Not that I’m inferring anything would be different… (Updated)

BUT.

Take a look at this article from the New Orleans City Business (Feb. 7th, 2005).

The Bush administration's proposed fiscal 2005 budget includes only $3.9 million for the east bank hurricane project. Congress likely will increase that amount, although last year it bumped up the administration's $3 million proposal only to $5.5 million.

The New Orleans district has at least $65 million in projects in need of fiscal year 2005 funding. In fiscal year 2006, the need more than doubles to at least $150 million.

Coming into 2005, the New Orleans district already owed about $11 million to construction companies after funding dried up last July, well before the end of the fiscal year. The project needed an absolute minimum of $11 million this year (2005), and they got $5.5 million. In 2006, the projects needs $22.5 million next year to do everything that needs doing, and the first $4.5 million of that will go to pay four contractors who couldn't get paid this year.

Beginning in 2003, the flow of federal dollars toward the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project (SELA) dropped to a trickle. The Army Corps of Engineers (who are in charge of this project) never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security -- coming at the same time as federal tax cuts -- was the reason for the strain. At least nine articles in the Times-Picayune from 2004 and 2005 specifically cite the cost of Iraq as a reason for the lack of hurricane- and flood-control dollars.

I don’t know how to convey the message any more clearly than that each action from this administration causes a major cancer to this country. Every major thing they’ve pushed through has had horrible side effects. Steroids is destroying our society? Let's put a man on Mars? Why don't you grow up and worry about real problems like a real president instead of making up more conflicts?

The Republicans love to cheer and gloat about their tax cuts, but if you looked at it now, how has that help the majority of Americans? It hasn’t. The tax cut has, however, sheltered much needed money for a second mansion for the wealthy. Fantastic.

All that job growth would have come back naturally. Giving the rich more money has not caused them to put in more jobs. That just simply isn't how it works.

War is expensive. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but there has NEVER been a time in the history of man where there was a tax cut during a war. If the population supports a war, they will be glad to pay more taxes to support it. Think about it, you had to buy off the country to go to war? What kind of war are you fighting? Certainly, it's not one of public support.

Hurricane Katrina and her devastation in New Orleans were bound to happen. This was no secret. This is no Tsunami where there were no warnings. The Army Corps of Engineers has been working SELA since 1995. They’ve used $430 million on shoring up levees and building pumping stations, with $50 million in local aid. But with least $250 million in crucial projects remained, the money dried up.

In early 2004, as the cost of the conflict in Iraq soared, President Bush proposed spending less than 20 percent of what the Corps said was needed for SELA.

All that for what? A war built on lies? Where’s the WMDs?!! Don’t change the fucking reason for the war to some crap about having to save Iraqi’s and get rid of a bad dictator. There are far worst humanitarian atrocities happening in Africa. Where are we going there?

Oh right, no oil. Your Halliburton friends won't make money, so I guess the people of Africa are screwed.

I know most of you already have the same political stances as I do, but those that do not, please look around. It’s not all as pretty as the administration’s spin machine would like you to believe.

I want to keep these thoughts in mind, but right now, it's more important that we all try to help.

American Red Cross
1-800-Help-Now

* Update *

President George W. Bush is reported to have said this on ABC's "Good Morning America.":

From the BBC:

"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees. They did appreciate a serious storm but these levees got breached and as a result much of New Orleans is flooded and now we're having to deal with it and will," he said.

Holy shit. Are you in that much denial or are you just really that ignorant about your actions? Either way, how can anyone have any confidence in you?