No wonder the lefties are distrusted.

Well Mick, I don't believe in rioting under these circumstances, so I agree with you. The left lost the vote so they should accept it gracefully. I'm still not convinced that a strong economy necessarily means a happy country though. Look at America!

quote:

I'm still not convinced that a strong economy necessarily means a happy country though. Look at America!

Or Zimbabwe

cheers

Don

quote:

Well Mick, I don't believe in rioting under these circumstances, so I agree with you. The left lost the vote so they should accept it gracefully. I'm still not convinced that a strong economy necessarily means a happy country though. Look at America!

Yes, and the Left burnt cars, rioted, stopped going to work after the last 2 elections where the Right won by an even slimmer margin... With the Left in an actual majority...
Oh, wait, we didn't.
David

I think what happened after hurricane Catrina says a lot about the state of the USA.

A complete debacle.

Melnobone

I'm fascinated to learn how the mismanagement of FEMA (and others) in the aftermath Hurricane Catrina (sic) says a lot about the state of the USA?

I guess it made for yet another nice "sound bite" for you though.

Cheers

Jim

Indeed.
Katrina aftermath was a huge disaster, but it will never happen that way again.
And what does that have to do with the "lefties" anyway? FEMA administrator Brown was appointed by the leader of the "righties"!
David

It is relevant because a country that is the worlds current superpower could not get organised to remove people from a disaster zone.

Then it left the area in a state of almost total devastation with no mass rebuild program.

It seems to me (IMHO) that the poverty gap in the USA will be its downfall.

quote:

but it will never happen that way again.

Never say never?

No...its got nothing to do with the lefties.

Anyway back to the French.

Are they a bunch of cheese eating surrender monkeys or what?

Melnobone

quote:

It is relevant because a country that is the worlds current superpower could not get organised to remove people from a disaster zone.

Then it left the area in a state of almost total devastation with no mass rebuild program.

OK....so we agree that the Federal disaster planning agency screwed up (the head of the agency resigned within two weeks) and we agree that the State, led by that awful Republican Mayor - Ray Nagin.....oh wait Nagin was a Democrat.....damn, can't blame the Republicans for that one....

BTW, what were they going to build? Houses? Who would move into them? There are few jobs as businesses and industry have not moved back in as before so building houses would simply create future ghettos to replace the ones that were destroyed.

Honestly though....can you seriously link a disater planning failure to overall state of the US? I think not.

Cheers

Jim

quote:

I think not.

I think so.

Difference of opinion!

Thats healthy.

We (British) had 2 world wars against the Germans.

and still hate the French more.

Is that a bad thing?

Melnobone

I don't "hate" any country. Distrust - sure, despise - probably, but not hate I'm afraid (sorry to be so sanctimonius!).

I guess as a Scotsman who has lived and worked in the US for 10 years I may have a different perspective.

BTW, our office in New Orleans was devastated, good friends of mine lost their houses, others suffered next to no damage.....we have just opened a replacement office in downtown NO, so I guess it's a subject close to my heart.

Cheers

Jim

quote:

sanctimonius

(sanctimonious?)

You can be hypocritically pious if you want.

I'd really like to hear from someone at the bottome of the heap in New Orleans but am unlikley to as they are still mostly displaced...

quote:

Originally posted by Mick Parry:
"if you don't work, you don't eat and then you will die" ethic.


Mick

LOL. Always a joy to read.

Melnobone

Nope, I have to disagree, i wasn't being "hypocritically pious"....just somewhat condescending perhaps..

quote:

I'd really like to hear from someone at the bottome of the heap in New Orleans but am unlikley to as they are still mostly displaced...

Many of them by choice as they have re-settled in places like Houston and other cities/towns throughout the US and have better prospects than they had in the slums of New Orleans.

Cheers

Jim

quote:

I'd really like to hear from someone at the bottome of the heap in New Orleans but am unlikley to as they are still mostly displaced...

Not likely to hear from them on this forum! How many of these people do you think lost their Naim kit in the storm?
To me it makes less sense to re-build a city that is at least partly below sea level and prone to hurricanes.
The biggest wake-up call for America in all this was recognizing the huge divide between the "haves" and the "have-nots".
David

quote:

Originally posted by NaimDropper:

The biggest wake-up call for America in all this was recognizing the huge divide between the "haves" and the "have-nots".

Are you suggesting that America is more aware of its poverty stricken people since Katrina went through New Orleans? Do you know some "haves" that now have sympathy for the "have-nots"?

Deane

Most American "haves" that I known totally despised the "have-nots" affected by Katrina.

Their view was that if they were foolish enough not to be insured then they do not deserve any help from the taxpayer.

Regards

Mick

In my job I deal with people at the bottom of the heap in the UK.

They are far far above the folk at the bottom of the heap in the USA.

For once I agree with Tony Blair:

quote:

we are the greatest nation on earth

For those who think what happened in New Orleans won't happen again levees.org

Mick

quote:

Their view was that if they were foolish enough not to be insured then they do not deserve any help from the taxpayer.

Sorry, but that is utter bullshit. Most of them were trying too hard to put bread on the table, never mind being able to afford the extortionate (IMO) insurance rates in the US....if my company didn't pay most of it, medical insurance alone would cost me around $1,000/month...so how much do you think buildings/contents insurance would cost in a city where much of it was lower than sea level? Tell me how the impoverished were supposed to insure themselves......you are normally "good value" with your posts but this is so far wide of the mark it's laughable.

Just as in any country there are those "have's" who don't care, but the outpuring of support, both emotional and financial was astonishing in the US. Say what you like about that country, but when something really bad happens, the level of national support from the population is second to none.....and I say that as an exiled Scot who is as patriotic as they come....

Melnobone

We have some common ground, the UK safety net is set much further off the ground than the US one....

Cheers

Jim

quote:

We have some common ground

Hurrah!

According to the documentary on BBC2 last December, many inhabitants were insured but the insurance companies found complex and questionable excuses not to pay out.

Malky

quote:

Their view was that if they were foolish enough not to be insured then they do not deserve any help from the taxpayer.

Balanced out by the stories of many insurance companies going "above and beyond"....

Cheers

Jim

Jim

I was on a caribbean cruise after Katrina happened and nearly all of the Americans who sat at the same table for dinner as me had total disrespect for them.

I can only repeat what I heard.

Regards

Mick

So that was a good cross section of the American public on that cruise then, was it Mick?
FFS