The Charlie Foxtrot down South: Heads should roll

[Skinny Shooter]

It's becoming increasingly difficult to not monday morning quarterback the decisions made before and after Katrina but...

As a volunteer EMT, I know that pre-planning is essential for mass disaster scenarios.

Just to get started, our Homeland Security director, FEMA director, 2 state governors and a certain mayor should lose their jobs effective immediately .
Everyone wants to cry foul when the Feds move in and what about State's rights. Well it appears that went right out the window this time...

Why didn't the governors in the affected states plan for mass evacuations of people from their coast who didn't own vehicles?

Why wasn't the military put on alert when the Cat 5 hurricane was aiming for New Orleans to immediately move supplies via ground and air drops to affected peoples?

Our government has the material and physical resources and there is no excuse for the delay that we have been seeing in the aftermath. We used to have the ability to fight two major wars at once. Makes me wonder if we have lost that ability and that is why there is a delay in moving supplies.

Why weren't area school buses used for car-less people to evacuate New Orleans. Is there a rail system in the area? trains can move alot of folks.

If I hear one more "person in charge" say how hard it is to reach the victims, I'm gonna reach thru the tele and box his ears a bit. We do have something called an airdrop. The air force is pretty good at that stuff in other countries. It should be much easier logistically to get it done here.

Why are people being denied the right to leave the affected area and get to safe ground? The military is turning them back. I don't want to go conspiratorial but this sounds like something I've heard in the past when FEMA gets involved in a national disaster.
If you want to leave, you should be left alone.

Am surprised that people down there haven't revolted yet. they are really being put thru the wringer by the people in charge.

What good will it do having oil released from our national reserve if we don't have the refineries to process it? Am I missing something?

I can go on but this shows how ill-prepared we are for a major incident.

If I'm off-base and or wrong on what I wrote, set me straight because the handling of this disaster has me a bit upset.

[Skinny Shooter]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9178501/

[Rocky Raab]

You're spot on, except for the airdrop. It'd be almost impossible to airdrop into an urban area without destroying what you're dropping. Not to mention dropping into a flooded area.

The two LA officials (gov and mayor) are probably the most to blame. First, they failed to ASK for federal aid in time, and then they complain when everything doesn't happen at once. The two are completely inept.

The Feds can't simply swoop in unless and until the local government is (I hate to use the term) in over its head. But the President has been slow to overrule or chastise those two - possibly because both are Democrats.

I think the folks in Mississippi have done a better job. Not perfect, but better.

I really hate to bring up this stereotype, but I did live in Mississippi for five years, and saw it firsthand. Many folks down there (not all and not business folk but certainly the elected officials) are just plain lazy and incompetent. Why they keep electing "Bubba" types and Good Old Boys is beyond me, but they do. The Sheriff Beauford in the movies is not only real, but not much exaggerated.

As we've said in another thread, you make your choices, but you have to live with the results. What we're seeing is the result of electing "feel good but do nothing" liberal officials and the growth of the welfare state.

[Aim to maim]

Originally posted by Rocky Raab

I really hate to bring up this stereotype, but I did live in Mississippi for five years, and saw it firsthand. Many folks down there (not all and not business folk but certainly the elected officials) are just plain lazy and incompetent. Why they keep electing "Bubba" types and Good Old Boys is beyond me, but they do. The Sheriff Beauford in the movies is not only real, but not much exaggerated.

I am born and reared a Southerner and inordinately proud of it. My great-great uncle was killed in the service of the Confederacy. That's why it pains me all the more to admit that in many cases, you are absolutely correct. The politicos who run Chicago and New York are not exactly noted for their honesty and are often hopelessly corrupt, but at least they have some degree of competence and for the most part, the "trains run on time."

If I must endure crooked politicians, I'd rather be governed by those with sufficient sense to pour p*$$ out of a boot.

[Deerman]

Stupid is as stupid does.The people of New Orleans should hang there heads in shame.
Liveing in a town that was hit very hard by Ivan last year we saw this first hand.They tell you a head of time a hurricane is coming and how to prepare,and you see the people who don't.Then after the storm they ride around and soon discover there's no gas.Then it's the governments fault.Oh and it took them four days to get relief,same as in New Orleans.When the Guard showed up here we thanked them,not cursed them.
New Orleans sits in a bowl below the water leve,the N.O. police don't even own a boat?!?!?And its "W'fault?amazing.l

[8X56MS]

More important than heads rolling, is whether or not we learn from this.
No disaster of this magnitude has ever happened in America, so its pretty lame to go into what 'should have been in place' . Its always been difficult to prepare for the unknown.
I am kinda tired of all the blame game crap. To me, the bottom line is that folks just are NOT prepared to fend for themselves, even for a day.

[ds]

but I cannot help it, so this is my last one. Let's not forget who downgraded the director of FEMA from a cabinet position to a position under the Homeland Security. Also, WHO did our illustrious leader select to lead FEMA? What are his qualifications? If this does not piss you off regarding this administration, nothing ever will.


Knight Ridder Exposes Horsey Background of FEMA Chief

By E&P Staff

Published: September 04, 2005 10:00 AM ET

NEW YORK So who is Michael Brown, now catching all kinds of criticism for his handling of the catastrophe in New Orleans? It seems his primary career experience before nabbing a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) post was running a Arabian horse association. An article by Matt Stearns and Seth Borenstein for Knght Ridder Newspapers observes, "there was little in Michael D. Brown's background to prepare him for the fury of Hurricane Katrina."

The reporters quote Kate Hale, former Miami-Dade
emergency management chief: "He's done a hell of a job, because I'm not aware of any Arabian horses being killed in this storm. The world that this man operated in and
the focus of this work does not in any way translate to this. He does not have the experience."

During the 1990s, Brown served as judges and stewards commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association. His job was to ensure that horse-show judges followed the rules and to investigate allegations against those suspected of cheating. "I wouldn't have regarded his position in the horse industry as a platform to where he is now," said Tom Connelly, a former association president. The reporter refer to Brown's stormy years with the horses as a "rocky tenure." Some have claimed that he was fired from his post.

But Brown knew Joe Allbaugh, President Bush's 2000
campaign manager. Allbaugh took over FEMA in 2001, and hired Brown as general counsel.

[Rocky Raab]

Well, I'm glad that was the last one.

Funny though....

The Louisiana and New Orleans governments did nothing for five days except fill their shorts, wring their hands and blame everybody else.

George Bush decides that's long enough to wait, takes charge and - with no fanfare, no media attention, no thanks from anybody - all the stranded folks at the Superdome and convention center get evacuated in two days.

Yeah, that Bush guy is sure incompetent.

If it makes anyone happy, I won't be voting for him in the next election.

[TreeDoc]

These are the kind of people that Nawlean's should be proud of....you have to see this video!!!


http://www.zippyvideos.com/891102377...ing_in_walmart

[Allen]

If it makes anyone happy, I won't be voting for him in the next election.

I saw an interview with the mayor tonight on Fox I think. The reporter kept asking if he should bare any of the blame for the mess of his city. He kept sidestepping the questions and said it was everyone else. She finally said "When did YOU call for help?". His answer was "I called for help the day AFTER the storm hit.". This tells me that there was little to no planning for such a storm, but its not their fault.

Fail to plan, plan to fail


Allen

[Deerman]

DS FEMA did a great job here.Oh yes we have another incompetent Bush brother running our state.He was here the next day and had things rolling right a way.But yes there are people who panic the first time there is no electricity,what do they do?!?I brought in my camp stove,showed my wife how to use it and she never skipped a beat,life just went on.Now the cold showers at five am,that was a real wake up call.LOL

[fabsroman]

DS,

If I could smack you through the monitor, I would. You don't mention a single thing about how poorly the Mayor of New Orleans, Nagin, handled this situation. His head should be the first to roll. Nobody is in a better position to know the situation of the inhabitants of a city than the Mayor is. The Mayor should have known that a lot of citizens were too poor to own a car and too old to be mobile. He should have had a disaster plan in place to deal with that situation. Neither the governor of the state nor the President of the United States would have known that information or should know that information.

Yet, you blame this administration and the Arabian Horse Federation man that was put into office. I read the article you posted while I was in New York this weekend, and while I was taken aback about his most recent job, I have to wonder what his entire resume looks like. Let's see the entire resume before we beat this guy to death. If you look at my last job, I worked at a law firm dealing with construction litigation for the most part, so why am I preparing tax returns for my clients now? If you look a little further back on my resume, I am also a CPA and have plenty of background on tax preparation.

For some reason, I don't trust the media on this FEMA issue. However, FEMA did know that if the storm were a category 3 or higher that hit New Orleans, the situation would be almost hopeless. They ran a scenario on a category 2 storm the year before and felt they could deal with it adequately, but not a category 5 for sure. They got a category 5.

What really pisses me off is that this is a disaster that could have been prevented. The city knew for 15 years that the levies could not withstand a severe storm and that they would fall apart if water ever crested them. However, they did nothing about it during that time because it would cost money. Who paid for the New Orleans Saint's football stadium? Did the team build it or was it funded with gov't money? I would love to know the answer to that one. The city was told by the Army Corp of Engineers that armor needed to be added to the levies to ensure they could withstand a big storm, but nothing was done for 15 years.

Now, you want to blame the President for this. This President has dealt with way more than you beloved Clinton has. About the only major thing Clinton dealt with was his own impeachment, but he handled that really well and wiggled out of it. You have the audacity to say this is Bush's fault. How dare you!!!!!!

Why didn't Clinton supply New Orleans with the funding for the levies? He was in office more years than Bush and he should have known about this problem too if Bush should have.

New Orleans was completely ill prepared because the people remaining there must have been morons. How can you evacuate your home and not take food and water with you?

When Isabelle hit here two years ago, almost everybody was without power for days on end. My parents had no power for 10 days, but they kept a generator running and did okay. New Orleans had nothing at the Superdome and the convention center, which were the two designated evacuation sites.

There is no way that Bush could have overseen the evacuation and disaster plans of every city that MIGHT have been hit.

As far as taking 4 days to get involved, I have mixed feelings on that, but I didn't even know it was that bad down there until Thursday.

Last but not least, if I hear another TV reporter say, "Why is it so hard for the federal gov't to get food and supplies to these people when reporters are capable of going wherever they want?" I will throw up. Are the media so stupid that they do not understand that hauling food, water, and other supplies places is a lot tougher than flying in a single reporter and camera man. The media is really pissing me off on this one and the morons that don't question the media are pissing me off even more.

It seems as though Americans are simple minded people that believe whatever they see and hear on TV. I too have come to the realization that a lot of hunting shows are staged and a lot of the dialogue in the film occurs after the hunt. I am so upset with TV lately that I watch very little of it.

[ds]

I would grab you and shake you until your freakin teeth rattled in your head.

You are a LAWYER, an ambulance chaser lawyer, and you support the man who would limit your practice and take away your life line.

Even a hamster knows you don't take a crap where you eat, you can't seem to figure that out. Damned fool.

[fabsroman]

DS,

Don't assume to know what my practice is. I mostly deal with small business owners, but their stories aren't as good as the criminal cases and PI cases I take, and no I do not chase ambulances. I worked for a PI attorney that did that very thing and he never tried a single case. He would talk people into settling cases because the firm didn't try a single thing. I couldn't stand it. After that, I went to a litigation firm that only did litigation and most of that was construction litigation and insurance defense litigation, but we pretty much handled any type of litigation that came in the door if the client was willing to pay.

Now, I do several different types of litigation, with a very small portion being PI. The cases I have in Court right now are 1 criminal matter, 1 violation of probation matter, 1 negligence matter wherein my client wrecked his buddy's motorcycle and is being sued for it. I have other cases that I am trying to resolve short of trial which are 2 PI cases, 2 divorce cases, and several collection cases for my construction clients. I have one construction client that is being audited by the unemployment administration for erroneously classifying his employees as sub-contractors, thereby not paying unemployment insurance on them, and they want to fine him based upon $1.2 million in payroll. I have another construction client that hasn't filed 4 years worth of tax returns. I have a granite counter top fabricator that hasn't filed 2 years tax returns. Maybe you might be smart enough to understand that I do tax returns throughout the year too. I just finished one up for a Homeowner's Association that I do the bookkeeping for. Oh yeah, I set up the accounting system for the granite fabricator, a general construction contractor, and my day spa client. I currently go to each of those businesses every two weeks to make sure that everything is being done correctly until they get the hang of it.

I think that might be everything that I have going on right now, but I could be missing something because I didn't go through all my files.

As far as tort reform is concerned, I have mixed feelings about it. I would prefer a no-fault system where people didn't get paid for pain & suffering. An accident is an accident. So be it. The victim should have his medical bills paid and receive lost wages. Pain & suffering is merely there to pay the attorneys. When one of my employers can make $400,000 in a year by coming in at noon and leaving by 4:00 every day to miss traffic and not trying a single case, there is seriously something wrong with the system. You and I are the ones paying that guy's $400,000, not to mention the salaries of everybody else. That firm's goal was to take in 365 new cases a year. The year before I left, the firm did about $1.8 million in gross fees which equates to a little less than $5,000 in fees per case. That means that most cases would settle for $15,000 or less. A lot of people are motivated to run up medical bills in these cases because the amount of "pain & suffering" is reflected in the medical bills. PI attorneys have doctors in their pockets because they refer them tons of clients. Likewise, insurance companies have doctors in their pockets because they pay these doctors to do IME's (Independent Medical Examinations). Both are experts and testify in Court, but they are biased. This is the tort system we have in Maryland. Having no pain & suffering award would alleviate the motivation for "victims", attorneys, and PI doctors to run up medical bills.

What made me really sick working at the PI firm is that we were representing people that I know were not hurt. They just wanted a paycheck. One client said he was going to buy a bathtub full of pot with the money he was getting from us. His buddy was mad because he wasn't getting the same amount and threatened to come into the place with a "Glock". When I started questioning him about why he liked that gun, versus a Beretta, Sig, Smith & Wesson or whateever other name I said, he shut up completely about the settlement amount not being adequate and he quit with his threats.

So, as far as Bush taking away my livelihood, I seriously doubt he could do such a thing if he enacted tort reform and/or made the tax laws simpler (i.e., enacted a flat rate tax which would punish the poor and help the rich). I have plenty of clients who have customers that do not pay. I have clients that need leases and contracts drafted. I have clients getting divorces. I have clients getting into criminal trouble. I could go on and on, but I think you get my point.

In the end, I hope that tort reform is enacted so that car insurance and medical insurance might possibly be affordable. Making that tax code simpler will be extremely tough, but I am all for that too.

Now, who is the damn fool? You should know better about assuming. As far as trying to shake some sense into me, I think I have already proven that my practice is diversified enough to withstand the removal of any single component of income (i.e., I HAVE A GENERAL PRACTICE). They taught me about diversification while I was in undergrad studying to be an accountant. Oil companies are starting to diversify as have a lot of other companies. People should do it with their investments also. It tends to lessen the hurt when an industry suffers a set back or becomes extinct.

[ds]

been involved in Federal Disaster Relief from Hurrican Andrewon. Six of them to be exact, seen stuff you only dream about in horror movies, and I am not going on this one because I really do not know if I could take it.

So I guess neither one of us knows what the hell they are talking about. I'll shut up about lawyering if you shut up about FEMA. Fair enough?