That's it?

Saw George Walker Bush on TV last night addressing the need for more donations for the people devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Boy, that guy needs some help. He can't even connect with the people he's expecting to give much help. Maybe he's so caught up vacationing he forgot that a pretty hefty hurricane was pounding places near the Mississippi River. Imagine, being a day late. If he was dead serious about helping as he says he is, he should've went on air, without garish and makeup, even in the late hours of midnight or even early morning. People will then certainly appreciate the gesture, and would surely send a message to them that somebody cares and is leading them. Fashionably late, he is not.

I've always thought of New Orleans as a city I'd love to visit in the future, thanks to its rich and colorful history of music. The problem is, almost the entire city is already below sea level, and as its stands now, half the city is flooded. It will certainly be a garguantuan task to even start rebuilding, since there is simply so much water that is needed to be pumped out.

What about prevention, you say? Well, since this Administration's so smart enough to cut the state's budget for the levees protecting the city, this happened. Even with some pretty prominent figures directly concerned with the flood protection of the city publicly complaining about lack of funds, some people really did not budge. And now, we have this. Could the flooding have been prevented, or at least, reduced? Perhaps. The thing is, they're asking these questions only now.

Links:
NYTimes.com: Officials Struggle to Reverse a Growing Sense of Anarchy
NYTimes.com: Intricate Flood Protection Long a Focus of Dispute
NYTimes.com: Waiting for a Leader
NYTimes.com: Future Face of New Orleans Has an Uncertain Look for Now
NYTimes.com: Interactive Graphic - The Impact of Hurricane Katrina