Rottenchester

I'm as disgusted as anyone about Bush's handling of the war in Iraq, but I don't think we can blame the Federal Government for what's happening in New Orleans. I think the corruption that has been a part of New Orleans and Louisiana government for the past century is the real culprit here.

Let's start with Louisiana: If I remember my US history and literature from high school, Huey Long was the first corrupt Louisiana governor to hit the national stage. Robert Penn Warren's Pulitzer prize-winning book All The King's Men was a thinly-disguised account of Huey's reign in Louisiana. Huey's relative Earl was notable for a few years in the late 50's and early 60's for being the only actively psychotic governor in the US (I am not kidding). Finally, Edwin Edwards, four-term Louisiana governor in the 80's and 90's, is currently serving time in federal prison for extorting kickbacks from casino operators.

And how about New Orleans: Anyone who's watched TV documentary shows in the past 20 years will have heard about the New Orleans police, perhaps the most corrupt in the nation. New Orleans was the murder capital of the US in the 90s. It isn't #1 today, but the murder rate has been climbing again. In August, most of the former administration of New Orleans was indicted for trying to skim money from an $81 million dollar energy saving contract.

The current mayor , who is new to politics, was elected out of nowhere in 2002 on a platform addressing the corruption in City Hall. Unlike the career politicians next door in Mississippi, he had the guts to call for an evacuation which probably saved thousands of lives. And, unlike those clowns, he isn't comparing Katrina to Hiroshima or the Tsunami.

The New Orleans and Louisiana governments have been fundamentally broken for some time. Broken governments don't have good disaster plans or adequate first responders. All their money and energy goes to graft, so their response is uncoordinated and ill-focused, and those heading up the responses are prone to tears rather than action. This is what we're seeing in Louisiana today. It is awful for the people who have to endure it, and some will die unnecessarily because of it.

Moore's notion that all that is needed is for GWB to send a few more helicopters is just ridiculous. There are thousands of refugees who need food and shelter. And federal resources are useless without local help and knowledge to get them where they're needed most.

For all the criticism that the government of Rochester and New York get here and in the media, New York works. Our police are not on someone's payroll. Our emergency services are excellent. When disaster strikes, a coordinated effort between utilities and local, state and national government get us back on the grid as soon as humanly possible.

In Rochester, we have a hard time comprehending what happens when government is broken. Unfortunately, we're getting a quick education via CNN and the Internet.