished. In its place is a diffident detachment unsuitable for the leader of a nation facing war, natural disaster, and economic uncertainty." Even his best ally, Bob Novak attacked him for his performance.
Our leaders have let down the American people, and destroyed any sense we still had that America, the powerful world leader, could respond to anything, do anything. Keith Olbermann pointed out on MSNBC that "For many of this country's citizens, the mantra has been - as we were taught in Social Studies it should always be - whether or not I voted for this President - he is still my President. I suspect anybody who had to give him that benefit of the doubt stopped doing so last week. I suspect a lot of his supporters, looking ahead to '08, are wondering how they can distance themselves from the two words which will define his government - our government - "New Orleans."
As Bill Clinton said "There is nothing wrong with America that can't be fixed by what is right in America." I have news for everyone, the inequity, horror, and tragedy of New Orleans happens every day in America. So let's band together and support our fellow Americans, but not just now, but when the news reports and stories die down. Let's prove to our leaders that as Americans, even if they aren't, we are all in this together.
Scott Goldstein Junior, SIS
