2 storms, 2 states, 22 comparisons

[RangerBob]

I didn't write this, but I thought it was interesting:

Things I have noticed while watching media coverage of the recent
hurricanes.

1. Texas: Productive industrious state run by Republicans.
Louisiana: Government dependent welfare state run by Democrats.

2. Texas: Residents take responsibility to protect & evacuate themselves.
Louisiana: Residents wait for government to protect & evacuate them.

3. Texas: Local & state officials take responsibility for protecting their
citizens and property..
Louisiana: Local & state officials blame federal government for not
protecting their citizens and property.

4. Texas: Command and control remains in place to preserve order.
Louisiana: Command and control collapses allowing lawlessness.

5. Texas: Law enforcement officers remain on duty to protect city.
Louisiana: Law enforcement officers desert their posts to protect
themselves.

6. Texas: Local police watch for looting.
Louisiana: Local police participate in looting.

7. Texas: Law & order remains in control, 8 looters tried it, 8 looters
arrested.
Louisiana: Anarchy & lawlessness breaks out, looters take over city,
no arrests, criminals with guns have to be shot by federal troops.

8. Texas: Considerable damage caused by hurricane.
Louisiana: Considerable damage caused by looters.

9. Texas: Flood barriers hold preventing cities from flooding.
Louisiana: Flood barriers fail due to lack of maintenance allowing city
to flood.

10. Texas: Orderly evacuation away from threatened areas, few remain.
Louisiana: 250,000 fail to evacuate, are relocated to another flooded
area.

11. Texas: Citizens evacuate with personal 3 day supply of food and
water.
Louisiana: Citizens fail to evacuate with 3 day supply of food and
water, do without it for the next 4 days.

12. Texas: FEMA brings in tons of food and water for evacuees. State
officials provide accessible distribution points.
Louisiana: FEMA brings in tons of food and water for evacuees.
State officials prevent citizens from reaching distribution
points and vice versa.

13. Louisiana: Media focuses on poor blacks in need of assistance, blames
Bush.
Texas: Media can't find poor blacks in need of assistance, looking for
something else to blame on Bush.

14. Texas: Coastal cities suffer some infrastructure damage, Mayors tell
residents to stay away until ready for repopulation, no interference from
federal officials.
Louisiana: New Orleans is destroyed, Mayor asks residents to return
home as another hurricane approaches, has to be overruled by federal
officials.

15. Louisiana: Over 400 killed by storm, flooding and crime.
Texas: 24 killed in bus accident on highway during evacuation, no
storm related deaths.

16. Texas: Jailed prisoners are relocated to other detention facilities
outside the storm area.
Louisiana: Jailed prisoners are set free to prey on city shops,
residents, and homes.

17. Texas: Local and state officials work with FEMA and Red Cross in
recovery operations.
Louisiana: Local and state officials obstruct FEMA and Red Cross
from aiding in recovery operations.

18. Texas: Local and state officials demonstrate leadership in managing
disaster areas.
Louisiana: Local and state officials fail to demonstrate leadership,
require federal government to manage disaster areas.

19. Texas: Fuel deliveries can't keep up with demand, some run out of gas
on highway, need help from fuel tankers before storm
arrives.
Louisiana: Motorists wait till storm hits and electrical power fails.
Cars run out of gas at gas stations that can't pump gas.
Gas in underground tanks mixes with flood waters.

20. Texas: Mayors move citizens out of danger.
Louisiana: Mayor moves himself and family to Dallas.

21. Texas: Mayors continue public service announcements and updates
on television with Governor's backing and support.
Louisiana: Mayor cusses, governor cries, senator threatens president
with violence on television, of them have a clue
what went wrong or who's responsible.

22. Louisiana: Democratic Senator says FEMA was slow in responding to
911 calls from Louisiana citizens.
Texas: Republican Senator says "when you call 911, the phone
doesn't ring in Washington, it rings here at the local
responders".

What if state and local elected officials were forced to depend on
themselves and their own resources instead of calling for help from the
federal government? Texas cities would be back up and running in a few days. Louisiana cities would still be under water next month. Republicans call for action, Democrats call for help. What party will you be voting for in the next election?

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Any questions?

[thomas]

good post...

[Steel2686]

Great find. It speaks volumes.

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

You just gotta love my home state. Glad I am going back there in January. God blessed Texas!

[Rhode Island Red]

great post --- now for some reality for ya - Lousiana's problems are now Texan's problems - those 400,000+ welfare dependent people from Nawlins are now habitating in Texas and they don't have any intention to move back

[Steel2686]

great post --- now for some reality for ya - Lousiana's problems are now Texan's problems - those 400,000+ welfare dependent people from Nawlins are now habitating in Texas and they don't have any intention to move back

This is very true, unfortunately. The one fortunate part is, Texas laws are not quite as welfare-friendly as Louisianna's are. They make it much tougher to simply sit back and collect. MSNBC ran a segment about just this issue last month. Very interesting to see how many of them actually stay when the smoke clears.

[Crazy Canuk]

Anyone else see 60 minutes this week? They went to the city and showed the pure devistation of whats left.

With the cost involved I think it makes alot more sence for the goverment to basicly relocate the city elsewhere. Take the money to rebuild the city and the walls and start to build homes in a safer area. Most people that were in the city didn't have insurance so they only will get 25k from the goverment, have the goverment sell the new homes for 60-70k to those people if they agree to give 15 of that 25k up.
The segment ended with a guy saying it's time to show what Amarica is about and time to step up (he wanted it rebuilt) I say cut your losses and do something smart that benifits people and takes them out of danger at the same time.

As for Texas and Louisiana, Texas had panic and the experiances from Lousiana on there side, not to mention there cities arn't built under sea level. Don't forget the storm moved and there was thousands of people trapped in there cars on the highway. If the storm didn't move it would have been horrible. Texas is a nicely run state though. The insentives they have for companies make it a varry attractive state to operate from, more companies = more jobs = less poverty.