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Subject: Percy-L: Literary, Religious, Scientific, and Philosophical Discussion on Walker Percy

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  • From: "Tommy Armstrong" <tfa AT brickengraver.com>
  • To: "'Percy-L: Literary and Philosophical Discussion'" <percy-l AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [percy-l] hurricanes
  • Date: Sun, 4 Sep 2005 10:35:15 -0400

Dear Wade,

Thank you for such a reasoned response. And I agree with practically
everything you have said. The main thing I think I take exception to is:
" Most were sick and couldn't leave or didn't have cars and money
to leave. Where is the city supposed to find on its own the money for
buses, shelters, food and water for 100,000 people? "


Since it is true that the levees were at risk, that that risk was known,
that their upgrade had been ignored, and that the City was obviously at an
extreme risk for just this sort of event, the city should have made it a
priority to at least have had a plan to get them out and the resources to
carry it out.

It should have found the resources where all cities find them--property
taxes, use taxes, and the judicious use of their limited resouces. At least
get their people out of harm's way so that they did not die. I find fault
with the locals for not prioritizing those resources and at least having
some plan of action in effect. Get them out and then the rest of the country
could kick in their resources to maintain them. There are millions of good
people in the country and in other countries that are willing and able to
help. What the city of Houston and all the other places that are housing
refugees are doing, could and would have been done for another couple of
hundred thousand--if we had had the chance. I fault the local guys for not
giving us that chance. NO may be poor--but a lot of money does flow through
it--they always brag about the $2 billion $ impact of the Super
Bowl--perhaps a % of that should have been put into the disaster relief
coffers for the last 25 years.

Otherwise, I am in almost complete agreement.


Tommy Armstrong
PO Box 484
Lillington, NC 27546
http://www.brickengraver.com

"If you're a big enough fool to climb a tree and like a cat refuse to come
down, then someone who loves you has to make as big a fool of himself to
rescue you."
W Percy








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