Katrina and New Orleans

[Lynn Farris]

Okay, it may sound hard hearted, but it annoys me every time I read about the US giving money to build infrastructure in other countries. Like Iraq and Afghanistan. I was on a plane the other day and a man beside me was telling me he was going to build bridges in Iraq. He was telling me about the great work they were doing there and he was getting a great salary for it. I know we bombed them. But we asked him when we were going to rebuild the bridges in the US he agreed that they needed it.

Then I look at Katrina or New Orleans. Money has been allocated by FEMA. We need jobs. But nothing much seems to be happening except by charities.

Shouldn't we fix our own problems first or at least at the same time that we are fixing up other countries?

[Jim DeVito]

Shouldn't we fix our own problems first or at least at the same time that we are fixing up other countries?

Yes. However first we have to stop creating problems in other countries.

[Bill Call]

Okay, it may sound hard hearted, but it annoys me every time I read about the US giving money to build infrastructure in other countries. Like Iraq and Afghanistan.

Obama plans to double foreign aid this year to $50 billion. In three years he anticipates a foreign aid budget to $100 billion. Non of the increase goes to Iraq and Afghanistan.

If the federal government spent in Lakewood what it spent in new orleans they would have spent over $1 billion during the last few years.

[Lynn Farris]

I think the problem Bill is the federal government may have allocated the money. But the local people haven't spent it. Saw a CNN special on it. Charities were building - but the people with the FEMA money had nothing but excuses. It was hard to get the land, it was hard to build. The few houses that they had built weren't complete. I understand that it is hard, but charities who don't have the power of the government (or the bureacracy were doing it.)

I think I know where I would cut in the budget - not energy or health care reforms. We shouldn't have to buy our friends.