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A Few Thoughts …

By Theresa Fritz Camoriano

First, I want to apologize for a computer glitch I had, which caused me to lose many of the materials I was planning to use in this week’s issue of Jefferson Review.  I am hoping I will be able to recover those documents in time for next week’s issue.  However, in case I cannot recover them, if you had sent me any materials you wanted me to post and they are not in this issue, please re-send them to Editor@JeffersonReview.com.  Thanks.  Now, on with the thoughts…

1.       The Katrina disaster in Louisiana is an extreme example of government failure.  Government (both political parties) failed to evacuate people, failed to rescue people, and failed to keep law and order to protect people from looters and rapists.  Democrats tend to worship government, and in this case, as usual, they are bitterly disappointed when it does not perform the miracles they ask of it.  Of course, they blame the Republicans for the failures of government, but it is clear that there is plenty of blame to go around.  The Democrats accuse conservatives of hating government, but, in fact, conservatives simply recognize the limitations of government and do not expect it to do jobs it was never equipped to handle.  It is a pity that those on the left continue to accept on faith the role of government as savior despite the abundant evidence that it cannot successfully perform that role, regardless of which political party is in charge.  Is it possible that the Katrina disaster will cause more people to recognize that government cannot solve all our problems and that we need to rely much more on voluntary action instead of government force?  I certainly hope so. 

2.       What a contrast between the way the Katrina disaster has been handled in Mississippi and the way it has been handled in Louisiana!  Is the dramatic difference because the people who were affected by the storm handled it differently, with those in Mississippi taking more personal responsibility in rescuing themselves and their neighbors, or is it because the elected officials in Mississippi did their jobs properly while those in Louisiana did not? 

3.       I feel a bit sorry for President Bush.  So many people are ready to attack him no matter what he does.  If he had brought federal troops into New Orleans as soon as Katrina hit, he would have been accused of overstepping his authority, since use of the National Guard should be authorized by the governors of the states, and it had not been authorized by the governor of Louisiana.  However, by following the rules and respecting the authority of local government, Bush was accused of being uncaring.  If he were a more savvy politician, he would have flown into the area by helicopter immediately after the storm hit in order to appear on the evening news as someone who cared.  He might even have tried biting his bottom lip and shedding a tear.  That would have made him look good, whereas standing back and respecting the authority of the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Louisiana just gave them time to bungle the job and allowed them to characterize him as being uncaring.  If your house were on fire, or if a burglar broke in, would you blame President Bush?  If a tree fell over on our car, or if you broke your arm while sky diving, would you blame President Bush?  Why not – everybody else does!

4.       When Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton blame the suffering of the people in New Orleans on racism, how many Americans believe them, and how many laugh at them for making such a ridiculous charge?  Was the hurricane racist?  Was the black mayor of New Orleans who bungled the situation racist? 

5.       Faith-based leftists – The claim that hurricane Katrina was caused by our failure to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is not based on scientific data; it is based on secular religious beliefs.  Many other claims and accusations that are being made relative to hurricane Katrina and its aftermath also are not based on facts but rather are entirely faith-based.  We might consider contrasting these leftist faith-based approaches, which ignore or contradict the facts, with Christian religious approaches, which are consistent with the facts.  Who is behaving like a fanatic?

6.       In hearing and reading accounts of people who have left the hurricane-damaged area, I am struck by the differences among them.  While they all lost so much, some are rolling up their sleeves and anxious to get back to work, while others are demanding assistance for many months so they can sit back and take stock of their situation.  I have little doubt about which of them are most likely to succeed in the long run.  I also have little doubt about which ones I would want to help and which I would not.

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