Bush Favors Texas Over Louisiana -- Even Bobby Jindal Notices

As horrible as Hurricane Ike was to Texas, and it was, one can't help noticing the disparity in death tolls between Ike and Katrina. It is dispositive, I think, as to the difference between even the nastiest of hurricanes (the Ike event) and the breaching in more than fifty places of federally-built levees (the Katrina event).

Louisiana's Republican Governor Bobby Jindal has noticed another disparity, that between the federal government's willingness to lift a recovery burden off the state of Texas and its refusal to do the same for Louisiana.

Bush decided Tuesday to have FEMA pick up 100 percent of the costs for debris removal and emergency measures that Texas governments incurred when Hurricane Ike blasted ashore at Galveston last week.

When Jindal saw that, he decided to renew his call for eliminating the 25 percent share Louisiana must pay for the public costs from both Ike and Hurricane Gustav, which hit the state 12 days earlier.

"Singularly, each was a major disaster; combined, these storms amount to a catastrophic event for the state," Jindal wrote.

Even electing a Republican Governor can't help Louisiana keep this President's thumb off the scale.

Comments

[ninagent99]

It breaks my heart to see such conflict between Texas and Louisiana. One devastation does not minimize another. One person’s personal experience of pain does not make another’s experiences less real. And yet, despite the very personal effect that the folly of the Bush administration has had on Louisiana, Texas seems to be getting the blame. And despite this article’s critique on Bush and not Texas, Texans seems to be taking it as on attack on Texas, and then counter-attacking Louisiana. Prejudice and racism is fuelled by “othering” those who are different from us. It seems to me that the Bush administration has successfully “othered” Texas and Louisiana. And yet both are once again predicted to be Red states.

I admit that I have my own bias of “Othering”; each election year I vote and stubbornly hope, despite the polls and predictions, for a Blue Texas. Each election year I hope that Texas will not go to the “Other”. This year election year I will hope for a Blue Texas and Blue Louisiana.

Broke, Liberal, Big City Texan

[JAUG]

well d'oh!

who'd of thunk it?

New Orleans will come back with or with out any political party stamp of approval.
She will rely on the people who care about the City of the Dead to make her rise again.

[gr8tlyblessed]

Let me give you just a little insight because nobody seems to realize...Katrina did not just devastate Louisiana, nor did Rita! However, that was the only state that the media talked about (still does). Yes what happened to the people living in Louisiana WAS tragic. What happened in TEXAS was also tragic! As for "favoritism", FEMA is NOT doing near as much for Texas as they have for Louisiana. OUR Govenor Rick Perry is the one helping Texas. We do not have Oprah or any other celebrity doing anything to help us here! Also, FEMA is only going to help where our state is unable and there's been plenty of red tape to go through for any of it. So, show me where the "favoritisim" is. Texans work hard and rely on each other and have been very welcoming to residents of Louisiana each and every time they have come to our state for refuge, many of whom have been so very disrespectful of our citizens and our property. Never so much as a "Thank you" Now that we have been hit so hard by a devasting hurricane all I have heard coming from Louisiana is whining. No empathy/sympathy. Where's the compassion? Is it because the Bush family chose to call Texas home?? WE DID NOT CHOOSE THEM! They are NOT Texan by birth it was just a political move to get elected! Don't judge our residents by them. STUPID people EVERYWHERE... noone is immune! Sorry.

[katytx]

I was born in Louisiana and just recently moved to Houston. I was devastated at what had happened in Louisiana from Katrina. I can see why Texas might get more help. Just look at all the corruption involving some of the money Louisiana received for Katrina. There are some Texas politicians just as corrupt as Louisiana politicians but Louisiana is by far number 1 and holding. They could not even play it straight with that money and help the states image.

[neworleanslady68]

Actually, no on a few levels.

First of all, Louisiana does not rank first or even second in the nation when it coms to corruption. Wyoming and Mississippi trade off being first and second, year after year.

Also, PRECISELY because of concerns about corruption here, for two solid years, we NEVER got that money that had been promised immediately after Katrina. You - and millions of people like you - assume we got that money some time ago and we didn't.

Also, perhaps you don't know, but about three months ago our new governor pushed through a set of ethical reforms that has moved us from having one of the worst ratings when it comes to reporting and transparency to one of the best.

I wish you would research Louisiana before passing on your assumptions. I hope you will google it and find out that I'm right about Wyoming and Mississippi.

[ToonMoene]

Grrrr. It must be the recent economic turmoil... I read the title as:

Bush Favors Taxes Over Louisiana

Yeah, that would have been a coup.

[CC1]

Of course he favors his home state over us! Big-city Texans think they are better than the rest of the whole world, at least the ones I've ran across. Keep your rich behinds on YOUR side of the state line.

[luziannagirl]

Funny how there was a resounding chorus of blame, coast to coast, for the tens of thousands of New Orleanians who "chose not to evacuate" for Katrina , but only empathy and tears for the hundreds of thousands of Texans who ignored repeated dire official warnings & pleas to evacuate, and had to be search-and-rescued off the Gustav-flooded Texas coast.

Most of the New Orleanians stuck in the Superdome and Morial Convention Center were pedestrian urbanites with no car. Just like Manhattanites, only blacker and poorer.

You're telling me those hundred thousand Texans ignoring the "sure death" evacuation order were car-less pedestrians?

I say check Texas DMV, and send each of those Texans who had a car but didn't evacuate a big fat bill.

Seriously, I know that's not an option. My heart goes out to them. Wouldn't wish that even on a Bush.

Still, even those of us who've been out of touch due to NO ELECTRICITY for the last days and weeks can see that Texas is getting a very different post-hurricane deal than Louisiana got. And is getting. And probably will get.

Why is that, I wonder? After all, we elected a Republican governor. What else do we have to do?

Cede ALL our oil and gas to the Feds?

Or to Halliburton?

[CC1]

You said it! You are right. Double standard

[duchessdorleans]

I'm with you on that one. Everytime I hear about the national guard having to go out and rescue and provide supplies for people who ignored a "sure death" evacuation order I don't feel sorry for them I feel angry at them. Absolute idiots and they should have to do community service to make up for their burden on resources. Of course they won't. They'll just get big fat government handouts for their negligence.

It's hard to explain to people in other parts of the country that during Katrina the people who went to the Superdome were given no other option for safety. There was no food there, even if you had money to buy food you couldn't.

On the other hand, I was very annoyed after Gustav. Like most people, I did what I was told and evacuated. My mother lives outside of Baton Rouge, which was hit very hard and is still suffering. There were big delays in getting relief supplies to the people who needed them because they were stationed in New Orleans. Why? People were told that if they stayed there they would be on their own, so they should have been. There shouldn't have been relief supplies sent to New Orleans. In Baton Rouge there was no evacuation, not even a voluntary one. The supplies should have been there in the first place.

[neworleanslady68]

I'm not angry with people who could've left Galveston and didn't - more like "annoyed," I guess, since I know people just like them here. But I'm furious over the difference in news coverage our "die hards" got during Katrina versus those in Texas this time.

What gets me is when Nagin testified before Congress, he said New Orleans' getting over 80% of the city evacuated before Katrina WAS something of which to be proud (although we could've done better checking to see if the remaining 20% stayed by choice or because of lack of options). Ordinarily, he pointed out, most cities can't get anywhere near such a percentage to leave.

Members of Congress scoffed, acted like he was an idiot for saying 80% was impressive.

Now look - on an island with a history of catestrophic hurricane damage, with more than two or three days of warnings, only 65% of their people evacuated!!!

Notice too they didn't bother evacuating Houston, instead telling people to just "hunker down." The reason officials gave is that last time, Rita, was such a mess on the highways. Well, that's because they don't do it right! Another area where Louisiana has experience and can teach a thing or two...You get people moving out a section at a time, several days in advance - AND you use CONTRAFLOW.

Anyone else notice that while news crews showed aerial views of how bad the Ike evacuation traffic was, the OTHER SIDE of the Texas interstates were EMPTY?

[sablesstar]

As Texans the majority of us aren't expecting nor do we want anyone's empathy or tears. We do what we always do, stand up and start over. Have you forgotten the hurricane that hit Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana a month after Katrina...Rita (the 4th most intense hurricane ever recorded).

Now (Dolly, Eduard, Faye, Gustav & Ike) as with two years ago (Katrina, Rita & Wilma) every individual is eligable for the same benefits, hotel stay (due to outage or damage but only until Oct. 14th), assistance to cover structural damage, assistance for a generator needed for medical conditions with referral, unless your insurance covers these claims. All you have to do is apply.

As to you not having electricity for the last few days and weeks think about the people that are now without homes, ranchers who lost cattle, farmers who lost crops, workers who lost jobs and imagine trying to be a little more human.

Katrina was two years ago and no one has forgotten the devastation to the Florida panhandle, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. Somehow though you just mentioned New Orleans. It hurts my heart to know that people died because the money received by New Orleans from the federal government to restore the levees five years before the storm was mis-handled and mis-used by officials.

[luziannagirl]

sablesstar

I apologize for seeming non-human. Texas is actually one of my favorite places and I greatly admire the resilience and individuality of many of her citizens.

You are a bit mis-informed on the ease of various post-disaster re-imbursement opportunities, however. Or, perhaps, again, Louisiana citizens have a different experience than Americans in other states.

Katrina was three years ago, not two. And though you might not have forgotten it (?), and thank goodness quite a few big-hearted humanitarians and philanthropists haven't forgotten it, I assure you the mainstream media and political leaders in the rest of America have. The only reason New Orleans keeps getting mentioned by Harry and people like me is the unbelievably (and, perhaps that's part of the problem, that it's SO unbelievable????) raw deal they got and continue to get, compared to those other devastated areas listed. Dare I say it, but it's almost as if there were a plan to keep the New Orleans area crippled and down.

And, if you believe the reason the levees failed is all because of state and local governmental failures, do some more research and carefully consider your sources.

[maxfax]

No one mentioned it, Halliburton is in Texas,they like recovery work, and they're available.

[530Rose]

Bobby, you seem like a smart guy.

It must burn you up to have your state dissed like that, and then see Texas get treated like it was in the presidents own back yard while Louisiana is the "red headed step child." It must burn you up to have Palin chosen over you to be John McCain's running mate.

I can't understand WTF Louisiana was doing voting for a republican anyway, but I guess many Democrats were kinda preoccupied with housing and stuff. But now that you see how it is, there is still time to change!

Come on over to the intelligent, compassionate, honest side of the political fence, Bobby! We are the party of the big tent, by now you must be fed up with the Greedy Old Perjurer party!

[pbley68]

johnnyclueless: Bush gave a hundred times $20 billion to prop up his crooked friends in Wall Street.

[pbley68]

Louisiana! you should punish the GOP hierarchy.

[itsme23]

the people in Houston need help ASAP. Fema is playing that same old game, they are not doing a heck of a job. A woman on the radio this morning said... please alert the media to what is REALLY going on down here. There is NO GAS, NO WATER, NO FOOD because there are no OPEN STORES..in other words NO FEMA! Fema is only helping in more affluent areas of Texas. those with out the means are left litterally to STARVE just like KATRINA! Once again the republicans are on tv giving themselves slaps on the back while American Citizens are left for a whole week to live like they are in a third world country....it's DISGUSTING!!! They are NOT reporting this on the MSM so it's up to us to send help to the people who need it most! People in need of basic nessities of human life can't get it. There is no gas station available so they can't leave and FEMA has not shown it's face anywhere for them. If they arrive on foot to FEMA locations, they are turned away because it's not fair to the people in CARS! We have to help our fellow citizens..NOW!

[akkadian]

no one should even pretend to be surprised....

[SouthernYankeeBelle]

Elect democratics because they handle things better on a national scale. Remember Clinton did it.

[itsme23]

I heard a woman in HOUSTON who says please alert the media to what is REALLY going on down here. There is NO GAS, NO WATER, NO FOOD because there are no OPEN STORES..in other words NO FEMA! Fema is only helping in more affluent areas of Texas. those with out the means are left litterally to STARVE just like KATRINA! Once again the republicans are on tv giving themselves slaps on the back while American Citizens are left for a whole week to live like they are in a third world country....it's DISGUSTING!!! They are NOT reporting this on the MSM so it's up to us to send help to the people who need it most! People in need of basic nessities of human life can't get it. There is no gas station available so they can't leave and FEMA has not shown it's face anywhere for them. If they arrive on foot to FEMA locations, they are turned away because it's not fair to the people in CARS! We have to help our fellow citizens..NOW!

[JohnnieP]

Of course Bush favors Texas over New Orleans. Texas is W.'s adopted home. If a tornado hit the
town of Crawford,Tx. during W.'s Presidency, wiping it off the map, everything would have been
restored to normal by the Federal Government, in no time.